Probably the most appealing feature of the 1997 film Con Air is it's purposeful pretentiousness. It's clear from the very beginning that this film is not to be taken seriously. As a consequence many of it's most glaring flaws, including the implausibility of the plot, banal performances by the cast, and quirky deadpan humor, only serve to heighten the cinematic experience. This film is little more than an action packed, pyrotechnic showcase. The problem is that most of the action takes place during the last 30 minutes of the film.

The plot is sketchy at best. Cameron Poe, ( Nicholas Cage) a newly discharged Army Ranger, is convicted of involuntary manslaughter for defending himself in an unprovoked fight outside a bar. He is sentenced to federal prison for 8 years and is anxiously awaiting parole and looking forward to meeting his daughter, who was born during his imprisonment. By a freakish act of fate, Poe is booked on a transport plane scheduled to transfer an assortment of some of the most notorious criminals in the country, to a new maximum security prison in his home state of Alabama. The plane is barely airborne before Poe realizes that the convicts are planning to hijack the plane to South America via Carson City, Nevada.

The mastermind of the uprising, Cyrus The Virus Grissom (John Malkovich) is a diabolical, logical thinking, tactician and mass murderer. Others involved in the coup include Diamond Dog (Ving Rhames) a black militant as second in charge, and Johnny 23 (Danny Tejo) a slimy serial rapist. The most obscene villain of them all, Garland Greene, (Steve Buschemi) has murdered 37 people and is wheeled on board complete with face harness and restraints, a la Hannibal Lechter. He is simply along for the ride with the rest of the macabre crew.

Poe takes it upon himself to singlehandedly thwart the skyjacking effort, by sending a series of clues to Federal Marshall Vince Larkin (John Cusack) in an effort to engineer a rescue in Carson City. Larkin has his hands full dealing with an overly zealous DEA Agent (Colm Meany) who wants to blow the plane out of the air, and conveniently rid the world of it's nefarious cargo. The result is a cross country wild goose chase that ends in a chaotic, cataclysmic display of fire, violence, and destruction with a crash landing on the Las Vegas strip.

Produced by Jerry Buckheimer, (Top Gun/The Rock) a veteran of high tech, action packed, thrillers, Con Air provides enough suspense and action to satisfy the most rabid fans of the genre. The more discriminating viewers will have to deal with the blatantly stereotypical typecast characters, sketchy plot, and slow pace of the first 90 minutes of the film.

A few of the stronger points of the film include the deliciously evil performance by John Malkovich (In The Line Of Fire) in his dynamic role of Cyrus The Virus. Steve Buschemi is equally effective in his understated role as the weasel like, eerily controlled menace, Garland Greene. Nicholas Cage plays his character with a resolute sincerity reminiscent of his role in Raising Arizona.

The saving grace of Con Air is that it is so obviously contrived and overstated that it is impossible to take it seriously. In fact, as a self-deprecating parody of an anti-hero thriller, the film actually works quite successfully.





Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older