Temporarily managing to fend off hijackers, a terrified pilot contacts ground control to plan an emergency landing of his plane. But when the hijackers kill a passenger and threaten to murder more innocent people if he doesn’t let them back into the cockpit, this ordinary man faces an excruciating test.
The opening scenes of the film – from the airport security cameras to the pre-flight cockpit checks – give “7500” a feeling of precision and accuracy that appears to set the stage nicely. Unfortunately, while some of the early foundations suggest promise, they largely go unfulfilled.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as co-pilot Tobias Ellis heads up an international cast that lends an air of authenticity to a short Berlin flight bound for Paris. His presence makes the viewing experience more compelling than the material would otherwise warrant. Carlo Kitzlinger does a nice, albeit brief, turn as Captain Michael Lutzmann before his incapacitation at the hands of terrorists.
The script imbues a set of hijackers with the usual religious and political motivations. The hardy bunch of outcasts manages to conceal sharpened pieces of heavy glass, eluding airport security scanners and checkpoint personnel. Not long after takeoff, they rush the cockpit when the fortified door momentarily opens.
Most of the plot unfolds through the perspective of Ellis, whose limited view contains the skylines out the front of the Airbus jetliner, and the black-and-white monitor feeding security camera video from outside the cockpit door. Shot entirely from the perspective of the claustrophobic airplane cockpit, the film evokes recollections of far superior efforts such as “Locke” with Tom Hardy.
In “Locke,” Hardy navigates from his 7-series BMW not only the autobahns of England at night but also a giant construction pour scheduled for the next day, as well as a family life crumbling away in real-time. With a similarly brief runtime, “Locke” boasts a far more detailed plot, enriched with deep character examination, making the ride all the more fun. The events in “7500” pale by comparison.
Adding to the movie’s shortcomings is the fact that Ellis makes several inexplicable tactical blunders in short order. He subdues the one man who gained entry into the cockpit, then inadvertently allows him to wriggle free. Ellis later initiates futile conversations with the other men outside the cockpit, which costs him the little leverage he still retains. Finally, he belatedly and impotently implores the passengers to rally against their abductors. After 9/11, the folks in the back of the plane would certainly understand the folly of doing nothing. Yet they appear to make little response, even as the three hijackers start slitting the throats of passengers and crew essentially in plain sight.
Written and directed by Oscar-nominated Patrick Vollrath, who grew up in Germany, one gets the sense this production might be a labor of love, though it’s not clear why. While certainly a capable directorial effort, there should have been more substance to the well-worn vignette. The seemingly interminable hijacking scenario will put off many viewers if only because the elements grow increasingly tedious and painful to watch, with little or nothing in the way of return. “7500” contains no joy. It’s all business – so much so that when a strained moment of compassion attempts to intercede near the closing credits, it feels like just another wrong turn on an unnecessarily extended journey.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Thursday, June 18th
