Falcon Down (2000)

User Rating:

2.5/10   

Director:

Phillip J. Roth

Writers:

Jonathan Raymond (writer) and
Jon Meyer (screenplay)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Plot:

U.S. Air force officer Hank Thomas attempts to expose a military cover-up after a civiian airliner crashes.

Plot Keywords:

CIA Agent | Military | Mercenary | Cover Up | Best Friend

Cast

Dale Midkiff	...	Captain Hank Thomas
William Shatner	...	Major Robert Carson
Judd Nelson	...	Harold Peters
Jennifer Rubin	...	Sharon Williams
Cliff Robertson	...	Buzz Thomas
Mark Kiely	...	Roger the Rat
Dean Biasucci	...	Roth Jankins
Sandra Robinson	...	Barbara Edwards (as Sandra Fergeson)
Natasha Roth	...	Alisia Edwards
Allison Dunbar	...	Connie Eldridge
Que Kelly	...	Weapons Specialist
Donald Li	...	Captain Chow
William Zabka	...	Security Guard John
Bo Eason	...	Security Guard
Jeff Rank	...	Harmon Yaznah

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

Australia:90 min | Germany:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | Germany:16 | USA:R

Company:

Unified Film Organization (UFO)

Trivia:

The design of the Falcon is very close to that of the U.S. Air Force experimental XB-70 Valkyrie supersonic bomber. The actual project was abandoned after the loss of one of the prototypes in an accident.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The character of Major Robert Carson mistakenly wears the higher rank of Lieutenant Colonel on his uniform.

Movie Connections:

References First Blood (1982)

Just when it looks to let up, it throws in another surprise, or plot twist

It's long been considered that Government organizations cover up many incidents. Probably the most infamous are the whispers that The Government actually has proof of alien beings and has their DNA, spacecraft and who knows what else hidden in an area in Roswell, New Mexico called Area 51. Then there are some of the 'apparently' factual incidents investigated by TV shows such as "The X Files". As for the military's involvement, there's only speculation - but it's believed they are present in most of these theories in some respect.

In "Falcon Down", it's the Military and the Government that are responsible for such a large scale cover-up. So large scale, that eye witnesses who have claimed to witness something related to the operation have been erased. Many of these people claimed that it was some kind of Alien spacecraft that was being kept quiet by the Government. In the film, we discover that it's something a little more close to home. Or Earth if you will.

Two airforce pilots come face to face with an unforseen terror in the skies. One of them suddenly goes blind and his jet falls to a fiery death. Nearby, a commercial airline also goes down.Wanting answers and bewildered by what has happened, the surviving airforce pilot, Hank Thomas (Dale Midkiff) is discharged from service following a fiery meeting with the rather suspicious, Major Robert Carson (Shatner). Several months later, Hank is bullied into leading a top secret operation, run by his old foe, Carson. The mission involves stealing a super-jet called the 'Falcon' (complete with underneath weapon, hence the blinding of the pilot) and then, as he is ordered, take it to a rendevous point where it will be dismantled so no one else can be harmed by it's terror.

Joined by a group of mercenaries - one a 'trigger-happy' Rambo-type, another an intellectual yet green faced player (Judd Nelson), a straight player and femme fatale (Rubin) - Hank skillfully takes control of the stolen jet and finds himself followed by the U.S airforce and other unforseen threats. With fuel running out, it seems the only option Hank has is to land the plane on Ice. And as we know, Ice eventually melts.

Labelled as a B-Grade film, the most surprising thing about "Falcon Down" is that it is notches above it's direct-to-video companions. The visual effects are well done, the characters are more than the one-dimensional lot we usually see in films like this, and overall, it's an entertaining ride. Just when it looks to let up, it throws in another surprise, or plot twist. It also provokes a talking point..do top-secret cover-ups like this happen?