Air Force One 1997
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
2 :-) :-) for the perfect American President
Cast: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson, Liesel Matthews, Paul Guilfoyle, Xander Berkeley, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell, Jurgen Prochnow Directors: Wolfgang Petersen Screenplay: Andrew W. Marlowe
When a 50 year old man dances about an aeroplane dispatching terrorists half his age, I begin to understand the terms "Gung Ho" or "Big balls with small jocks". This man is a "Congressional Medal of Honour" winner, he served in NAM and is also a devoted husband and loving father. He is a man who has impeccable character and would without hesitation place his family and Nation above himself. He is the President of the Untied States.
Wait a minute. Am I missing something here? We are talking about the President of the Untied States. You mean people like Clinton, Reagan, Bush and maybe Gore? Or have we somehow confused them with Hollywood action heroes like Segal, Van Damme, or Harrison Ford per se. Then again what we want to believe and what we actually have is two different things, and believe me the President of the United States is no action hero.
If anything this movies serves to give the American People a good reason to pat themselves on the back. It seems condescending when they dish out freebie favours for a struggling Russian government made to look weak and pathetic in the movie. What gives them the right to take the burden of protecting the free world upon their own shoulders? What's happened to the United Nations? This is two hours worth of solid American patriotic propaganda. When the Vice President is a female and the President is an action hero we delude ourselves into believing the world is almost perfect. The day that I actually see an American President actually follow through with the claim that he well put world justice and peace above his own political agenda, will also be the day I apply for citizenship.
However unbelievable this movie maybe, it did make me hyperventilate with laughter, and I laughed harder than most in the cinema. So if one can put aside their disbelief that this is actually an Amercian President come fighting machine, the action will keep you entertained for the duration of the flight and fight. Harrison Ford is getting older, and it is becoming more difficult to see him kill men half his age and twice his size in hand to hand combat. Gary Oldman has that something Russian worked out to the fine details of facial tics, stares and hand gestures. It is unlikely that Air Force One will ever be hi-jacked, but should the scenario occur it should be interesting to follow the outcome. That way we can look back and see how wrong this movie actually is.
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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