It would be easy to nitpick action-thriller Plane for its plot holes, old-school machismo and paint-roller-broad characterisation of Asian villains. But it’s also an adrenaline-pumping banger, skilfully executed by Jean-François Richet, the man behind similarly entertaining French franchise Mesrine. And who doesn’t love gruff and limited but somehow mesmeric Gerard Butler?
Here he plays commercial pilot Brodie Torrance, a name evocative of both Muriel Spark and the San Fernando Valley. In a first act stuffed with aviation detail, he just about manages to land a storm-hit plane from Singapore on a remote island in the Philippines. With no electricity, phone reception and little likelihood of rescue, he sets out to find help.
Weirdly, he takes with him escaped convict Gaspare (Mike Colter), recently recaptured and being transported back to US custody. This turns out to be a good call since Gaspare spent time in the French Foreign Legion, his sharpshooting skills coming in handy when they’re attacked by Filipino separatists. He is also a convicted murderer — but nobody’s perfect.
Various subplots scattered throughout broaden the canvas, recalling the multi-star ensembles of disaster movies of old, such as The Towering Inferno and Airport. However, some of these minor storylines are so vestigial they’re nearly pointless, like the cutaways to Brodie’s daughter (Heather Seiffert), who spends the entire film looking worried while sitting on a couch in Hawaii. More is made of the handful of passengers and crew members who survive the crash, especially handsome co-pilot Dele (Yoson An) and level-headed cabin-crew chief Bonnie (Daniella Pineda). Meanwhile in New York, crisis manager Scarsdale (Tony Goldwyn) chews out the suits who made penny-pinching decisions that sent the plane into the storm in the first place.
By the end, as storylines converge in a mighty river of noise, gunfire and narrow escapes, it all gets a little silly, bringing to mind less the climax of Airport than that of Airplane! Looks like Brodie picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.
