Plane
Whelp… still beats flying Southwest.
Cast of Characters:
Capt. Brodie Torrance – Gerard Butler
Louis Gaspare – Mike Colter
Samuel Dele – Yoson An
Bonnie – Daniella Pineda
Hampton – Paul Ben-Victor
Shellback – Remi Adeleke
David Scarsdale – Tony Goldwyn
Director – Jean-Francois Richet
Writer – Charles Cumming & J.P. Davis
Producer – Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Marc Butan, Gerard Butler & Alan Siegel
Distributor – Lionsgate
Running Time – 107 minutes
Rated R for violence and language.
The Rundown: It’s the New Year holiday, and Trailblazer Airlines is looking to cut costs, such as saving fuel by having their upcoming Flight 119 to Tokyo pilot straight through a severe storm. Never fear, though, ’cause Trailblazer pilot Capt. Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) is here to ensure a safe flight for his passengers, a very safe flight that results in him performing a successful emergency landing after his plane sustains critical damage from the storm.
Hey, look at that. We almost crashed. Well, thank God it wasn’t anything worse, like being stuck at an airport.
So, now, instead of being in Tokyo, all those aboard Flight 119 are stranded on a remote island in the Philippines ruled by a separatist militia just dying to score some cheddar from collecting hostages.
Again, could be worse. We could be stuck in a dreadful airport filled with indoor heating/air-conditioning, restaurants, lounges, clean bathrooms and other comforting amenities. That would suck. Thank God I’m now having to shit behind a tree and then wipe my ass with some rash-inducing poison plant, all while avoiding a bunch of pissed-off, heavily armed guerillas.
Of course, the passengers are all taken hostage ’cause Murphy’s Law really hates these assholes. Still, never fear, ’cause not only is Capt. Brodie able to land wrecked airplanes; he’s also able to kill people.
Intent on saving all his passengers in order to score his holiday bonus next paycheck, Torrance teams up with Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), a fugitive suspected of murder the flight was transporting, and together, they’ll be kicking ass and taking names as they start racking up the Filipino body count.
See, you have a murderer to help you guys out. I mean, he’s already used to it, so what’s one, two, three or entire militia more of dead guys to him?
Initial Thoughts: The early months of each film year never fail to deliver on a few certain types of movies. We always get at least one crappy horror flick, a sub-par, unfunny comedy and either Gerard Butler or Liam Neeson planting their feet up the asses of bad guys. Both Butler and Neeson actioners tend to exist on the extremes, with them either being really good or really terrible. For every Run All Night or 300, there’s a Blacklight or the “Has Fallen” trilogy.
Plane comes to us from French director Jean-Francois Richet, who made the lackluster Assault on Precinct 13 remake but also made the great Mel Gibson crime thriller Blood Father. Considering you’ve seen a Butler ass-kicking in one film, you’ve basically seen them all, I certainly can’t say I was looking forward to this; however, I will admit that the promos showing “From the producers of Greenland” did intrigue me a little. Greenland is another Butler thriller that I also wasn’t looking forward to, and was actually late to the party in watching it, but ended up surprisingly liking it, thanks mostly to the film’s realistic approach to the cataclysmic disaster genre. And color me surprised again in January, Plane is another pleasant surprise. It’s far from perfect, and is the type of potboiler action thriller that turns out being better than maybe it deserves to be, but it’s still a solid, fun popcorn actioner that delivers everything it guarantees on the box.
The Good: So, first off, fun as Plane is, there’s no denying that this film will require you to suspend your disbelief a little, especially since this film has what I call a dummy plot. What’s a dummy plot, you ask? Well, a dummy plot is a film with a plot that cannot move forward unless the characters make stupid decisions, such as a very key and very stupid decision made at the beginning (which is noted in the plot synopsis) that if decided differently would not only avoid the impending conflict entirely, but would instantly end the film right there.
That said, if you can look past that, as well as some dodgy visual effects during the emergency plane landing, you may be able to have a good time with this. A solid throwback to no-frills, unpretentious actioners like Die Hard 2, Air Force One, Executive Decision and Under Siege (yes, I’m including submarines too), Plane is a film that knows exactly what it is and is effective at it. Richet kicks things off with an intense emergency plane landing sequence (even with the aforementioned effects during the occasional exterior shot), then keeps things moving at an urgent pace, delivering genuine, white-knuckle tension, while also not skimping out the violent kills. One instance fairly early on in the film involves a brutal hand-to-hand fight between Butler and and separatist that’s suitably shot by cinematographer Brendan Galvin in an off-balance, disorienting manner that elevates the visceral nature of the fight.
Since I mentioned it occurs fairly early on, it shouldn’t be difficult to figure out who wins.
Plane also is a fine example of an action film that is able to go a long way thanks to its leading pair. Both Gerard Butler (taking a break from his fake, wonky American accents and using his natural Scottish accent) and Mike Colter make an engaging buddy action duo, with their interactions keeping the film’s momentum going when Richet takes a break from the action. Butler, in particular, brings a welcome change of pace from his usual gruff, tough guy routine by dialing down the brawn and machismo and approaching Brodie with a more human touch that works really well. Unlike other Butler ass-kickers where he’s not only always in control, but almost unrealistically always in control, Brodie sometimes finds himself in over his head or may even need to be bailed out, which adds to the suspense. That’s not to say the pilot is a wuss either. He’s still doing all he can to survive and save his passengers, and Butler’s commanding presence is still there, but it’s handled by the actor in a manner that’s refreshingly restrained and grounded.
Plus, this movie kills bad guys with a commercial airliner, so, honestly, what’s not to like here?
The Bad: Putting aside the nitpicky observations, Plane’s real misstep is in its depiction of the separatist villains. In fact, if you’re looking for characterization in general, you may wanna look elsewhere, ’cause pretty much all the characters here are the usual suspects of archetypes. The antagonists are your typical “central casting” one-note, faceless types that come with little to no character or personality, and the hammy turns by the actors portraying them also don’t help in elevating their characters’ lack of depth.
Look, I get that a potboiler like Plane doesn’t need to dive deep into the world of nuance and draw out psychologically complex characterizations for its antagonists. We don’t need Anton Chigur from No Country for Old Men here. That said, the over-the top, caricature nature of the militia characters clashes with the serious, real world threat the rest of the film is aiming for. Normally, such a clash would risk undercutting the film’s tension, but it’s thanks to the strong sense of terror and desperation conveyed by the rest of the cast that the tension is able to be sustained.
On the plus side, this film taught me that airlines apparently have fixers (well played by dependable character actor Tony Goldwyn) with access to secret, freelance mercenary groups that can wipe out entire militias with just four men.
Those are some amazing crack shots.
The Ugly: All the 1-star reviews the passengers will be leaving on Tripadvisor once they return home.
Consensus: While Plane hits a few patches of turbulence along the way, a strong performance from Gerard Butler plus an effective sense of tension and urgency from director Jean-Francois Richet allow this surprisingly fun action thriller to make a relatively smooth landing.
Silver Screen Fanatic’s Verdict: I give Plane a B (★★★).
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