Turbulence (1997)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Robert Butler

Writer (WGA):

Jonathan Brett (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear is in the air

Plot:

After a shootout on a flight transporting prisoners, a stewardess must outwit a smooth-talking serial killer and land the plane herself.

Plot Keywords:

Marshal | Christmas | Cat And Mouse | Axe | Black Comedy

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Ray Liotta	...	Ryan Weaver
Lauren Holly	...	Teri Halloran
Brendan Gleeson	...	Stubbs
Hector Elizondo	...	Lt. Aldo Hines
Rachel Ticotin	...	Rachel Taper
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Brooks
John Finn	...	FBI Agent Frank Sinclair
Ben Cross	...	Captain Samuel Bowen
Catherine Hicks	...	Maggie
Heidi Kling	...	Betty
Gordy Owens	...	Carl
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	Captain Matt Powell
James MacDonald	...	1st Officer Ted Kary
Michael Harney	...	Marshal Marty Douglas
Grand L. Bush	...	Marshal Al Arquette

MPAA:

Rated R for terror, strong violence and language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Brazil:16 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Clinton, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The toy store in the movie in reality is a bookstore on the Main Street in Clinton, New Jersey, USA. There is a toy store on Main Street but it is in an alley and the director didn't like the exterior of the building. The bookstore's front window was decorated with toys for the week of filming.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The times shown at various points along the trip are somewhat too late for the amount of sky light depicted on December 24. Most notably, sunset at Las Vegas would be just past 4:30 pm PST on that date, yet we see the sky not fully dark at 5:35. What's more, at the same time a fully dark sky is seen at Los Angeles.

Quotes:

Sinclair: Wait a minute, wait a minute. You've got a 747 beat to hell by level 6 turbulence, your flight crew is dead, you've got an armed convicted serial killer loose on board, eight passengers have disappeared, and your stewardess is locked in the goddamned cockpit. Have I left anything out?
Controller: You forgot about the truck.
[it's stuck to the landing gear]

Movie Connections:

References The Shining (1980)

Move over "Roadhouse"--another contender in the riotously bad category

In the tradition of hilariously bad movies like "Roadhouse" and "The Postman", "Turbulence" truly delivers the goods. Convicted serial killer, Ray Liotta, is on his way to LA to take up residence on death row. What follows makes one wonder if they're watching a twisted remake of "Airplane." After the lampooning that air disaster movies took with that landmark spoof, you would think filmmakers would be wary about returning to the skies with such a half-baked, over the top implausi-fest. I get the feeling that after a while they realized the comic potential of the movie and started playing it for laughs. How else to explain the truck stuck on the landing gear sequence, the "she's not a stewardess, she's a flight attendant" quote, and the plugging of a gun fire induced hole in the fuselage with a briefcase. Of course, my favorite is when Liotta finds himself in the avionics bay, and discovers what appears to be a tomahawk like ax. Ground control notes his presence and gasps that "He may take out the autopilot." Cue the next shot, a sign on a panel "Caution: Autopilot controls" which is dutifully smashed by our ax wielding friend. The landing sequence is hilarious as well. If you're looking for a serious, thoughtful action movie, skip this one. If you're looking for a few good laughs, check it out.