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My Take: Provides the wit and thrills to its somewhat unoriginal premise. Snipes is terrific. First there was DIE HARD, which tells us the story of a cop surrounded by terrorists in an invaded Chicago High-rise. It was followed by DIE HARD 2, which widens the terrain to Washington's Dulles International Airport. it was followed by the first knock-off, which was UNDER SIEGE, which actually is DIE HARD at sea, and it was a fine action-packed entry. It can be said, by now, that the formula has worn out. How wrong are you! After UNDER SIEGE closes, PASSENGER 57 comes knocking. Best called as DIE HARD on a plane, PASSENGER 57 only but replays the DIE HARD formula and changes the locale. Even if nothing much has changed, PASSENGER 57 is a modest effort at best. It's an enjoyable action-packed thriller with some nifty action and a great lead under the superb charisma of Wesley Snipes.Instead of a high-rise on an airport, the film this time takes place on an airplane, and the hero once again is a cop, this time is named John Cutter (Snipes), which actually is a decent substitute for Bruce Willis' John McLane. Cutter is still in a grudge when his wife is murdered years ago by a criminal. Cutter then boards a plane, Flight 163, when his buddy (Tom Sizemore) introduces him to a job opportunity. Bad luck of course is sure to follow when one of the passenger happens to be a professional hijacker named Charles "The Rane of Terror" Rane (Bruce Payne) who is taken by the FBI to be tested for trial. Here's a question on logic: Why put him on a plane if you know his a hijacker, and why only assign two guards if he's the most dangerous one on their list? As a matter of fact, many questions in logic can be asked all throughout PASSENGER 57, but it's not twice as much fun as the film's action-packed energy, as well as toying with one action movie cliché after another.Of course Rane escapes and takes over the entire plane. And of course it's up to Cutter to set things right, kick the terrorists' butt. As a matter of fact, there's an number of clichés that will bound to get you feeling a sense of familiarity. It's predictable for much of the running time (which is actually just a real short 84 min.), but that might just be part of the fun. Since you might know how everything in PASSENGER 57 is resolved, then part of the fun is actually seeing how this clichés are utilized and reused. And they're used very well, and as much fun. The stunts and action scenes are tight and terrific. Snipes makes a dynamic action hero counterpart to Payne's brilliantly chilling villain. Supporting roles, including the second-banana damsel of a flight attendant (Alex Datcher), are forgettable and underused, but you hardly care. PASSENGER 57 may not be original at the extremes, but it's a lot of fun, clichés and all.Rating: ***1/2 out of 5.
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