This particular airline disaster is not about the industry’s recent delays and cancellations problems. This “Plane” actually gets off the ground and flies; the no-frills name being a no-frills wrapper on quite a tasty movie hot-dog.
The Pilot
Gerard Butler is Capt. Brodie Torrance, a pilot for Trailblazer Airlines, whose 6½-hour flight from Singapore to Tokyo has 18 passengers onboard. Torrance is attempting to squeeze a last couple of flights in before New Year’s Eve, which he plans to spend at his Hawaii home with his daughter (Haleigh Hekking).Torrance’s nearly empty plane is also being used to transport captured fugitive and accused murderer Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), who’s onboard with his captor for extradition. Scary Gaspare is of course quietly menacing, but later demonstrates machine gun capabilities that bespeak spec-ops training. Naturally.
There’s a big storm over the South China Sea! The captain is ordered to “push through the weather” to save on fuel costs. But lightning strikes, and the communication system is fried, which knocks out the control panel.
Torrance crash-lands the jet on a remote island near the Philippines, with one passenger calling it the “worst plane ride in the history of plane rides.” In terms of movie plane rides, it’s not the worst, it’s not bad. Not bad at all.
But is this a deserted island? Of course not! The island’s run by militia members and violent separatists, and leading this gang of ruthless rebels is one bad dude named Junmar (Evan Dane Taylor). They take the survivors hostage with some gunshots and one (thankfully off-screen) decapitation. Hostages include Torrance’s young co-pilot Dele (Yoson An) and a terrified but brave stewardess Bonnie (Daniella Pineda).
What Else Goes On
Meanwhile, back at Trailblazer’s headquarters, one of the big bosses, Hampton (Paul Ben-Victor), skirmishes with Scarsdale, the company’s PR fixer/crisis manager (Tony Goldwyn) over how to deal with the situation. Scarsdale eventually dispatches a freelance team of mercs, headed up by one Shellback (Remi Adeleke, former Navy SEAL), for a search-and-rescue mission.
Will the Filipino army lend a hand? Will Captain Brodie be able to keep his passengers safe long enough for the hired guns to show up? Will the plane turn out to be more useful in the film’s last act than in the first? Is accused murderer Louis Gaspare a ruthless killer or noble killer?
The nail-biting, over-the-top climax sends plausibility packing but who cares? Realism is not high on the list of reasons we go to the movies. Gerard Butler, like his British Isles compatriot Liam Neeson, is adept at anchoring silly action movies with everyman appeal, physical presence, a nice cocktail of confident swagger, and a sprinkle of “Just doin’ my job, ma’am.” “Plane” is big fun, and Butler brings it in for a smooth landing.
