Turbulence (1997)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Robert Butler

Writer (WGA):

Jonathan Brett (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear is in the air

Plot:

After a shootout on a flight transporting prisoners, a stewardess must outwit a smooth-talking serial killer and land the plane herself.

Plot Keywords:

Marshal | Christmas | Cat And Mouse | Axe | Black Comedy

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Ray Liotta	...	Ryan Weaver
Lauren Holly	...	Teri Halloran
Brendan Gleeson	...	Stubbs
Hector Elizondo	...	Lt. Aldo Hines
Rachel Ticotin	...	Rachel Taper
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Brooks
John Finn	...	FBI Agent Frank Sinclair
Ben Cross	...	Captain Samuel Bowen
Catherine Hicks	...	Maggie
Heidi Kling	...	Betty
Gordy Owens	...	Carl
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	Captain Matt Powell
James MacDonald	...	1st Officer Ted Kary
Michael Harney	...	Marshal Marty Douglas
Grand L. Bush	...	Marshal Al Arquette

MPAA:

Rated R for terror, strong violence and language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Brazil:16 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Clinton, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The toy store in the movie in reality is a bookstore on the Main Street in Clinton, New Jersey, USA. There is a toy store on Main Street but it is in an alley and the director didn't like the exterior of the building. The bookstore's front window was decorated with toys for the week of filming.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the plane is descending into KLAX as it nears the runway threshold, a whoop-whoop siren blares in the cockpit. The pilot in the control tower trying to assist the landing immediately says that the "plane is stalled." The stall warning is either a horn, a stick shaker, or both; neither of which is sounding in the cockpit. The whoop-whoop noise is associated with the Ground Proximity Warning System. The "training pilot" in the tower would know the difference in the alarms and would not then ask for TOGA power to avoid a stall. Furthermore, he would not be concerned about a GPWS alarm while the plane is over the runway.

Quotes:

Maggie: What would you like to drink?
Kip: Heineken.
Maggie: [thinks for a second and hands the underage passenger a carton of milk. He grunts] Merry Christmas!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "NewsRadio: Complaint Box (#3.14)" (1997)

How's this for rationalizing?

There's a bizarre human appetite for that which is awful. From lookie-looing at traffic accidents to Man Show mooks to Lettreman's stupid pet tricks to worst home videos, etc., people like to watch people being stupid, outrageous, and ridiculous. Therein lies the appeal of "Turbulence", a not-to-be-taken-seriously white knuckle ride into the realm of the ridiculous with Holly as the "Stew" who's got to save a 747 jumbo jet with a handful of passengers against all odds including one very whacked out serial killer (Liotta). Ok, ok...this movie is stupid. However, for those who can get to that place in their heads where they don't intellectualize, just go with it, and enjoy the humor-tinged hair raising suspense and silliness, 100 minutes of entertainment awaits. (C)