Communist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington, D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.
In between “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” and “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,” Harrison Ford made five vastly different movies that were far removed from the Star Wars Universe; “Heroes,” “Force 10 from Navarone,” “Hanover Street,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “The Frisco Kid.” Not wanting to become typecast, he proved to the world that he could play more than just the wisecracking, roguish scoundrel Han Solo. Throughout his career, he has played roles that contrasted his previous performances, keeping fans and moviegoers on their toes. Just when Ford became the new Jack Ryan, taking over from Alec Baldwin, he took on roles in dramas like “Presumed Innocent” and “Regarding Henry,” proving that he wasn’t afraid to change his image.
In 1997, he starred in the action crime drama, “The Devil’s Own,” alongside Brad Pitt, but it performed miserably, critically and commercially. Later that year, “Air Force One” was released, and it shot to the top of the box office charts, cementing Ford’s status as one of the biggest action stars in the world. In it, he plays James Marshall, the President of the United States, on his way back from a diplomatic dinner in Moscow, Russia, where he gave a speech about cracking down on terrorism and stating that he would not negotiate with terrorists under any circumstances. With his wife Grace (Wendy Crewson) and daughter Alice (Liesel Matthews) in tow, Air Force One leaves Moscow with six members of the press invited aboard, but once in the air, the press representatives turn out to be Russian terrorists in disguise and take control of Air Force One, holding Marshall’s wife and daughter hostage. Managing to elude them, the terrorists demand General Radek (Jürgen Prochnow), the dictator of a rogue neo-Soviet regime in Kazakhstan, be released from a Russian prison, or his family will be killed. With his words about not negotiating with terrorists returning to haunt him, he must figure out his next move before it’s too late.
“Air Force One” pits quintessential good guy Ford against renowned bad guy Oldman and the two play wonderfully off each other. While they spend most of the film separately, the payoff is worth every minute when they finally come face to face. As a badly damaged Air Force One begins to descend toward the ocean below, Ford and Oldman engage in a fight to the death, with Ford managing to tie a parachute cord around Oldman’s throat, exclaiming, “Get Off My Plane,” as he pulls the line, breaking his neck. Watching this scene in theaters was an absolute joy as the entire theater erupted into applause and cheers. Director Wolfgang Petersen was on a roll with “Air Force One” having made several high-octane thrillers in a row, including “In the Line of Fire” with Clint Eastwood in 1993 and “Outbreak” in 1995. The film moves along at breakneck speed, allowing little downtime to catch your breath between the spectacular action set pieces. Ford commands the screen and is wholly believable as the Commander in Chief, making you wonder how things might have developed had he ever chosen to go into politics. President Harrison Ford. I like the sound of that.
Available on 4K Ultra HD™ Steelbook March 7th
