Con Air

Starring: Nicholas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, Calm Meaney, Mykelti Williamson, Rachel Ticotin, Monica Potter
Directed by:Simon West
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Box Office: $101,117,573
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 4

Awards:
The Movie Files Movie Championship I: Sweet Sixteen

Summary: Ex-military operative Cameron Poe (Nicholas Cage) accidentally kills a man in a drunken brawl while protecting his wife, and lands 7-10 years in a high security prison. When he is eventually released and prepared to go home to visit his wife and his daughter whom he's never seen before, he gets a ride home on an airplane trnasporting the worst criminals in the country to a new maximum security prison, including Cyrus the Virus (John Malkovich). However, the convicts quickly take over the plane, and now Poe is faced with risking his life to do his duty- even if it means he'll never see his wife or daughter.

Review:

Tim: Right off the bat, I'm saying- Prepare to suspend your belief for the duration of your film. Yes, this is a Jerry Bruckheimer film. Yes, that means acts of violence, action, explosions, and more often than not, less intelligence than you might hope. Who cares? Yes, this film is constantly throwing unbelievable situations in your face, but you know what? That is entertainment... and it doesn't get much sweeter than this.

Nicholas Cage is hell bent on proving he is an action superstar. Cage broke into the high-flying action scene with an incredible performance in The Rock. While he's better in that film as an Everyman, he isn't too bad here. Yes, he has a poor southern accent, and yeah, his hair looks grungy and nasty, but he does deliver a good performance. He whips out some fancy one-liners, and that, combined with enough action to keep anyone satisfied, makes for an entertaining time.

This film got poor reviews, big deal. It has some flaws- what film doesn't? However, Con Air has a superb performance by Cage and great support from John Cusack, for whom I have much respect. Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of the film are the convicts on the plane. You have John Malkovich leading the way as the brilliant yet psychopatic Cyrus the Virus- who you know you should hate, but you cannot help loving. He's a genius, yet he is also a ruthless killer. He has a number of witty remarks throughout the film that only he could pull off. Ving Rhames adds a decent performance as Mad Dog someone or other. Nothing special, but nice. Steve Buscemi... who is a damn hard worker appearing in a number of films, is classic as Garland Greene. He's supposedly the most homicidal and dangerous convict on the plane, yet me makes remarks like, "Define irony. A bunch of idiots on a plane singing a song made popular by a band... made famous by dying in a plane crash." He also sings "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" with a little girl- just wait and see. The reason the convicts appeal to us so much is because they are just so cool- powerful, out of control, care only for themselves- which makes quite a contrast with Cage's character, who seems to always be concerned with someone else.

This film has one purpose and one pupose only. It's not going to try to make you cry, inspire you, move your soul, or make you fall in love- it is going to entertain you by blowing some shit up and having people get killed. And I don't know about you- but that sounds pretty entertaining to me.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Rock, Face/Off, Being John Malkovich, Mission: Impossible, Armageddon