Con Air (1997)

Directed by Simon West. Starring Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Colm Meaney, Ving Rhames, Mykleti Williamson, Steve Buscemi, Rachel Ticotin, M. C. Gainey, Dave Chappelle, Monica Potter, John Roselius, Nick Chinlund, Danny Trejo, Steve Eastin, Jesse Borego, José Zúñiga, Angela Featherstone. [R]

Mindless mayhem from the Jerry Bruckheimer factory doesn’t favor realism, rationality, or any other obstacles standing between the viewer and freebasing sledgehammer thrills and noise, but to shrug it off with an, “It is what it is,” gives short shrift to what a crazed contraption it happens to be. Cage arguably underplays his action hero, Cameron “Alabama Jesus” Poe, an ex-Army Ranger who is absurdly sent to prison for seven-to-ten for accidentally killing a violent drunk who tried attacking his pregnant wife (Potter). When parole finally arrives, he’s placed onto a prison transfer plane that happens to be transporting a few very dangerous individuals, including an intellectual but psychopathic ringleader, Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom (Malkovich), who masterminds a mid-flight takeover, which means it’s up to Cage in the sky and a dogged U.S. Marshal (Cusack) on the ground to bring “Con Air” down (preferably in as few pieces as poss—scratch that, time for an emergency landing down the middle of the Las Vegas strip!). Mileage varies for this sort of nonsense, and things like logic, continuity, and scripting are through-the-roof stupid, but its sense of humor, high energy, and eagerness to keep upping the ante on overblown destruction keeps it fairly fun for its type. Just, please, put the bunny back in the box.

59/100