Con Air (1997)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Simon West

Writer (WGA):

Scott Rosenberg (written by)

Release Date:

6 June 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

One wrong flight can ruin your whole day

Plot:

A newly released ex-con and former US Ranger finds himself trapped in a prisoner transport plane when the passengers seize control.

Plot Keywords:

Convict | Prison | Criminal | Escape | Diabetic

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 24	9:00 PM	TNT
Fri. July 24	11:30 PM	TNT

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Cameron Poe
John Cusack	...	U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin
John Malkovich	...	Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom
Ving Rhames	...	Nathan 'Diamond Dog' Jones
Nick Chinlund	...	William 'Billy Bedlam' Bedford
Steve Buscemi	...	Garland 'The Marietta Mangler' Greene
Colm Meaney	...	DEA Agent Duncan Malloy
Rachel Ticotin	...	Guard Sally Bishop
Dave Chappelle	...	Joe 'Pinball' Parker
Mykelti Williamson	...	Mike 'Baby-O' O'Dell
Danny Trejo	...	Johnny 'Johnny-23' Baca
M.C. Gainey	...	Swamp Thing
Steve Eastin	...	Guard Falzon
Renoly Santiago	...	Ramon 'Sally-Can't Dance' Martinez (as Renoly)
Monica Potter	...	Tricia Poe

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

115 min | USA:123 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #35192) | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Germany:16 (extended version) (2006) | Germany:18 (original rating) | France:-12 | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (video premiere) | Finland:K-16 (DVD version) (cut) | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 (original rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 (unrated DVD version) | Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

2nd Street Tunnel, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

In the trailer for this movie, the flying scene where the 2 AH-1 Cobras escort Jailbird 1 during their landing in the Las Vegas strip included the dialog "Where are they going to land this thing?" spoken by one of the Cobra pilots, and the response by John Cusack's character: "How about the blackjack tables". Neither dialog was included in the final cut.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the beginning, as the film mentions the accomplishments of the US Army Rangers, most of the stock footage from Desert Storm is of US Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and US Marines, not of Rangers.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Officer at Leaving Ceremony: Army Rangers have a proud history. Since the 1700s, Rangers have led the way in every major confrontation in which the United States has been involved. You men are a credit to that fine heritage, and I'm sorry to see you go. But you've served your country well...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (2008)

Soundtrack:

How Do I Live

Antihero Fugitive

This monster budget hostage thriller relies very heavily on its cast, cloistered, as they are, in and around an aircraft for most of the film. Luckily it's a solid ensemble, with the capricious Malkovich on a good run of form during the 90s.

Nicholas Cage is the tarnished hero who finds himself on the airborne equivalent of a mutineered ship. He wears a very, very silly wig. Cusack is the straight guy to this Tarzan-Bruce Willis amalgam, calling the shots from the ground and bringing Monica Poe, as Cage's wife Tricia into the picture. Steve Buscemi offsets the Dr Evil Malkovich by being utterly deranged. Throw in some super stunts and it's all good fun in the end. 5/10