Plane review: Gerard Butler, Mike Colter stick the butt-kicking landing
The people involved in the new action movie Plane, starring Gerard Butler and Mike Colter, are very proud of the plane. Butler claimed in a recent interview that he struggled to hold onto the title — which, on the few occasions I’ve seen the trailer in theaters, elicits laughs — and even called the titular transport “the star of the movie.”
Of course, this sounds ridiculous. Watch the film, however, and one might start to believe it: the first 20 minutes are full of plane details such as pre-departure checks, flight attendant rituals, crew small talk, annoying passengers and lots of radio chatter with correct sounds. It’s the Boss’ Desk of jet movies, until it turns into the Rio Bravo of jet movies.
As an actual commercial aircraft, the Plane doesn’t look like much, but it’s also extremely efficient. Butler plays Brodie Torrance, a longtime pilot for the fictional Trailblazer Airways, taking down one last flight on New Year’s Eve before heading to see his daughter for an overdue visit. Unfortunately, his lightly pursued flight encounters two complications: Louis Gaspare (Evil’s Colter), an accused murderer extradited by the FBI, and a severe storm that forces Brodie to crash land on a remote island near the Philippines led by a ruthless commander-in-chief. When the warlord discovers the plane, he takes the passengers hostage, losing only Brody and Louis. The movie unfolds from there with a simple mission: Get the passengers out, get them back on the plane, and find a way to get it back into the air and back to safety.
Photo: Kenneth Rexach/Lionsgate
Once the Airplane reaches cruising altitude (no regrets), the most surprising thing about it is its straight-faced execution. Neither overly serious nor entirely humorless, Plane is a movie that worships competence, where the heroes are consummate professionals and the people who stand in their way are either terrorists or idiots, or worse, government idiots. This is nicely summed up in a subplot where the Trailblazer executives go into crisis mode in order to address the missing plane, a meeting that is effectively skipped by corporate fixer Scarsdale (Tony Goldwyn). Plane’s third hero, Scarsdale has no patience for governments or saving face for corporations, giving the film much of its humor and action—the former by flipping suits across the room, the latter by hiring a private army crew. operatives to assist in the evacuation of passengers.
None of this diminishes Butler and Colter as the intrepid action heroes on whose shoulders the Plane rests. Both actors are deft enough to make their characters feel like vulnerable flesh and blood – Butler as the world-weary and despondent idealist, and Colter as the wrongly accused and highly capable pragmatist. Their dynamic is fun without being funny, as Brodie is forced to trust Louis out of necessity, and Louis has every reason to give up on Brodie, but admits that their chances of survival are better together. Mirroring the real-life actors who portray them, the two feel like casually paired understated professionals, neither expecting nor expecting recognition, but dedicated to the art of kicking ass. Director Jean-François Richet brings confidence to the cabin (OK, sorry), guiding The Plan with a steady hand. The film’s drama effectively ramps up the tension for its action to hit hard and move forward. Again: Like a real airplane, it’s a marvel of craftsmanship so unremarkable that it’s easily mistaken for ordinariness.
I’d watch Brodie Torrance and Louis Gaspare save a new car together every year, especially if it’s a movie that has a last act shootout as good as Plane’s where they get covered by a sniper. video games that trash general terrorists. with a big dirty gun. If Airplane was so good, sign me up for Boat.
Plane is now playing in theaters.
