Con Air
(1997)
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Nothing makes good-guy non-recidivist offender Cameron Poe happier than the thought of returning to society, where his angelic wife and the equally angelic little girl he's never known are waiting. And nothing makes him angrier than the passel of psychopathic murderers and rapists aboard his prison transport plane--especially when, under the direction of ringleader Cyrus The Virus Grissom, they revolt and hijack their own plane. Fortunately, our hero's been trained by the Army as an elite one-man-fighting-machine, and a dogged Justice Department agent waits on the ground to help him bring the fanatical fly-boys in for a bloody crash landing--in Vegas! A hyperactive Molotov cocktail blended from the frenetic efforts of high-octane action producer Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock), hipster-schtick screenwriting specialist Scott Rosenberg, and music video director West. Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Original Song (How Do I Live), and Best Sound. |
Following on from The Rock, this was the film that cemented Nicolas Cage's reputation as one of Hollywood's most unlikely action heroes. It's a topnotch thrill-athon, with Cage as an ex-marine jailed for a murder he committed in self-defence, whose release is interrupted when his flight home is hijacked by a bunch of America's most dangerous felons. Cage's impossibly cool macho posturing is irresistible, as is John Malkovich's sneering, tongue-in-cheek turn as super-criminal Cyrus “the Virus” Grissom. John Cusack and Ving Rhames lend snappy support, while Steve Buscemi steals nearly every scene he is in with an inspired pastiche of Hannibal Lecter. Armed with an entertaining script by Scott Rosenberg, director Simon West has delivered a dynamic debut that's nearly impossible to dislike. The public certainly found it a winning formula — it went on to take more than $200 million around the world.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Uproarious but enjoyable nonsense, marked by much gunfire, loud explosions, over-the-top acting and, when it can be heard, some witty dialogue.