Penguin Rush"Plan Your Flight", Don't Take The "Red Eye" (no spoilers!)
When an airplane loses pressure, that is not a good thing. But what happens when there's too much pressure?I remember in 1998, Hollywood produced two movies of the same genre within that same particular year. Both Armageddon and Deep Impact were movies about meteors heading towards earth. Then, Saving Private Ryan was released five months before Thin Red Line.
This year, we see two movies about two women losing their minds while taking their flights. Not because they are afraid of flying, but because the first woman has a psychopath sitting next to her, threatening her with her father's life if she doesn't cooperate in his assasination plot. While another woman loses her 6-year-old daughter in the 2-storey plane and nobody, not other passengers or even the flight crew, seems to have seen her at all.
In Red Eye, the movie follows the journey of Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams of Mean Girls) to Miami after attending her grandmother's funeral. She stumbles upon Jackson (Cillian Murphy of 28 Days Later and Batman Begins) while waiting for her 'very delayed flight'. To her surprise, Jackson happens to be her seat-mate. But can it be just a coincidence or perhaps Jackson is stalking her?
Jackson menacingly reveals the real reason he's on board and why he is on to her. He is an operative in a plot to kill a rich and powerful minister, and Lisa is the key to its success. If she refuses to cooperate, a hired killer (who is waiting outside her home) awaiting a call from Jackson will kill her father.
In order to help Jackson carries out the plan, Lisa who works as a Manager at a renowned hotel must arrange for the minister to change his hotel room. Trapped at 30 000 feet, where can Lisa run and summon help without endangering her father, her fellow passengers and her own life?
This is an engaging thriller! Watch how Lisa desperately tries to figure out her escape from Jackson's clutch, save her father and at the same time warn the minister and foil the plot. Also, witness how Jackson's character changes from a sweet-talking gentleman to a sadistic and merciless terrorist.
Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy are perfect! They have the talents and the looks to keep you glued to the screen. Both share the chemistry as two strangers who initially seem to be attracted to each other and within minutes, trying to hurt one another. As for Wes Craven, he skips his usual cliché of directing horror movies. But, his ability to make us suspense is still apparent even though the actors are within the confines of a jet.
In Flightplan, we get to see Jodie Foster (Kyle Pratt) springs into action after a 3-year hiatus (her last movie was Panic Room). Ms. Foster is amazing as a mother who frantically looks for her daughter (Julia Pratt) who is missing during a flight. As ridiculous and impossible as it may sound, the state-of-the-art E-474 aircraft is huge and has two storeys, making it rather impossible for other passengers and the flight crew to recall ever having seen her.
Situation turns to worse when her daughter's name is not registered as one of the passengers. Also, a morgue in Berlin confirms that her daughter is dead and that Kyle is bringing Julia home to the US to be buried. She (and the rest of the passengers and flight crew) starts to question her own sanity. But it doesn't take long for Kyle to regain her strength and mind, to realise that the body in the coffin is her husband's and that Julia is very much alive (and still missing). Now, all she has to do is to find Julia quick before the plane touches down or risk losing her forever. At the same time, she has to figure out who and why someone would hide her daughter at 37 000 feet.
The storyline is interesting and creative (if not original). This is definitely one of the best movies in 2005. Jodie Foster gives her engaging performance especially during the scene when she starts to believe that Julia may have already been dead. However, the part about the two Arab men being accused by Kyle of kidnapping Julia is a bit improper. Although it turns out that they have nothing to do with Julia's disappearance and one of the Arabs makes amends with Kyle in the end, I still find it to be a rather sensitive issue to touch on during these sensitive times.
All in all and putting that aside, go watch Flightplan as you won't regret it...
posted by The Pisces Man @ 11:58 pm
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