Review of Air Force One (1997) by Richard M — 28 Feb 2011

Wolgang Petersen enters another confined space to make a film. It is my belief that he has family members who either own or are employed by gimbal manufacturers. This time, though, the action takes place 30,00ft in the air rather than "tiefer, noch tiefer" in his Unterseeboot. It is easy to discredit this film as a piece of action fluff, but really it is a film riven with tension and genuinely eye-popping stunt and visual effects sequences. Yes, that is an actual 747 manoeuvring crazily on a runway. Yes, that is a real MC-130 with a guy hanging out the back of it. Yes those are real F-15s taking off and doing things in the air that would require a sick bag with film processing offers on it.

Of course the plot isn't terribly original and the action unfolds as one would expect. Budding political scientists and international relations experts will no doubt feel Ford's President Marshall unilaterally rescinding 56 years of United States foreign policy norms is completely unrealistic. I for one found this the least believable part of the film. Special mention to JÃ 1/4rgen Prochnow for being THE dude.