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Air Force One
directed by Wolfgang Petersen

Well, what can you say about a film that stars Harrison Ford as the President of the United States except to say, "Go get them, Ford!"

And he does, with a lot of action along the way. Terrorist take over Air Force One, the US President's plane, and demands the release of a general imprisoned in Russia or else a hostage will be shot every 30 minutes. The President, who was thought to have escaped in a pod, stays behind instead to free the hostages. Thus starts a cat-and-mouse game between the President and the terrorists in an enclosed space.

I have seen a number of action-oriented films in the past, both good and bad and I have to say I have never been so engrossed in the action or felt so nervous over what will happen to the characters. Possibly 'encouraged' by the 'real-life' shooting scenes shown in Schindler's List, the gun-shot scenes in this movie are rather graphic and close-up. If you are really squeamish, those scenes would be a good time to close your eyes - but then, you would miss some of the most tense moments in the movie.

Gary Oldman, who (as expected) plays the terrorist leader, is good and intense in the movie, much better than the rather comical 'bad-guy' he plays in The Fifth Element. If he says he is going to kill a hostage, you know he will do it.

Of course, there are a few contrived parts in the movie but on the whole, it keeps up the tension rather well. At times, I seriously did not know how the ending will be.

One interesting side aspect to the movie was the number of 'gimmicks' Air Force One has. From an escape pod for the President to various anti-missile defense systems, one wonders whether they are all really in the real airplane.

If you enjoy a good action movie, this is a movie to watch.

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Air Force One directed by Wolfgang Petersen

Air Force One
directed by Wolfgang Petersen