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371 reviews in total

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35 out of 50 people found the following review useful:
A good action-adventure film with great special effects…, 11 May 2008

Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico

Marshall is the kind of President referred to a change in the U.S. foreign policy… He took a great risk when he stated that America will no longer tolerate any terrorist government… His policy is soon put in practice when he boards his plane on his way home…

Once is in the sky, 'Air Force One' is hijacked and currently controlled by Russian radicals who ask for the release of their leader or they'll execute a prisoner every half hour…

Harrison Ford is the action hero making his way through the plane taking out few terrorists, managing to free several hostages, trying to get to his wife and daughter who are prisoners on board…

Gary Oldman almost steals the show as the head terrorist Ivan Korshunov who takes over the president's plane…

Beautifully directed by Wolfgang Petersen who controls the action with his usual extreme intelligence, building the challenge with captivating, tense sequences from every compartment of the huge aircraft to the White House contingent in Washington…

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33 out of 47 people found the following review useful:
Holy Cremoly!, 4 September 2006

Author: phiggins from London, England

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Air Force One features Harrison Ford, Glenn Close, Gary Oldman, Dean Stockewell, and William H. Macy. A dream cast! In the freshest, friskiest, funniest, laugh-out-loudest comedy of the year! Cheer as President Harrison Ford takes on the baddies all by himself – "Right now, he's our only hope". Hiss as Dean Stockwell tries to get Glenn Close to sign away power and "take down Air Force One". Will she sign? Like hell! Sigh with relief when the fax machine stalls, stalls a little longer, and then… just when we'd given up hope… stalls a little longer, and then works! Clap like a whacked-out space cadet on class-a drugs when the fax lady parachutes to safety. Scratch your head a little when you realise that the big plot device of the bad guys having a guy on the inside is of no interest or use whatsoever. Ponder for a long time just why Gary Oldman's character doesn't just shoot the wife and the kid, for crying out loud. Marvel at the advances in special effects technology that can make a plane crash in a big budget movie look like a plane crash in a primitive video game. Thrills! Spills! Drama! Action! Utter, utter, crap!

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43 out of 71 people found the following review useful:
Air Farce Number One, 12 February 2006

Author: villard from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This movie is intriguing in that it actually presages some of the terrorism realized in the tragedy of 9/11.

That said, the film is mortally flawed with stupid and ridiculous contrivances that make is more of a comic book yarn than having the sophistication of, say, a Tom Clancy novel.

High on the "oh come on get real!" factor:

1. Any White House PressSecretary would be far too astute to let a self-describe TV journalist on Air Force One (AF1). The very first thing they would do is check the reporter's credentials and publication/broadcast record.

2. The spectacle of a 747 jumbo jet careering through an airport on an aborted landing is simply light-years beyond absurd.

3. Why would AF1 have a stash of enough assault rifles to take over a small country? And, with all the gunplay in the passenger cabin there's not one bullet hole in the fuselage?

4. I have it on good authority that Air Force One does have countermeasures, but putting the president in an escape pod – though fundamental to the plot – it just inane. That's the *last* thing you would do with the U.S. President at 30,000 ft.

5. Equally ridiculous is the idea that AF1 conveniently has more parachutes onboard than the Titanic had life preservers. Just as silly is the image of Washington bureaucrats easily jumping off the plane at 15,000 ft.

6. I've been inside an open, stripped-down 747 airframe, there isn't nearly as much room as shown on the cargo deck. There certainly isn't room for a cargo deck vending machine?!

I could go on and on, but this film is another example of filmmakers believing that movies goers are gullible enough to swallow any tall tale for the sake of lots of action shots and melodrama. If you've gonna concoct an action drama tale like this, at least have one foot in reality and plausibility, or otherwise call it "science fiction."

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37 out of 60 people found the following review useful:
It is what it is......fun, 7 March 2005

Author: Alvsy007 from Whitman, Mass

Nonstop action, thrilling suspense, dark humor, and a brilliant concept, this flag waving over the top action adventure was a good two hours in 1997.

The story: Enroute back to the States from Russia, Russian Nationals hijack the President's plane and hold him and his family (as well as most of his staff) hostage aboard Air Force One in order to release a Rouge General captured earlier.

Harrison Ford from his first minute to his last looks comfortable in his Presidential role. That's to say, Ford appears, acts and just plain feels like he should be President. (Come one who saw this movie and wanted him to run). Gary Oldman's performance as the main villain (Ivan) should be up there with the likes of Alan Rickman's Hans from Die Hard and John Malkovich's Leary-Booth-Carney from In the Line of Fire (coincidentally directed by Wolfgang Peterson as well). Glenn Close pulls of the Vice President role with smirks and spunk.

Stars aside I think the supporting cast should get an equal if not harder pat on the back. These guys…and girls…. really made the movie. They're the ones that brought the chuckles and caused gasps. Wendy Crewson (The Good Son) nailed her role with more grace than a first lady has actually shown in the last recallable years. Paul Guilfoyle ("CSI", The Negotiator), was the kind gentle, "best buddy", chief-of-staff, who brought a small smile to your face every time he is on-screen. Xander Berkeley ("24", Terminator 2), plays the chilling secret service agent Gibbs. The lovable William H. Macy plays the good-mannered Air Force Officer who puts himself in harm's way for the President more time than the Secret Service agents do. He just doesn't get enough screen time toward the beginning. And Dean Stockwell will have you cussing under your breath as the power-hungry Secretary of Defense. And it seems that Wolfgang Peterson watched every great Action/Military movie of the past 3 years and hired all those "briefing room generals". For this I applaud him. As for the terrorist, they rival those of Die hard. Cold, stone-faced, funny, smooth, and just plain hateable, they did their job.

The bulk of the movie takes place aboard the Air Force One no kidding eh?). And boy do you believe it. The production designer (Williams Sandell) obviously paid attention to detail, mimicking the real Presidential Aircraft. Small, claustrophobic and believable.

Andrew W. Marlowe's script gets it job done as well. Nothing award winning. It's everything you would expect given the story it has to tell. Couple times it will make you cringe, but again, look what it needs to accomplish.

The late Jerry Goldsmith's score for this movie is a hands down classic. Only having two weeks to score the film after Peterson rejected Randy Newman's work, Goldsmith with the help of Joel Mcneely composed one of the most bombastic, riveting, emotional, suspenseful, and patriotic scores I've heard come out of the film world. It works perfectly with the movie.

A few times your mind is going to be stretch you may have to resort to the "It's just a movie" mindset. Overall its fun. Not a bad way to spend 2 hours. Harrison Ford for President.

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40 out of 71 people found the following review useful:
It doesn't get much worse than this, 5 April 2006

Author: photobyalan from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

**Warning** Possible Spoilers **

I gave this a 1 because IMDb wouldn't let me give it a zero.

I also must admit that I watched only 30 minutes of this piece of garbage. The hijacking of the President's aircraft by terrorists posing as Russian media was difficult to believe. That six people would be able to carry off such a feat, given the number of secret service agents that travel with the president, is highly unlikely. That hundreds of rounds from automatic weapons and large-caliber handguns could be fired on board an aircraft without affecting any critical systems is debatable. That terrorists could blow the cockpit door open, using some sort of plastic explosive, detonating it by firing a pistol at it (hitting it on the first shot, no less!), yet not injure the pilots or cause any damage to the flight deck is astonishing. When they managed to take control of the plane during landing, perform several off-road maneuvers with the plane that would make a Jeep proud, then get a Boeing 747 airborne again without benefit of a runway, that's when I went Popeye and decided I'd had all I could stand and I could stand no more.

I can suspend my disbelief as well as the next guy, but this was just asking too much.

I won't even go into the cheesy script and listless acting. Shameful.

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18 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
America, fock yeah, 7 September 2007

Author: Christian Heynk from Germany

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Now I admired the director Wolfgang Petersen after seeing DAS BOOT. This was a flick where I thought: Can't get any better. Of course, at the time, people obviously considered Hollywood a smart career move, but if we now take a look at Petersen's Hollywood films, I really think he should have stayed in Germany. Sure, he wouldn't have the money that he's having at his disposal now, but remember: DAS BOOT had a rather infinitesimal budget and nevertheless managed to thrill, enlighten and entertain millions of viewers. Now, what do we have: A German director who directs patriotic and nationalistic filth that invites the average American Joe to believe in the moral and military superiority of his own country. A movie that doesn't really discuss the topics at hand and divides the cast into good and evil with no shades of grey at all. There's one scene where Gary Oldman as the terrorist aboard the plane says to the president's daughter: Do you think your father is a better man because he's wearing a tie and a suit and because he uses smart bombs? I found this scene to be very interesting, however, in the film it is not dwelt upon. Instead we get Harrison Ford playing the father and leader of clean, wholesome politically America and being politically correct and charming and funny and whatnot. What's the moral of this film: God bless America and no place else.

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25 out of 42 people found the following review useful:
When Harrison Ford is President, All Hell Breaks Loose, 16 October 2006

Author: gavin6942 from United States

Harrison Ford plays a president who refuses to negotiate with terrorists. But after one terrorist (Gary Oldman) hijacks the Air Force One and the president's wife and daughter, maybe he will have to rethink his position.

Allegedly, Kevin Costner was supposed to be playing the president. Boy am I glad he was too busy making "The Postman" for this movie. Not only did he make a great Postman, but he would have made a horrible president. When you want drama, you call Costner. When you want action, you call Bruce Willis. When you want the perfect blend of drama and action, you call Harrison Ford (think "The Fugitive", for example... don't think "Star Wars").

Ford is great as a diplomat, but equally as good with a gun and in a fight. But the real star of this is Gary Oldman, who plays an evil and soulless terrorist determined to get his old general freed from prison. Oldman plays it like he means it, killing mercilessly while still appearing cold and calculated rather than insane. The writer even had the decency to have Oldman deliver lines condemning the president for bombing villages while being against terror.

Glenn Close and Dean Stockwell made great supporting stars, and even William H. Macy seemed a little less flamboyant than usual in his role as a military man.

This film is especially interesting in the context of our current president, George W. Bush. Bush has also gone on record many times for not negotiating with terrorists and takes a hardline approach similar to Harrison Ford. What would Bush do if terrorists hijacked his plane or kidnapped his family? Even giving me that visual image made this film worth the viewing.

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45 out of 83 people found the following review useful:
Great adventure, 3 August 1999

Author: Jeff (spoonjef@aol.com) from L.A. CA

Air Force One is one great ride. What makes it work so well is the conviction that Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman bring to their roles. You can see in each actor's eyes that they stand behind what they believe in. Gary Oldman makes a perfect villian and a very complex one at that. He is not just an average, run of the mill madman. He has a family, he is someone's son and those facts make him that much more real. Harrison Ford is great as the president. He's strong, quick witted, and will do anything he can to save his family and staff from the hijackers. A good ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat for two hours, just as long as you don't ask any questions.

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42 out of 78 people found the following review useful:
Good Solid Fun, 4 February 2006

Author: mjw2305 from England

An Action movie is made to entertain, and should always be taken at face value. With this in mind Air Force One hits the mark, despite some minor flaws it still delivers tension, drama and action in abundance.

The cast is strong and full of believable characters, the story is compelling and the traditional dose of sentiment is added sparingly and to good effect. Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman both put in solid performances and they are well supported by the likes of Glenn Close and Wendy Crewson.

Overall Air Force One is an safe bet for the average movie fan and should entertain most, without ever really excelling.

7/10

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15 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
Fun to watch, if you do not make a big deal out of technical accuracy., 19 June 2005

Author: Randall Cameron from Sana'a, Yemen

Very entertaining action, once you get past the "believability" problems, i.e., terrorists getting on the plane at all, the plane having an on-board armory, Secret Service agents' inability to shoot accurately, etc.

Acting is good enough that you care about the characters.

As others have noted, the CGI aerial sequences sometimes have the aircraft moving in unnatural or impossible ways, and this is visually jarring. (After the touch-and-go, Air Force One turns a 180 almost like a helicopter) I gave it a 7 out of 10 - not brilliant, but makes for an entertaining evening.

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