Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
When Russian neo-nationalists hijack Air Force One, the world's most secure and extraordinary aircraft, the President is faced with a nearly impossible decision to give in to terrorist demands or sacrifice not only the country's dignity, but the lives of his wife and daughter.
Air Force One is a slick, competently executed 90s action thriller that delivers on its premise but doesn't transcend it. The plot is straightforward Die Hard-on-a-plane territory with a charismatic president-as-action-hero hook that works entertainingly but isn't particularly sophisticated. Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman both deliver solid, committed performances — Oldman especially chews scenery effectively as the villain — but neither is stretched beyond their comfort zones. The cinematography is functional and professional for the era, handling the confined aircraft setting adequately without being visually distinctive. Novelty is limited; the film is essentially a well-produced riff on the 'wrong place, wrong time hero' formula transplanted to Air Force One, which was a fresh-enough hook at the time but clearly derivative in conception. The ending delivers the expected cathartic payoff with the 'Get off my plane' climax, satisfying genre expectations without surprising anyone.