MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Action Thriller/Stars: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, Colm Meaney, Mykelti Williamson, Rachel Ticotin, Monica Potter, Dave Chappelle, M. C. Gainey, John Roselius, Renoly Santiago, Danny Trejo, Jesse Borrego, Nick Chinlund, Angela Featherstone, Jose Zuniga, Landry Allbright, Steve Eastin, Kevin Gage, Ty Granderson Jones, Emilio Rivera, Doug Hutchison, Jeris Lee Poindexter, David Ramsey, Conrad Goode, John Diehl, Don S. Davis/Runtime: 115 minutes
I think it can be quite safely argued dear reader that, should one really stop to think about it, for all of the positives that action cinema has brought to our day to day lives there is perhaps one negative that should definitely be considered as well. That being that it has made the act of travel in the many forms that can take less something that one could choose to do for relaxation/recreation purposes and more something that is destined to leave you at best with some new bruises to your name and at worst either dead or desperately seeking an understanding (to say nothing of hopefully not too expensive) member of the psychologist community for the rest of your days. Indeed, be it by blimp, hot air balloon, ship (especially cruise ships), bus, train, bike, helicopter, or even in your own freaking car the land of movie magic definitely seems to have developed quite the intriguing cinematic playbook for turning those things from simple modes of transportation designed to help people get from one place to another into in motion lightning rods for all kinds of chaos, anarchy, and/or just straight up malevolence to unfold around. Out of all of those however, there is perhaps one mode of transportation that the land of movie magic definitely seems to have it out for more than any other. That being the airplane or the flying bus for those of you out there who have ever flown on a flight operated by Spirit Airlines. I mean I don’t know if an airplane ever snubbed these people at a bar when they offered to buy it a drink, these people didn’t get the upgrade to first class that they perhaps thought they so rightfully deserved, or maybe they just weren’t given that 15th glass of alcohol to “help calm their nerves”….on a 2 hour flight or what, but whatever the cause may be it just seems like the land of movie magic absolutely adores having chaos and mayhem occur on the world’s favorite form of winged transport. Perhaps this is why, in the long and storied history of cinematic ventures, you will find such things occurring on planes as not being called Shirley, murders, a crash in the Andes Mountains, bombings, hijackings, fires, the undead, passengers being kidnapped and held for ransom, going through rips in the time/space continuum and encountering furry meatballs with teeth, Liam Neeson (seriously that dude is his own separate category at this point), and even Samuel L. Jackson taking on an army of slithery snakes set loose by a cartoonish mob boss. This of course brings us to the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 1997’s Con Air, and honestly I really do dig the heck out of this movie dear reader. No it’s not a perfect film by any means nor is logic anywhere to be found near it, but with the aid of fairly strong work on both sides of the camera Con Air is definitely one cinematic flight you can’t afford to miss.
The plot is as follows: Con Air gets its high-flying narrative underway by introducing us to our main character by the name of Cameron Poe. A guy who, among other things worth knowing about him, is a member of that distinct and elite group known as the Army Rangers yet who, when our story begins, is being honorably released from his duties following Desert Storm so he can start a new chapter in his life with his loving wife Tricia and their soon to be brought into this world baby daughter Casey. Sadly, we see that it’s not long after this truly touching moment between the two that this reunion is tragically cut short when in the midst of defending his wife from some bar hoodlums our hero accidentally kills one of them and, thanks to a (quite arguably) significant mishandling of the justice system, is sent to prison for no less than 7-10 years. From there, the film then jumps ahead that 7-8 years where we see that a significantly longer-haired Poe has been granted his long-awaited parole and is getting to go home at last. To get there however, we see that Poe will have to journey with his diabetic prison buddy Mike O’Dell (or….Baby-O….seriously who comes up with these nicknames for these guys?) onboard a U.S. Marshals prison transport plane. Unbeknownst to our dynamic duo however is the fact that this particular flight, besides not offering any snacks let alone an in-flight movie, is also going to be one they share with a roster of some of the meanest and vilest bad guys around including, but not limited to, a mass murderer named Billy Bedlam, a chillingly nonchalant serial killer named Garland Greene, a rapist named Johnny-23 (and not because he loved watching Short Circuit as a kid), a vicious gangster known as Nathan “Diamond Dog” Jones, and (worst of all) a brilliant psychopath known as Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom. It is the last name on that party list incidentally who soon becomes quite the thorn in both Poe, to say nothing of law enforcement on the ground’s, sides. This is because, shortly after takeoff, we see Cyrus, utilizing a clever distraction from one of the other inmates on the plane, is able to use the ensuing confusion and chaos to his advantage and take over the plane. Now with the authorities on the ground in a scramble to try and figure out just what to do in regards to the plane and everyone onboard, can our “wrong place at the wrong time” hero find a way to wing it with his fellow inmates whilst discretely working with the team on the ground, with particular regard to a U.S. Marshal named Vince Larkin, to try and stop them or is this one flight plan that’s about to hit some permanent turbulence?
Now right off the runaway, it should be noted that the work done behind the camera on this cinematic flight is (surprise surprise) actually fairly solid despite the fact that this is very much a film that is designed to be one that you are supposed to roll with what occurs since it appears logic got itself ejected before this particular flight left the terminal. This starts with the work done at the helm by the vastly underrated Simon West (The Expendables 2, The General’s Daughter, and Rick Astley’s music video for Never Gonna Give You Up among other works) and he does a terrific job here. Not just in ensuring that this slice of cinema’s gloriously loony and logic be darned narrative is able to move forward at the equal parts whirlwind and swift tempo that it needs to function at, but also in keeping an entertainingly wink and nod-type vibe consistently throughout the proceedings to say nothing of ensuring the action beats in this that are nothing short of taut and riveting in equal measure. Speaking of those…I think it should now also be pointed out here that the action beats on display in this slice of cinema are both incredibly filmed and skillfully executed with such examples including a gun battle in an airplane graveyard that eventually has a bulldozer come to play in the proceedings and a motorcycle chase with a firetruck near the end of the film among others. Yet through all of these and the other action beats in this particular cinematic outing’s arsenal (including the initial takeover of the plane), this slice of cinema does a wonderful job of ensuring that each and every one of them (plus the rest of the film incidentally) are presented in as crystal clear a manner as possible thanks in large part to the top-tier work done by the cinematography department as headed by the remarkably gifted David Tattersall who also contributed his remarkable talents to the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Working beautifully in synch with the aforementioned dynamic duo of ingredients however would have to be this slice of cinema’s fantastically penned script from gifted scribe Scott Rosenberg (the latest two Jumanji films from 2017 and 2019 respectively). Indeed not only does the script possess a delightfully sarcastic and twisted sense of humor to the proceedings, but it also gives each of the characters at the very least a handful of snarky lines that help to both distinguish them from the other people in the cast as well as give the audience something to chuckle at whilst being glued to the edge of their seats. Finally, I would definitely be amiss if I didn’t take some time to talk about this film’s wonderful musical accompaniment as provided by Mark Mancina and Trevor Rabin respectively. Indeed not only does this dynamic duo provide a score that is just as rousing and thrilling as the film itself, but they even get in a few moments mostly at the beginning and end where the score (as aided by the beautiful song How Do I Live) manages to be actually surprisingly touching for a popcorn action film like this. Suffice it to say that this slice of cinema might not be one to snatch up any Oscars (even as it DID actually earn a pair of well-earned Oscar nods for Best Sound and Best Original Song ironically), but there is no denying that in terms of entertainment value the work done behind the camera is absolutely well done and then some in every sense of the word.
Of course, the other element that undeniably helps this slice of cinema take flight to the altitude that it ultimately winds up reaching would have to come from the truly incredible line up of talent assembled in front of the camera as well. Without a doubt in my mind this starts with Nicolas Cage in the lead role and he is perfect here (intriguing Southern accent aside). Indeed the character of Cameron Poe is easily one that, in the hands of a lesser talent, easily could have been a very one-note action hero and nothing more. In the hands of freakin’ Nic Cage however, this guy is transformed into a significantly more three-dimensional character right down to his desire to ensure that the stuffed bunny he bought his daughter is not harmed in any way. As a result, not only does the character of Poe become someone who is deserving of our sympathies and worth rooting for as he kicks some serious bad guy butt both intellectually and very much so physically, but he also gets to display a bit of a snarky and even more gentlemanly side to himself as well. A pair of elements incidentally which Cage proceeds to showcase for us through a combination of a barrage of witty remarks fairly consistently throughout as well as his interactions with both his friend whose diabetes starts kicking in mid-flight and the only female prison guard whose being held hostage on the flight respectively. Suffice it to say that Nic Cage has long been one of cinema’s more intriguing performers, but this is definitely one of the more iconic performances of his storied career. Of course, in a film like this, the performance of the hero is really only as good as the performance of the villain that they are squaring off against. In that regard, it should be said that perhaps the MVP in terms of performances in this is from none other than John Malkovich as Cyrus the Virus. Indeed Malkovich has long been an actor I have held in high regard, but this is easily one of his more noteworthy turns as here we get to see Malkovich mix together a degree of over the top with chilled ruthlessness (and a dollop of sadistic for good measure) to create an antagonist that is definitely one of the best bad guys of 90s action cinema bar none. Finally, if there is one performer that I would like to take the time to highlight here it would have to be none other than John Cusack in the role of U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin. Indeed I have always appreciated Cusack’s talents as a performer and he does a great job at bringing a sarcastic sense of humor to say nothing of humanity and even a dedication to his job right down to getting his hands dirty and help Poe save the day his way be it in a motorcycle chase or even in a bulldozer (no seriously). Suffice it to say that when you also factor in top-flight efforts from such performers as Steve Buscemi whose dryly witty knock-off of Hannibal Lecter is fairly effective despite not getting as much dialogue or screentime as a lot of the others, Kevin Gage, Steve Eastin, Danny Trejo, Jose Zuniga, Nick Chinlund, Jesse Borrego (Cruz from Blood In Blood Out), Danny Trejo, M.C. Gainey who is an absolute blast as the delightfully unhinged prisoner “Swamp Thing”, Monica Potter, Dave Chappelle who is legitimately hilarious with his 30-35 minutes of screentime, Colm Meaney, Mykelti “Not Just Bubba from Forrest Gump” Williamson, Rachel Ticotin (who was phenomenal in 1993’s Falling Down and 1990’s Total Recall), and the always a delight when he pops up in something Ving Rhames among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might not possess an ounce of logic to its proceedings, but the work done by this cast of talent still makes it an bonafide joy to watch.
All in all and at the end of the day is Con Air a perfect slice of cinema? Honestly no, but if you are the kind of person who thinks that then definite props to you. With that being said, is this the worst thing to happen to Nicolas Cage on a plane since he had to be a pilot on one during and immediately following the Rapture in 2014’s Left Behind? Thankfully, according to the seemingly permanent migraine that particular cinematic outing left me with to say nothing of my peace of mind anyway, I can most assuredly tell you that is not the case. With that in mind, let me be the first to tell you: if you are the kind of person who wants to watch a movie that is the kind of film that will be the darling of every awards ceremony from the Oscars to the SAG Awards and beyond (with a layover at BAFTA for good measure) then I don’t know how to tell you this, but I think you might have picked up the wrong movie for your viewing pleasure today. On the other hand, if you want a delightfully goofy and logistically absurd yet capably made by a group of skilled professionals both behind and especially in front of the camera then strap in because you’re definitely onboard the right cinematic flight today. Suffice it to say then dear reader that it might not win any awards for logic, but Con Air is nevertheless a taut, well-made, well-acted, and just plain gonzo fun action thrill ride that for some might prove to be a bit turbulent to handle, but for most will prove to be an absolute blast from start to finish. Just make sure that it’s not what you put on in the middle of a trans-Atlantic flight to Europe when you haven’t gotten any sleep to your name. Speaking from experience I can definitely tell you that your nerves will undoubtedly thank you later. Make of that dear reader what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Con Air “97” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
