Director: Wolfgang Peterson
Release Date: 2hrs 4 minutes
Genre: Action
Rating: 15
Format: Sky Cinema
Synopsis:
Hijackers seize the plane carrying the President of the United States and his family, but he an ex-soldier, works from hiding to defeat them.
Before there was "Olympus has Fallen" and "London has Fallen", there was Air Force One! Thought to have been inspired by "Die Hard", the President of the United States of America must defend himself and his plane, when it's hijacked by terrorists who are determined to kill someone on board every half an hour unless their demands are met. The terrorists aren't interested in Air Force One, their goal is to merely force the President of the United States to release General Radek, the dictator of a terrorist regime in Turkey, who is currently being held in prison in Moscow. Thrilling and packed full of action, this is definitely one for the adrenaline junkies!
Harrison Ford stars as President James Marshall, a highly intelligent man that finds himself in the arms of terrorists who shrewdly believe that he is no longer on board when they hijack it. Ford delivers a very strong and charismatic performance. He fits into the role very nicely. British actor Gary Oldman however is the man who really steals the show with his fiercely authentic performance as Russian terrorist Ivan Korshunov. Deeply terrifying and straight to the point, Oldman's performance really is outstanding. The only really disappointing aspect to the story and the film is that we do not see a great deal from other characters, the story primarily focuses on James Marshall, Vice President Kathryn Bennett and Ivan Korshunov.
It's fairly obvious that director Wolfgang Petersen was inspired by "Die Hard", more so from the second film in which a airport is held hostage by a group of terrorists who are planning to rescue a drug lord from justice. The plots are very similar, however the film stood out at the time due to it's thrilling and action packed storyline. The beauty of the film is that most if not all of the film is shot on Air Force One. Wolfgang Petersen was initially denied access until Harrison Ford asked for permission and things soon changed. The special effects looks excellent, although Peterson hasn't relied on them a great deal which has gone in his favour in making the film look more authentic. Chances are they will never make a film quite like this again, out of fear that a story will press on sensitive subjects, as we are now post 9/11.
Fantastically action packed from beginning to end!
4.5/5 stars
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