Air Force One (1997) Dir: Wolfgang Peterson
Updated: Feb 20
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I decided to watch this Wolfgang Peterson directed action thriller one day, purely on impulse. I recalled seeing a reference to it in Bob's Burgers of all things, which was enough to put the film in my mind. I had pretty low expectations for the film, but I was happy to watch it regardless.
To start off negatively, I have to make the point that the CGI and green screen did not age well in the two decades following this film's release in 1997. It did make the film feel a bit goofy at times, seeing actors pretending to fall or what-have-you, shaking their arms as though they were Jimmy Stewart in 'Rear Window'.
The film was very typical American action movie stuff. It was intensely patriotic, full of explosive action, and, of course, featured Americans fighting an evil foreign villain - this time a Russian terrorist. It's all very grandeous and silly, but it was at least decent action.
The American protagonists are all painfully patriotic, brave and resilient. I'm not saying this was entirely bad, but it did feel incredibly unrealistic that multiple seemingly random civilians with no military experience would be so explicitly brave and patriotic with a gun in their face.
The story had a lot more legs to it than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise - it definitely helped having a running subplot outside of the plane. Some of the events of the film were truly ridiculous, but I have to say, it was pretty entertaining.
Harrison Ford delivered a legitimately great performance as a more badass version of the President of the United States. He didn't just look and act like an action hero, he managed to show a sincere and emotional side too. It was a lot more than I had anticipated, not due to any lack in Ford's acting credentials, but due to the film's story and reviews.
Gary Oldman made for a pretty solid, if definitely over the top, antagonist. His Russian accent was adequate, but not brilliant, but his actual acting was not bad at all. He only had one or two brief moments in which he over-did it too much.
I really liked Glenn Close here. I think she was a strong presence in the film, and I think she held her own easily, while quite literally in a room full of men. She was very slightly undermined by some of the writing, but her performance was very decent.
There were some really solid performances from the likes of Wendy Crewson, Paul Guilfoyle, William H. Macy, Liesel Matthews and Dean Stockwell in their respective supporting roles.
Overall, this was a bit of a ridiculous film in so many ways. I can't stress how absurd it all is. That said, I loved it. Is it the best film ever? No, but it sure as hell was fun. If you can leave your brain at the door and embrace the silliness, you'll have a great time.
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