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Re(tro)view: Con Air
Filed Under (re(tro)view ) by Andrei S. on Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Posted at : 1:44 AM
Con Air
Simon West, 1997
reviewed by Sergiu Gustus
Monday, February 13th, 2012
It’s really hard not to write a lot about Con Air. Hell I don’t even know how to begin. First of all, I’m going to praise its cheesiness. This movie shouldn’t be taken seriously; it’s a glorious homage to the 80’s action flicks, but compared to those this one takes it to a new level. Featuring an all-star cast such as Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, and many other big-name actors, this movie is in my opinion THE blockbuster action movie of the 90s.
If I’m not wrong, this was also Simon West’s directorial debut and I must say he did a terrific job. At the moment he’s working on The Expendables 2, so hurray for that upcoming action movie.
The film starts off with Cage’s character being incarcerated into a maximum facility prison for a seven year sentence due to (accidental) murder, even though it was in self-defense. Apparently self-defense is no excuse for killing somebody who tries to murder/rape your wife if you’re a member of the Rangers Police Department. A ‘deadly weapon’ must be convicted. In prison he meets what’s likely to be the friendliest black inmate ever, Baby-O, played by none other than Mykelti Williamson (aka the guy from Forrest Gump). After a two-minute scene in which we see Nicolas Cage spending his 7 years in prison by writing and reading a couple of letters from his daughter, working out, and learning Spanish, he can finally be released on parole, but for some reason this needs to be done via transporting him in an airplane together with several deadly and menacing criminals.
This is where the fun really starts as we meet the rest of the characters. The criminals manage to take over the plane by outwitting what seem to be the most incompetent police officers in the history of mankind. Luckily for Nicolas Cage’s character, the guy remains on the plane after refusing to get out while he had the chance – he couldn’t leave his diabetic prison buddy behind. He befriends the head criminal, Cyrus ‘The Virus’ Grissom (played by John Malkovich). His performance is probably the best although he was apparently not satisfied with the movie’s script.
Nicolas Cage’s superior army training and judgment pulls off the unthinkable and he succeeds in contacting Vince Larkin (John Cusack) from within the plane. Following a testosterone-filled battle at an abandoned airplane landing site, the convicts triumph (once again) to escape the clutches of the American Special Forces. In the final act, the last straw seems to have been pulled for our protagonist Cameron Poe as he is forced to crash-land an airplane on the streets of Las Vegas, followed shortly by a Michael Bayesque chase scene. God bless explosions.
This was the short version of the plot; I don’t want to spoil too much away. I’d rather discuss Nicolas Cage’s horrible southern accent. He has the talent to make every scene cringe-worthy, but at the same time notoriously hilarious. All the lines coming out of his mouth throughout the movie are so cheesy and so bad that they end up being golden. I mean, ‘I’m gonna save the fucking day.’ and ‘Why didn’t you put the bunny back in the box?’ are classics I tell you.
All the characters are as thin as paper; you never get to care for them, but they still manage to entertain. Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Dave Chapelle and John Malkovich are at the top of their game, delivering memorable, action-packed moments. John Cusack is hysterical with his over-the-top, taking-it-too-seriously type of acting, and Colm Meaney portrayed the dumb get-out-of-my-way cop to perfection. He was more annoying than the ‘We’re all gonna die’ marine from Aliens.
The soundtrack is terrible, ranging from heavy metal guitars to Spanish flamenco. The theme song accomplished the amazing feat of being nominated for both the Academy Awards and the Razzies. Needless to say, it won nothing.
You have everything in Con Air: Nicolas Cage, and I quote, ‘saving the fucking day,’ roundhouse kicks, explosions, cheesy one-liners, Nicolas Cage in a tank top, more explosions (without looking back), a misplaced ballad, and most importantly, America. God bless America!
Rating: 3/5
Simon West, 1997
reviewed by Sergiu Gustus
Monday, February 13th, 2012
It’s really hard not to write a lot about Con Air. Hell I don’t even know how to begin. First of all, I’m going to praise its cheesiness. This movie shouldn’t be taken seriously; it’s a glorious homage to the 80’s action flicks, but compared to those this one takes it to a new level. Featuring an all-star cast such as Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, and many other big-name actors, this movie is in my opinion THE blockbuster action movie of the 90s.
If I’m not wrong, this was also Simon West’s directorial debut and I must say he did a terrific job. At the moment he’s working on The Expendables 2, so hurray for that upcoming action movie.
The film starts off with Cage’s character being incarcerated into a maximum facility prison for a seven year sentence due to (accidental) murder, even though it was in self-defense. Apparently self-defense is no excuse for killing somebody who tries to murder/rape your wife if you’re a member of the Rangers Police Department. A ‘deadly weapon’ must be convicted. In prison he meets what’s likely to be the friendliest black inmate ever, Baby-O, played by none other than Mykelti Williamson (aka the guy from Forrest Gump). After a two-minute scene in which we see Nicolas Cage spending his 7 years in prison by writing and reading a couple of letters from his daughter, working out, and learning Spanish, he can finally be released on parole, but for some reason this needs to be done via transporting him in an airplane together with several deadly and menacing criminals.
Neighbourhood-friendly prison.
This is where the fun really starts as we meet the rest of the characters. The criminals manage to take over the plane by outwitting what seem to be the most incompetent police officers in the history of mankind. Luckily for Nicolas Cage’s character, the guy remains on the plane after refusing to get out while he had the chance – he couldn’t leave his diabetic prison buddy behind. He befriends the head criminal, Cyrus ‘The Virus’ Grissom (played by John Malkovich). His performance is probably the best although he was apparently not satisfied with the movie’s script.
Nicolas Cage’s superior army training and judgment pulls off the unthinkable and he succeeds in contacting Vince Larkin (John Cusack) from within the plane. Following a testosterone-filled battle at an abandoned airplane landing site, the convicts triumph (once again) to escape the clutches of the American Special Forces. In the final act, the last straw seems to have been pulled for our protagonist Cameron Poe as he is forced to crash-land an airplane on the streets of Las Vegas, followed shortly by a Michael Bayesque chase scene. God bless explosions.
The face of America.
This was the short version of the plot; I don’t want to spoil too much away. I’d rather discuss Nicolas Cage’s horrible southern accent. He has the talent to make every scene cringe-worthy, but at the same time notoriously hilarious. All the lines coming out of his mouth throughout the movie are so cheesy and so bad that they end up being golden. I mean, ‘I’m gonna save the fucking day.’ and ‘Why didn’t you put the bunny back in the box?’ are classics I tell you.
All the characters are as thin as paper; you never get to care for them, but they still manage to entertain. Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Dave Chapelle and John Malkovich are at the top of their game, delivering memorable, action-packed moments. John Cusack is hysterical with his over-the-top, taking-it-too-seriously type of acting, and Colm Meaney portrayed the dumb get-out-of-my-way cop to perfection. He was more annoying than the ‘We’re all gonna die’ marine from Aliens.
Michael Bay, is that you?
The soundtrack is terrible, ranging from heavy metal guitars to Spanish flamenco. The theme song accomplished the amazing feat of being nominated for both the Academy Awards and the Razzies. Needless to say, it won nothing.
You have everything in Con Air: Nicolas Cage, and I quote, ‘saving the fucking day,’ roundhouse kicks, explosions, cheesy one-liners, Nicolas Cage in a tank top, more explosions (without looking back), a misplaced ballad, and most importantly, America. God bless America!
Rating: 3/5
Should've put the bunny back in the box.
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