Con Air

Besides not knowing when to stop at any time, “Con Air,” released in 1997, gives a very exciting flight before the crash and burn. Todd McCarthy stated in his review, “Hiply written and cast, and shrewdly positioned dramatically to exploit both the allure of lawlessness and the appeal of virtue, this first official solo effort by producer Jerry Bruckheimer is as sure-fire commercial, and just as elaborate, as anything he did with his late partner, Don Simpson. High-octane actioner will fly the distance at dizzying B.O. altitudes.”

McCarthy went on to say, “Scott Rosenberg’s insidiously clever script draws upon any number of time-tested dramatic conventions, most importantly the “Dirty Dozen” collection of hardened criminals who have nothing to lose, and the stalwart loner hero on an arduous odyssey home to his family, a man who walks the thin line between good and bad and can play one off the other, not unlike Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name.” Viewers will be given both ways, celebrating the villain’s evil plot while staying confident that their alternate will pull them, as well as himself, all the way to the finale. The film has the more disarming quality of knowing how to joke itself.

British commercials and music video director Simon West, making his debut, really rushes through the beginning. In a few minutes, he gives every piece of information that Army ranger Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage), unfairly jailed for eight years for a murder (Kevin Gage) that was simply self-defense, is a man of honor and righteous values, and that the plane that he is on to get back home to see his wife (the hot Monica Potter) and kid daughter (Landry Allbright), the latter for the first time, is a U.S. Marshals Service transport on a plane filled with criminals and the passenger list has every type of villain out there being transferred over to a new building.

The leader of the crew is Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom (John Malkovich), a certifiably mental but smart master criminal powerful enough to lead other three-time villains as murdering black rebellious Diamond Dog (Ving Rhames), the violent loving Billy Bedlam (Nick Chinlund) and terrifying career rapist Johnny 23 (Danny Trejo).

Almost simultaneously, the prisoners are able to take control of the plane, a slow, massive C-123K prop that first flies to Carson City, where it drops off three men, but picks up many more, including legendary serial killer Garland Greene (Steve Buscemi) and a good young pilot (M.C. Gainey) who may or may not know how to fly the plane.

McCarthy asked, “Moving things along with tremendous velocity and great verbal and thespian punch, pic keeps any number of levels of tension going during the course of the flight: Will Cameron, whose resourcefulness and smarts the ever-observant Cyrus quickly comes to admire, be found out as a parolee and not a hardened criminal?” Will Diamond Dog remain obedient for the entire time they are flying to where they are heading? Will anyone be able to stop Johnny 23 from raping the female guard, played by Rachel Ticotin, who’s handcuffed inside the plane? Will Cameron find a way to find some insulin needed for his diabetic friend in prison, Baby-O, played by Mykelti Williamson? Finally, will drag queen prisoner, Ramon Martinez ("Sally Can't Dance"), played by Renoly Santiago, ever find a dress he can change into?

At the station, U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin (John Cusack) does his best to keep up with what’s going on aviation-wise, and to prevent short-tempered DEA agent Duncan Malloy (Colm Meaney, who you might remember as Miles O’Brien from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”) from shooting the hijacked plane down. When Cameron, in one of the film’s show-stopping scenes, accomplishes sending a message to Larkin by dropping a body out from the plane over downtown Fresno, the agent rushes to a secluded desert airfield, where Cyrus has arranged to meet with a drug kingpin named Francisco Cindino, played by Jesse Borrego, who will apparently fly them out of the country.

McCarthy mentioned, “Film begins shifting into overdrive at this point, as a fierce battle between the cons and authorities at this airplane graveyard yields a surfeit of fiery explosions and hurtling bodies. Remarkably, the surviving desperadoes manage to get the plane aloft once again, this time to land it — where else — right on the Vegas Strip.”

You could see the movie fall apart right in front of you during this completely overdone superfluous climax-on-a-climax, as it takes out the high spirits it has held on to through most of the flight. A huge scene of the plane crashing into a casino is the worst here, with violent overcutting unable to cover bad continuity, different special effects methods and inconsistent airplane speeds. McCarthy said, “Protracting things even further with the groan-inducing villain-who-won’t-die gambit, and finally with a cornball reunion scene of Cameron with his family, merely makes matters worse.”

However, the pros are able to make you want to finish the film. McCarthy credited, “Rosenberg’s sarcastic, tough-guy dialogue is full of lean-and-mean one-liners, and the superbly cast actors know how to milk them for all they’re worth.”

McCarthy also credited, “Unlikely action star Cage, very buff, walks the fine line between self-preservation and selfless heroics with great aplomb, keeping the audience with him at all times.”

Malkovich and Buscemi, both playing characters actually competing to join the Hannibal Lecter level of psychotic murderers, stand out among an amazing lineup of villains played by the tough Rhames, Gainey, Trejo, Chinlund, Jesse Borrego and Dave Chappelle, among others.

McCarthy ended his review by saying, “Stylistically, film becomes more frenetic as it goes, and West’s compositions lack the strength and definition of the best action directors. Taken individually, such important elements as the score, editing and sound work are quite over-the-top, but production values are huge overall, and one can scarcely argue that, before the plane gets to Vegas, everything doesn’t jell in a very effective way.”

Overall, this movie is an action-packed, adrenaline-rushing, macho flick. One of the best, if I may say so myself. It may have so many explosions and violence in it, but the villains are what make you want to watch it and the heroes who are trying to escape. Check this movie out because it is definitely worth seeing, especially with Nicolas Cage dominating the film after coming off of the success of “The Rock.” This one gets a definite recommendation.

Well everyone, next week is going to be a blast because I will be looking at a Nicolas Cage movie that is just one of his best ever. You might know which one I’m talking about, but I’m really looking forward to reviewing it. Check in next week to find out in “Nicolas Cage Month.”