Review of Flightplan (2005) by Chey F — 31 Mar 2012

It's like Rope... On an Airplane.

A highly stylized thriller from start to finish. Hitchcock couldn't have done better if he was alive today.

The Story: It's beauty lies in it's simplicity. While en route to America from Berlin on board a massive airplane, a woman's child is abducted. There's actually more to the story, but to explain would only detract from the experience of seeing it for the first time. The film is mostly told on board the plane as the woman struggles to find her missing daughter. There's a lot of twists and turns to keep the story from ever becoming dull, and it moves at an incredibly fast pace. To go with the fast pace and tense story is amazing cinematography. Seriously, words can't describe how great the cinematography is here, the camera moves smoother than anything else I've ever seen, truly pulling you into the film. Aside from all that good stuff, is something else that needs to be mentioned, this film has astounding set design. The interior of the aircraft goes above and beyond the call of duty. It simply looks amazing.

The Cast: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean... Jodie Foster is Kyle, the woman who has lost her daughter on a plane. She plays the panic perfectly, and the angst with flawlessly. Going from no control over the situation to complete control, this one of her best performances to date. Peter Sarsgaard is Carson, he's kind of the police on the plane. It's all up to him to keep order on the plane. He's got a great sense of power here, and the whole time will give you a genuine unsettling feeling. Kiefer Sutherland has nothin' on Peter Sarsgaard, and that's a compliment to the highest degree. Sean Bean, is the captain, in charge of the crew and plane as a whole. His part isn't exactly the biggest but his performance is one of the best. This one is one of the greatest casts to ever be put together.

One to Five Scale: 5.

Powerful performances, great set design, intense story, and cinematography smooth as silk, all come together to make one of the best films I've seen in a long time. This film is well worth the price of admission.

Tyler.