Con Air
2.5/4
Starring: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Colm Meaney, Rachel Ticotin, Mykelti Williamson, Monica Potter
Rated R for Strong Violence and Language
I feel jealous of mature filmgoers during the 1996-1997 time period. Three classic action movies were released during that year: "Heat," "Face/Off" and "Turbulence"...ha ha. Just kidding. I meant to say "The Rock" (as if anyone with more than a quarter of their brain could consider MGM's bomb a "classic"...). While "Con Air" certainly isn't among those masterpieces, it does have it's pleasures.
Cameron Poe (Cage) is an ex-Army Ranger who has just left the armed forces. While celebrating with his lovely wife Tricia (Potter), he is attacked by three drunken goons. While Tricia runs for help, Cameron kills one of them in self-defense. Refusing to take a plea bargain, he is sentenced to seven years in the slammer. Now out on parole, Cameron is one flight away from rejoining his wife and meeting his daughter (Landry Allbright). The problem is that the prison transfer flight he's on is carrying some of the most dangerous psychopaths around, specifically Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom (Malkovich), who in one person's words is "the poster child for the criminally insane." Now the plane has been overtaken, and if he wants to make it to his family alive, Cameron is going to have to take back the plane.
It's a promising set-up, sort of "The Rock" meets "Air Force One" (which was released a month and a half after this one, but never mind). Sadly, it's only about half realized. The first quarter of the film, where all the characters are introduced and the stage is set for lots of violence and pyrotechnics, is really messy, and it isn't for a while until we get a feel for what's going on. In all honesty, the film could have used one more rewrite before Mr. Blockbuster (aka Jerry Bruckheimer...his first solo effort after the death of his longtime producing partner, Don Simpson) put it into production.
The acting isn't spectacular either. Nicolas Cage is weak. This is probably the weakest performance he's ever given, although that's partly due to the weaknesses of the script (no one is painted in any shades of gray). Cage plays the character as a cross between Bruce Willis and a comatose Jimmy Stewart. Cameron is so noble that he becomes boring. He's never anything but altruistic (although he does cough up a weak one-liner or two) and his "reluctant hero" bit mixed with an awful southern accent make him seem like he's about to cry whenever he utters a line of dialogue.
The two supporting performances would have been much better had they been given something to do. John Cusack, a great actor even in the weakest of films ("Grosse Pointe Blank," anyone?), is his usual reliable self, and makes for a good hero despite the script's failings. This is primarily because John Cusack is probably the least likely guy to be in this kind of a mess. John Malkovich is rarely ever better than when he's playing a psycho, and he's just begging to be let loose. But Scott Rosenberg's lines don't give him anything to really sink his teeth into (the two best ones are presented in a context that robs him of their deliciousness).
The bit parts are fine. Colm Meaney is angry and dumb enough to make us hate him (although his change of heart is absurd). Rachel Ticotin is let down by the script; odd as it may seem, she was more interesting in "Turbulence." The psychos are all types and violent enough to make us wish for their deaths (although M.C.Gainey is kinda fun). The exception is Steve Buscemi. There's nothing wrong with his performance, but his character, a serial killer whose victims include children, is treated as comic relief, and having him in a scene with a child is distasteful.
Simon West may have made the only decent movie in his career (apart from "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," which succeeded in a way he probably did not intend) had the script been ready. Sure, the drama is DOA, and Cage's performance is completely wrong for the film. But it is nicely photographed, and while the editing is a little too frenetic to cleanly tell what is going on, there is a lot of action and adrenaline to be found here.
I can't recommend the movie, but it does make you miss the days where the heroes fight with bullets and actually kill their opponents instead of dressing up in silly costumes while beating their enemies to just short of a concussion.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Colm Meaney, Rachel Ticotin, Mykelti Williamson, Monica Potter
Rated R for Strong Violence and Language
I feel jealous of mature filmgoers during the 1996-1997 time period. Three classic action movies were released during that year: "Heat," "Face/Off" and "Turbulence"...ha ha. Just kidding. I meant to say "The Rock" (as if anyone with more than a quarter of their brain could consider MGM's bomb a "classic"...). While "Con Air" certainly isn't among those masterpieces, it does have it's pleasures.
Cameron Poe (Cage) is an ex-Army Ranger who has just left the armed forces. While celebrating with his lovely wife Tricia (Potter), he is attacked by three drunken goons. While Tricia runs for help, Cameron kills one of them in self-defense. Refusing to take a plea bargain, he is sentenced to seven years in the slammer. Now out on parole, Cameron is one flight away from rejoining his wife and meeting his daughter (Landry Allbright). The problem is that the prison transfer flight he's on is carrying some of the most dangerous psychopaths around, specifically Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom (Malkovich), who in one person's words is "the poster child for the criminally insane." Now the plane has been overtaken, and if he wants to make it to his family alive, Cameron is going to have to take back the plane.
It's a promising set-up, sort of "The Rock" meets "Air Force One" (which was released a month and a half after this one, but never mind). Sadly, it's only about half realized. The first quarter of the film, where all the characters are introduced and the stage is set for lots of violence and pyrotechnics, is really messy, and it isn't for a while until we get a feel for what's going on. In all honesty, the film could have used one more rewrite before Mr. Blockbuster (aka Jerry Bruckheimer...his first solo effort after the death of his longtime producing partner, Don Simpson) put it into production.
The acting isn't spectacular either. Nicolas Cage is weak. This is probably the weakest performance he's ever given, although that's partly due to the weaknesses of the script (no one is painted in any shades of gray). Cage plays the character as a cross between Bruce Willis and a comatose Jimmy Stewart. Cameron is so noble that he becomes boring. He's never anything but altruistic (although he does cough up a weak one-liner or two) and his "reluctant hero" bit mixed with an awful southern accent make him seem like he's about to cry whenever he utters a line of dialogue.
The two supporting performances would have been much better had they been given something to do. John Cusack, a great actor even in the weakest of films ("Grosse Pointe Blank," anyone?), is his usual reliable self, and makes for a good hero despite the script's failings. This is primarily because John Cusack is probably the least likely guy to be in this kind of a mess. John Malkovich is rarely ever better than when he's playing a psycho, and he's just begging to be let loose. But Scott Rosenberg's lines don't give him anything to really sink his teeth into (the two best ones are presented in a context that robs him of their deliciousness).
The bit parts are fine. Colm Meaney is angry and dumb enough to make us hate him (although his change of heart is absurd). Rachel Ticotin is let down by the script; odd as it may seem, she was more interesting in "Turbulence." The psychos are all types and violent enough to make us wish for their deaths (although M.C.Gainey is kinda fun). The exception is Steve Buscemi. There's nothing wrong with his performance, but his character, a serial killer whose victims include children, is treated as comic relief, and having him in a scene with a child is distasteful.
Simon West may have made the only decent movie in his career (apart from "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," which succeeded in a way he probably did not intend) had the script been ready. Sure, the drama is DOA, and Cage's performance is completely wrong for the film. But it is nicely photographed, and while the editing is a little too frenetic to cleanly tell what is going on, there is a lot of action and adrenaline to be found here.
I can't recommend the movie, but it does make you miss the days where the heroes fight with bullets and actually kill their opponents instead of dressing up in silly costumes while beating their enemies to just short of a concussion.
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