Review of Air Force One (1997) by Zuhayr K — 29 Mar 2015

In the extremely suspenseful movie, Air Force One, Harrison Ford plays as James Marshall, a onetime combat hero in the Vietnam War who was awarded the Medal of Honor and is now President of the United States rather than Indiana Jones. The movie is directed by Wolfgang Petersen and was released in theaters July 25 in 1997, and ever since then has been a very popular and powerful role model for action/drama themed movies. There are very few scenes in which the audience can keep a relieved state of mind, and that is only in the very beginning of the movie because of how intense every scene is within the movie.

The movie starts with a very supportive scene in which President Marshall is giving a speech in Russia about how the United States has captured a terrible terrorist and that the United States will not tolerate any acts of terrorism. Shortly after the speech is given, President Marshall boards Air Force One and is on his way back to the United States in which we will live peacefully. Little does President Marshall know that the journey back is going to be much more dreadful than any experience he has ever had.

While on the plane trip, the plane is hijacked by a group terrorists who demand that their captured leader be released immediately, and if he isn't, then a person who is aboard the plane will be executed every certain amount of minutes. This is where the film's praised suspense starts and only builds up throughout the rest of the film.

What's present during the film is acting that has been executed perfectly. Every single character within the story plays an important role and are allowed to set a mood of distress and suspense that keeps the audience on the tip of their chairs the whole time they are watching the movie.

Perhaps the reason the movie became so popular is because of the splendid plot and the action scenes performed during the film. What's splendid is that President Marshall received a Medal of Honor for his services in Vietnam, and this is an indication to the audience that Harrison Ford is going to be making risky decisions in order to save as many people as he can that are aboard the plane, and stop the terrorists.

Overall, the movie is a concept that perhaps every President has thought might occur to them because of the fact that there are always going to be people who want to hurt the leaders of the United States. This movie brings that concept alive and accomplishes the very feeling that goes through people in such tense situations. This is a movie that will be inspiring and will remain an old classic because of the fact that there has not yet been any movie that has yet to rival it while maintaining the same themes.