Con Air *** (1997, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi) – Classic Movie Review 1707

Buckle up for director Simon West’s crazy, violent, always way over-the-top 1997 action thriller ride. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser, there was never a moment’s doubt of its status and success as a blockbuster hit, grossing over $100million in the US alone.

A well-cast Nicolas Cage stars as a newly released ex-con and former US Ranger who finds himself trapped in a maximum-security prisoner transport plane when the other prisoners, being moved form one lock-up to another, seize control and escape.

Among the outrageously overacting bad-asses aboard, Cage was an innocent man who teams up with US marshal John Cusack and Steve Buscemi (playing Garland Greene, aka The Marietta Mangler, serving seven life sentences, a killer-pervert who makes approaches to a child). John Malkovich also stars as Cyrus ‘The Virus’ Grissom.

In the entertaining package, expect some overblown writing, dodgy morals, marvellous mayhem, spectacular action and edge-of-seat thrills. It’s probably not the best movie to watch on a plane, but it isn’t the worst either.

Ving Rhames, Colm Meaney, Mykelti Williamson, Rachel Ticotin, Monica Potter, David Chappelle, M.C. Gainey, John Roselius, Renoly Santiago, Danny Trejo, Jesse Borrego and Nick Chinlund are also in the starry 90s ensemble cast.

It’s a very typical movie of its producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, whose films also include The Rock and Armageddon. As the first film Bruckheimer produced without his business partner, the late Don Simpson, the newly designed Jerry Bruckheimer Films logo was featured for the first time.

Scott Michael Rosenberg is the screenwriter. Rated R for strong violence and language.

It runs 115 minutes and the unrated extended edition runs 123 minutes.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1707

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