Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Back in 1992, Wesley Snipes was just starting to become a household name when it came to movies. Fresh off his smash hit "White Men Can't Jump", he was ready to try out the action genre. After appearing in comedies such as Major League, and earning his acting "chops" in New Jack City, it seemed he was ready to enter the mainstream of movie business. This was the first picture that he was to carry on his own back, and in order to do that, he was given a action film that would make him very famous. Booked as a "Die Hard of the sky", Passenger 57 was intended to blow away audiences. It did moderately well, but the film was better than its showing at the box office.

Snipes plays John Cutter, an airline security expert that has had a rough past. He is now looking to start a new job, as a Vice-President in an airline, and is taking a flight to start that job. Unfortunately for him, he has picked the wrong flight, on the wrong day. A hijacking is set to take place on his plane, and he is the only man left to stop hundreds of people from being killed in the air, and possibly many more on the ground. He now must use all of the skills he has learned over the years to make sure that everyone goes home safely. He is their last, best chance... he is... Passenger 57.

Bruce Payne (Dungeons and Dragons, Higlander: Endgame) plays the roll of a airline terrorist, who is being transported to be tried for crimes he has committed. Having a terrorist of this nature on a plane would seem like a pretty dumb idea to me, but that is the premise of this film. Needless to say, the plane is eventually hijacked, and it falls on Snipes to stop this terrorist, and the people working with him, before it is too late. Payne is not very good at playing the part of someone this evil, and at times, you don't believe that this person would actually be capable of such treachery. But, to suspend disbelief we must indulge the story, and take it at face value that this terrorist will stop at nothing to attain his goals.

In bit parts surrounding Snipes and Payne, we have Tom Sizemore as someone Cutter has worked with before, and Alex Datcher and Elizabeth Hurley as two flight attendants (models turned actresses). Sizemore is his gritty self in the cop roll that he has always taken to playing, but this time, he is an ex-cop involved in business, who takes on the role of being a cop in the film. If you can't follow that, then you are paying too close attention to the plot, and not to the action in the movie. The supporting cast is basically fodder for the film to show little sub-plots that keep you wanting to go back to the main elements of this film. For Passenger 57 to work for a viewer, you must fall under the belief that something like this would really take place, and that you are watching events as they could truly unfold.

At times, it seems almost too convenient with the antics and skills that Cutter seems to possess. It's lucky for us he was on the plane, or nothing interesting would have come away from this film. Snipes shows that he is a born action star with his own cheesy lines such as "Ever play Roulette? Always bet on black!" He makes his mark as an actor who can be beaten up over and over again, but still has the fortitude to survive through everything the enemy throws at him. Snipes also looks good while doing it. He is not only believable as someone that would be in a situation like this, but that he would be able to survive it. He indeed becomes the character that we want to root for, and we hope succeeds in his ultimate quest of stopping these hijackers.

With some nice action sequences, and a story that does not move too slowly for the viewer, Snipes does well in this action flick. It must be understood that the film is not intended to win any Oscars, but is here for the enjoyment of the audience. With that being said, you can look at this movie in two ways. Is it fun to watch, and is it a good action movie? I answer both questions with a yes, and definitely state that this is a film worth seeing if you are into the genre. However, don't expect to be floored by great acting or a great story, because you can boil the whole plot down to one sentence that has since been repeated many times : "An ex-cop must save a hijacked plane." Exchange plane for bus, train, boat... you name it, and since Passenger 57, it has been done to death. The film is a little violent, and it contains some strong language, so I would recommend this only as a good action movie for adults to see.




Recommended: Yes