Écran noir à la tour de contrôle

This was recently shown on BBC so I had a chance to watch it. An Air Traffic Controler's life is one of the most stressful, as is illustrated in this drama. It has an interesting plot, which (I think) is well played out by the actors. Although Charles Smith's character is a little over the top.

All in all it's a pretty good movie.

Since I like thrillers very much this is not the first one I have ever seen about airport security (EXECUTIVE DECISION is one that quickly comes to mind). However I was a bit reticent when I had to watch BLACKOUT EFFECT because of its low score and few divergent reviews. But when I saw it, as it progressed it became better.

John Dantley (Eric Stoltz) is a NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) officer that is sent to O'Hare Airport for investigating about a collision between a Boeing 757-200 from Los Angeles to Washington DC and a Boeing 727-200F where 185 people were killed. It won't be easy because air traffic controller Henry Drake insists that his radar had a malfunction when the planes were cleared for landing, but Dantley will do everything for making the truth come out: Drake was an already high-strung individual that didn't got along well with almost nobody and the radar system was already showing some signs of malfunction but instead of taking action started a cover up after the collision.

The acting by Stoltz was very good and this shouldn't come as a surprise. But what I liked most about this made for TV is that the twists and turns were pretty much like those in theater released thrillers, and I really couldn't wait to see when the truth would have come out!

Overall, a nice made for TV thriller that fans of the genre will no doubtly love and it's available on Youtube if you want to give it a try.

Going into Blackout Effect (Otherwise known as 747) I expected yet another plane related disaster flick. You know the ones, where there is something wrong with a plane and it's down to the crew and those on the ground to guide them home.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that it's not, it's a perfectly watchable little thriller.

It tells the story of an air traffic controller who appears to make a mistake and causes two planes to collide. But the more investigation is done into the matter the more it appears there is more to the story.

Starring Eric "I was almost Marty McFly" Stoltz and underrated Charles Martin Smith this thriller managed to get my attention from the get go. Truth be told it does get a tad far fetched by the end but never goes too far.

Well written and tense this is well worth anyones time despite not being groundbreaking.

The Good:

Great idea

Decent performances

The Bad:

Hit and miss in places

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Air traffic controller jobs look insanely stressful

Problems with air traffic control lead to a collision, and many deaths. Who or what is responsible? How to prevent it from happening again? Those are the questions this movie is centered around, and it does so fairly well. Especially the first half of the movie is decent, but unfortunately the ending lets it down. The story looses steam and takes a somewhat weird turn a bit after the midpoint.

The dialog is fairly well written, and characters are ok, even though the protagonist is rather flat, and the acting is quite natural. I appreciate that they didn't turn every potential conflict into a lengthy emotional scene, nor do the actors stare wistfully into the distance. The scenery is typical for a TV movie: only a handful of locations, and a somewhat lackluster decor, but the essential locations are well developed. The people who built the control room set can be quite pleased with their job. The score also does its job.

If you don't go in with high hopes, you can enjoy it.

"Blackout Effect" gets off to a good start and ends confused about it's own purpose. With Stoltz at the center as an NTSB sleuth investigating a midair collision, the film takes the audience into the world of commercial aviation and air traffic control. However, once there, it becomes a mess of conflicts between ATC's and management, the NTSB and the ATC management, the quirky bad guy and everyone, and even a side plot about a relationship between the investigator and a passenger on the doomed flight which serves no purpose. The film loses itself when an agitated ATC threatens to disrupt aviation with a home made ray gun. Yeah, right. An okay watch with sufficient energy to keep the viewer awake, "Blackout Effect" will be most enjoyed by tech-heads and people interested in convoluted dramas, especially about aviation.