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Air Force One is directed by Wolfgang Petersen (The
Perfect Storm.) The film stars Harrison Ford (Raiders of
the Lost Ark), Gary Oldman (Batman Begins), Glenn Close
(Fatal Attraction), and Jurgen Prochnow. ***
A routine trip aboard Air Force One for United States
President James Marshall quickly involves into something
that’s anything but routine. Terrorists have taken over
the plane and are holding the leader, his family, and his
employees hostage, demanding that the leader of their terrorist
group be set free from his current imprisonment. With no
bodyguards or protection in his corner aboard the plane,
it’s up to President Marshall to take matters into his own
hands – and save his family and staff. ***
Han Solo. Jack Ryan. Indiana Jones. Rick Deckard. And
now, you can add President James Marshall to the list of
“classic character played by Harrison Ford.” Air Force One
is a gritty action thriller that goes over the top on more
than a few occasions, but makes no apologies for what it
is. If you’re looking for a Die Hard-esque action movie
starring one of Hollywood’s finest actors out there, Air
Force One gets the job done and then some. ***
By far the best thing about Air Force One is Harrison
Ford. He creates a believable, no nonsense American leader
who will do what it takes to rescue the people he cares
about. For over four decades, he has been one of the best
actors in the business. Air Force One is Mr. Ford doing
what he does best. Even if this movie isn’t necessarily
the best thing he has appeared in over the years, there’s
no denying that this is an excellent performance. ***
The supporting cast is equally talented. Glenn Close
is great as the vice president (who isn’t aboard the plane),
and Gary Oldman, always a great bad guy, is terrific here
as the terrorist who infiltrates the President’s aircraft.
Everyone is played in a believable fashion, and even if
the movie does go over-the-top a few times, you still care
about these characters, since they are portrayed in a sympathetic,
down-to-earth fashion. ***
If I have one complaint with the film, it’s the length.
At 125 minutes, this isn’t a short film. There could easily
have been a few cuts here and there to create a faster-flowing
product. That’s not to say the end product isn’t worth your
time – it certainly is. Additionally, the film received
an R rating, even though the content here isn’t much worse
(if at all) than your average PG-13 film. Ultimately, Air
Force One isn’t exactly a classic, but it does what it sets
out to do – and does it pretty damn well. It’s easy to recommend.
Image and Sound:
On Blu-Ray, Air Force One looks and sounds pretty damn
good. This 1080p transfer has a lot of grain in the image,
but I’m glad to see no artificial enhancements or digital
noise reduction were used. Fine object detail is massively
improved over the old DVD version, and the picture has a
good deal of depth. Skin tones are accurate and black levels
deep and consistent. Where the disc really shines is its
lossless audio track. In the more action-oriented sequence,
prepare for your speakers to get a long-overdue workout.
Dialogue is loud and clear, as is the musical score from
the late, great Jerry Goldsmith. All in all, this is a very
good Blu-Ray transfer. Not the best I’ve seen from a film
that came out in the late 90s, but certainly above average.
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