Review of Con Air (1997) by Caesar M — 03 Jan 2013

There was a time when just having Nicholas Cage in your movie guaranteed box office success, but times have change since then. People tend to forget Cage is capable actor and even entertaining when put in the right role with Con Air being one of those roles.

Con Air follows a newly released ex-con and former US Ranger who finds himself trapped in a prisoner transport plane when the passengers seize control. The plot is the film biggest weakness. It goes for a tad to long with to much filler gear towards the end. The pacing is uneven, at times the film is exciting, but times also scenes that slow things down. A good chuck of the film is forced action scenes which are cool to look at, but drags the limited material further than needed to be. It's also filled with too many characters that some of them get lost. It's a shame because the characters themselves are quite good with plenty of goofy lines. Con Air is most entertaining in a mindless mindset.

If there is anything good the film does is it casting. Nicholas Cage is a likable action hero even with his ridiculous mallet. He able to give his character a certain level of vulnerability that makes us want to cheer for him. This film also has quite a cast with Danny Trejo, John Cusack, Dave Chappelle, John Malkovich, and many more. The cast is very likable and fit well into their characters. The cast themselves makes the experience more enjoyable helping you overcome any flaws found in the plot. The action in the movie is well done and a blast to watch. It's huge on the action set pieces without sparing much expense on the explosions. It's just a shame the plot could not be as fun.

Con Air contains a great cast and good action to make for an enjoyable mindless viewing. If you could get over the poor plot that is.