A Review by Phil Calabro
1997, Touchstone Picture, Dir. Simon West - Starring Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Monica Potter, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, M.C. Gainey, Danny Trejo, Nick Chinlund, Mykelti Williamson, Rachel Ticotin, Dave Chapelle, Landry Allbright
Jerry Bruckheimer has gone on his 1990s winning record. After the big success of 'The Rock', he has struck another gem in the rough with 'Con Air', a high-flying action-packed silly fest of heroes, ghost town locales, and some ruthless villains. I'd usually go a bit more into depth in writing the first paragraph to this review, but this is an exception to the rule. 'Con Air' goes the full mile in mindless glory action films, and does a great job at getting everyone's attention and interest. No stupid subplots, no dragging storyline - five minutes into the movie and it starts cutting to the chase. There aren't any miscast characters, no useless or unlikable characters, because without each little piece, it would simply break the domino effect. The film is filled to the brim with testosterone, adrenaline, and insanity. It is indeed the personification of a 'leave-your-brain-at-the-door' flick.
Cameron Poe (Cage) is about to become a father in two months, after he has been released from the Army. But one night at a bar, a couple of drunkards give him a hard time, and in a brawl, Poe accidently kills one of them. He is arrested on charges of manslaughter and is imprisoned for fifteen years. Years later, he is about to released on parole on his daughter's fourteenth birthday, as he will be transferred on a maximum security prisoner with a group of the world's most malicious convicts. But in the middle of the flight, the craziest of the criminal, Cyrus "the Virus" Grissom (Malkovich) hijacks the plane and locks up all the guards. The plane has now become Con Air - which will fly all the convicts to Mexico so they can escape from the law. But someone on the ground, US Marshal Vince Larkin (Cusack) knows what's going to happen, and tries his best to stop the cons from going any further. And Poe desperate to see his family again, will do anything to stop the plane - even if it is to crash it. But will he get past Cyrus and his cronies first?
Nicolas Cage is wonderful as the slack-jawed heart-of-gold Cameron Poe, our loveable hero who wants nothing more than his dignity and love back. He will do anything to get back down to the ground, but approaches it in a calm fashion. He seems a bit too melancholy at the beginning, but then the audience learns to like his demeanor as time goes by. He feels guilty killing people, because although it's not his prerogative, it's the only way sometimes. John Malkovich is simplistic but hilarious as the evil Cyrus Gissom. "The Virus" is the most ruthless criminal ever, but Malkovich adds a certain hilarity to the character. He's very cynical and hardly smiles - a great character. John Cusack as the bookworm marshal is not only amusing, but probably one of my favorite supporting roles in an action role. He's much like Nic Cage's character in 'The Rock', with no certain plan but works entirely off of his mental skills. A great cameo role belongs to Steve Buscemi, who plays Garland "The Marietta Mangler" Greene, a serial killer who's made 37 hits. Instead of some maniacal weirdo who thinks up sick plans all the time, he's a soft spoken killer. One scene involving him and a little girl at a tea party is probably one of the most honest scenes in an action film yet. It's a mix of humorous intent and heartfelt simplicity.
The director, Simon West, uses a lot of abandoned scenic views to his benefit - the idea of a ghost town airfield is not only a cool location, but it gives an isolated feel to the audience. Some classic rock on the soundtrack is another helpful tool, as we watch our characters rush through the fireballed screen to the tune of 'Sweet Home Alabama' - almost asking for critics to denounce it as a mindless man's film. The whole movie feels like a big comic book, with overexpressed characters and a wild premise. The audience never feels as if our heroes are being threatened, because no real feeling of impending doom is given. That, and they know Nic Cage never dies. As I said in my review of 'The Rock', Jerry Bruckheimer could care less about the film's artistic reputation. It's merely a vehicle created for those who could care less about drama and real romantic atmospheres. And once again, he hits the big red detonation button with pride.
'Con Air' is one wild flight - a great rent, maybe even worth a second viewing. There are some really enjoyable characters to watch as well as some crazy eye candy. You're bound to growl at the villains, smirk at the heroes' cliched action, but you'll still love it.
