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36 out of 46 people found the following review useful: Good solid action flick. A must for Snipes fans., 2 September 2004 Author: Conan_The_Barbarian from Melbourne, Australia
Passenger 57 is an enjoyable and rather underrated action film. Although there is not too much of a storyline, the slick action scenes combined with some very good performances from Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne kept me entertained from start to finish.While Passenger 57 offers nothing really new to the action genre, it does offer plenty of fast paced chaos and explosions and combined with some entertaining hand-to-hand combat skills by Snipes, it is certainly better than a lot of other standard action fares out there.Snipes gives a very good performance as the lead and Bruce Payne is brilliant as the mentally unstable villain. The other cast are somewhat overshadowed by Snipes and Payne, but do an adequate enough job.Overall I was very pleased by Passenger 57, so much so that it proudly belongs in my DVD collection. A very good choice for action fans and a must for Snipes fans. 8/10.And don't forget...."Always bet on black!"
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: A small winner of a film all round., 28 October 2008 Author: RedRoadster from London, England
"Passenger 57" is one of the many films that followed in the wake of the action film that re invented the genre, 1988's "Die Hard" with Bruce Willis in the lead. When I first saw P57, rented on video in the mid nineties, I wasn't expecting a re-run of Die Hard, but i was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable an action flick it was.Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne spark well off each other as the troubled hero and psychotic villain. They are given competent support by the rest of the cast, although one of my small complaints is how under utilised the other actors are. That said, Ernie Lively does a nice turn as the local police chief and Robert Hooks (father of director Kevin Hooks) is good as an FBI Agent.Essentially, Passenger 57 is a solid little action movie which is well paced and has enough intriguing characters and good action scenes to keep you interested right through to the finale. The story is perhaps a little thin and the script could have used a bit more depth to develop the characters, but it's very enjoyable none the less.Don't view this expecting a great movie, but if you have an hour and a half to kill this film is well worth a watch.
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Wow. That was bad., 19 August 2007 Author: craig-686 from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
"Everyone in the room is dumber having seen it." -Almost a Billy Madison quote. This movie is dumber than dumb. Three hijackers "stroll away" unnoticed from the airplane? The FBI suddenly taking their orders from Wesley? Wesley runs around in a turtle neck, with a sweater on top, and a leather jacket... while all the people around him are wearing T-shirts!(see carnival scene) Stupid people, doing stupid things, to further the plot of a stupid movie. I could go on for days about the stupidity involved(plane fuselage crumbling while passengers "woot"). Instead, I will go work on my jetski...Liz looks great and earned the movie an extra point in my book.
10 out of 16 people found the following review useful: A great action movie, 27 March 2001 Author: Andrea (a.manchester@lycos.com) from Murfreesboro, TN
I remember seeing Passenger 57 when I was a freshman in high school and when I first saw it I loved it. Now nine years have past and I decided to buy it (huge Bruce Payne fan). I absolutely love this movie sure this movie parallels Die Hard II and you can find it highly predictable but I feel it does exactly what an action film is meant to do. The director, Hooke, provides adventure through incredible situations that are yes unbeliveable but still very cool. The viewer does not have to search for a hidden meaning or a morel message they just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. I suggest that if you are looking for a way to veg-out and relax this movie is perfect to watch.
5 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Absolute rubbish, 25 October 2006 Author: johnnyparker from Oxford, England.
As I write Wesley Snipes is being indicted for alleged tax fraud. Well, they got the charge a bit wrong - it's us the audience who've been defrauded by this limp, lame excuse for an action movie. Although Snipes himself is adequate in the lead, the rest of the acting is humdrum at best, and, in the case of Liz Hurley, dire. (Will somebody please tell me why that woman is regarded as a "celebrity"? To paraphrase Walter Matthau, I have more talent in my smallest f*rt than she has in her entire body.) The storyline is so thin it must have been written on a post-it note, the script is terrible, the characters cardboard cutouts who'd look underwritten in a toddler's pop-up book.As for the improbabilities of plot. Don't even start to go there.This film has one redeeming quality. It's very short. So short, in fact, that you're actually pleasantly surprised when it ends. Surely that can't be it, you muse for a moment, after Snipes has dispatched the chief bad guy (a Brit, naturally - because of course all bad guys are British in Hollywood). But yes, in an act of euthanasia for which the producers should be highly commended, its life support system is switched off and this turkey is given the quick death it so richly deserves. Come back Arnie, all is forgiven.
7 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Just Pass It......, 9 April 2009 Author: shortround8391 from United States
I wanna start by saying that I absolutely love "Die Hard", it's one of my favorite films of all time and its the film that changed the action genre forever. In the years following its release, many of the action flicks have borrowed the basic premise of "Die Hard", making it film about a cop or someone along those lines fighting the bad guys in a limited location, whether its on a bus (Speed), a battleship (Under Siege), a hockey stadium (Sudden Death). But now what we get here is "Die Hard on a plane" which goes by the name "Passenger 57".It's not that good. I really didn't find myself caring about about the cop whose wife was killed in a holdup all because Snipes just doesn't give a lot of emotional depth in here. And its too bad that he wasn't given good material to work with since his lines seem so forced and awkward when he says them. In "Die Hard", it was totally different because Bruce Willis blended into the role of John McClane perfectly, he just soothed out his lines with heart, soul and personality. Snipes just does the opposite.Also, the main villain Charles Rane didn't interest me that much, 'cause Bruce Payne's performance was somewhat wooden and dry. But I'll admit that the part when the little kid on the plane pretended to shoot him and Rane responded by pretending to shoot him back was somewhat amusing.The martial arts action was another low-point for me, the sequences seemed to be very stilted and stiff. Every action flick has at least GOT to have good action, there's no denying that. But when I see the kind of action this film has to offer, it doesn't make me feel like I wanna do it in real life to someone I hate.One thing that wasn't too shabby was the soundtrack and the composers skill to at least save the action scenes from falling apart completely.I wouldn't call this "boring" to watch, but it's just a little bland and uninteresting, in fact its got a less than 90 minute runtime, so you could watch it if you REALLY, REALLY don't have anything to do.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Passenger 57, 10 November 2009 Author: Scarecrow-88 from United States
Airline security expert John Cutter(Wesley Snipes)is on a routine flight when he must rescue hostages on board from a group of terrorists led by mad bomber Charles Rane(Bruce Payne). Rane is so cold-blooded, he asks a passenger if he had a family then proceeded to shoot him just to prove a point to Cutter that he meant business! Luckily, Cutter and flight attendant Marti Slayton(Alex Datcher)escape into the jumbo liner to release the fuel forcing Rane to land it at a rural landing strip near a fairgrounds while a carnival was taking place. Threatening to kill passengers if the sheriff doesn't refuel the plane, Cutter is able to escape, only to be momentarily arrested by police after being knocked out by the concrete from a harsh landing. Agreeing to release hostages if the fuel is brought to the plane, Sheriff Biggs(Ernie Lively)will carry out his demand. While a flood of passengers storm out of the plane, Rane attempts, along with a few of his henchmen, to flee, making their way to the fairgrounds, with Cutter, after escaping from the police subduing him, following in hot pursuit. With some hostages still on board and Rane on foot through a fairgrounds crowd of innocent people, Cutter has his hands full. A plan is in place and it's all about Rane escaping the electric chair.Boy, does this joker move fast! Like it's star, the movie barely catches a breath, with a locomotive pace. Not a lot of original plot here, to tell you the truth. It has the terrorism on a plane plot that, even by 1992, had rather worn out it's welcome, but with dynamic stars like Snipes and Payne, as the sneering heavy, they inject a little into it's stale material. Funny how the film moves into a plane, out of it temporarily, only to find both hero and villain returning for one last round. It is essentially your typical cat-and-mouse game between Cutter and Rane with precious, innocent lives at stake. As was typical in action films at this time, you have to take a leap of faith and accept what the script sets up regarding Snipes' abilities to take out the bad guys, and thwart the evil psycho's plans.This was during the time where Wesley Snipes was being groomed as the next action star. He is in solid form in this movie, looking mighty impressive in combat against Rane and his goons. Tom Sizemore has a sizable supporting turn as Sly Delvecchio, Cutter's boss and friend. Early role for a foxy Elizabeth Hurley as one of Rane's terrorists, disguised as a stewardess. Bruce Greenwood is Sizemore's boss, Stuart Ramsey, head of the airline for which they both work. Robert Hooks does what he can with a small role as Special Agent Henderson, with nice support from Lively as the "country bumpkin" Chief of Police who, as a hostage negotiator, gets a bit too big for his britches.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Great action, decent acting, paper-thin plot, 3 June 2009 Author: Bozo
I tried to watch this movie without thinking at all and to just relax but it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do.A few things made this movie really great: Wesley Snipes, the music, some of the lines, the action.Other than those, the movie could have been much better.Wesley Snipes plays John Cutter, a former airline security expert who is flying on a plane when terrorists happen to take over. Bruce Payne plays Charles Rane AKA "Rane of Terror", a terrorist who leads the attack on the plane. Tom Sizemore plays Sly Delvecchio, Cutter's buddy. Thats all I care to mention actor-wise.I think Snipes could have used a lot more screen-time or at least more back-story. I barely got to know him.The movie was in ten places at once, which made it extremely difficult to follow along. However, I still enjoyed the film.Not a bad mindless movie, but try not to think too much.6/10.
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: It could have been better with a leading actress, 6 July 2008 Author: Gary Dibert (garyldibert@msn.com) from Pittsburgh Pa.
This picture was in released in theaters on November 10 1992 starring Wesley snipes as John Cutter, Bruce Payne as Charles Rane, and Elizabeth Hurley as Sabrina Ritchie. John Cutter is grieving over the death of his wife after she was killed by an armed robber and John is blaming himself for her death. So John who's an anti terrorism expert decides it's time to retire from this dangerous job. However, a friend who works for an airline offers John a job as his chief of security. So John is being flown to Los Angeles for the companies annual meeting where he will be introduce as the Chief of security. However, John encounters one big problem as the FBI is transporting Charles Rane one of the most sadistic and deranged terrorist of all time to Los Angeles on the same plane. Now John has to stay on the alert because anything can happen when a dangerous criminal is on an airplane. Now a few thoughts on this movie! Again this is one of the few movies that captures you attention at the beginning and it never stops until it's over. John Wesley Snipes does a good job as his role as John Cutter. Based on the action, adventure and drama that are in this picture I give this movie 8 weasel stars.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Wesley Snipes Vs The Rane Of Terror, or Pain Of Terror........., 9 October 2009 Author: JohnRouseMerriottChard from United Kingdom
Of all the Die Hard clones there has been, and there have been many, Passenger 57 may just be the worst. The story follows Wesley Snipes' airline security expert John Cutter, who whilst undertaking a flight to L.A. gets embroiled in a hostage takeover led by evil bad man with a troubled childhood, Charles Rane. Cue quips, kicks and death defying tricks as Cutter strikes one for the good guys. Kevin Hooks' film works well enough on a very basic actioner level, due in the main to Snipes. Snipes was six years away from his signature role in Blade, and for sure he is a bona fide action star. As evidenced here, where he has the charisma and body motions to carry the film thru its turgid script. A script that smacks of the writers sitting round a table and suggesting they put Snipes in a number of tricky situations as an excuse for him to beat the crappola out of everyone. Oh lets not forget the forced love story waiting to happen as well .It's just a lazy film that is the cash in that many realised it was on its release. Bruce Payne manfully tries to make the unbalanced Charles Rane truly evil, but doesn't succeed. Liz Hurley, goddess of womanhood that she is, looks uncomfortable holding a gun, while leading lady Alex Datcher is hopelessly out of her depth. Youthful looking Tom Sizemore and Bruce Greenwood also appear, but both are throwaway characters that you end up wishing we had had more of. Stanley Clarke's score is abysmal, it's the sort of score one expects to hear in a soft core porno movie. You know the kind where the protagonists are making love but they still have their underwear on! Yes that kind. Poor plotting, poor scripting and just about poor in technical execution. I don't ask much of the action genre, I really don't, but at least give the film some soul from which to entertain the popcorn masses. 3/10 for Snipes' fighting and Liz Hurley's legs.
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