Review of Flightplan (2005) by Pattadol S — 11 Jun 2011
A decent if forgettable thriller which stars Jodie Foster as Kyle (Kyle?) Pratt, a newly widowed aerospace engineer whose daughter disappears during their flight from Berlin to the funeral in New York.
Things quickly get out of hand as it's revealed that there's no evidence that the girl was ever even on board! There's no record of her checking in, there's no boarding pass with her name on it and no-one remembers seeing her.
Is it a conspiracy or is Kyle simply losing her mind? This question is what the film handles best as there are plenty of suspects and red herrings including a group of Arab passengers (this was only a few years after 9/11 remember) and the Captain (played by villain veteran Sean Bean in an inspired piece of casting).
Most intriguingly, seeds of doubt are sowed as to the state of Kyle's mind very early on in the film so it is entirely conceivable that she's actually suffering from delusions brought about by grief.
Sadly though, when the truth is revealed it's probably the least interesting (not to mention most nonsensical) option that's chosen and serves only to open up gaping plot holes and kill any lasting appeal the film might have had.
Still, aside from shooting itself in the foot with the poor climax, Flightplan is an interesting, well-acted thriller.
This review of Flightplan (2005) was written by Pattadol S on 11 Jun 2011.
Flightplan has generally received mixed reviews.
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