Yeah, it's constructed entirely out of familiar parts, without a single groundbreaking or original element. But Plane is able to fly above its generic ground by making the most of its actors and inherently tension-rich premise.
Gerard Butler actually gives his best performance in years here. If this was just a paycheck for him, he certainly doesn't act like it.
And director Jean-François Richet wisely paces the film in such a way that the characters have tangible time to breathe and take in what's happening between bursts of frantic action. He allows his actors time with lengthy shots to display the emotion their characters ought to feel.
And because we see the characters feeling it, we feel it too. Even though the plot is largely predictable and formulaic, I felt the white-knuckle tension of the brutal action and the entire unhinged hostage situation because the visual focus of the director is always on the people in this story and the fear they feel.
Richet uses almost exclusively handheld camerawork for this film, and I have mixed feelings on that. It does help with chaotic sequences to elevate the unease, but it also hinders the film when we should be seeing the outcome of fight sequences and it's sometimes obscured.
Although I probably won't be watching it again and will likely forget about it soon, this is a surprisingly more-than-functional action flick that is certainly worth a watch for escapist entertainment.
