Gerard Butler’s filmography is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. Butler is one of those versatile actors who usually gives his all regardless of the genre, film, or character. However, he he often needs a skillful, or at least competent, director to utilize what he does best. It also most certainly helps that Butler hasn’t signed up for a horrible movie. As usual, I tempered my expectations and kept an open mind when entering the screening for Plane. And as indicated by my positive, Butler chose fairly well, and director Jean-François Richet had the skills to utilize his charismatic action star well.
The studio and the filmmakers probably should not have chosen such a plain title, but that is definitely forgivable after enjoying this fuel-injected action fllck. Butler stars as Brodie Torrence, a commercial airline pilot who has one more flight to helm before he can take some time off to spend the New Year holiday with his beloved daughter Daniela (Haleigh Hekking). However, Brodie’s plans, as well as the plans of his flight crew and passengers get derailed when a horrendous storm damages the plane and forces Brodie and co-pilot Samuel Dele (Yoson An) to make an emergency landing.
Once they get their bearings, Brodie and Samuel discover that they have landed on an island named Jolo, a very dangerous and ungoverned part of the Phillipines that is controlled by a violent militia, known for their abductions and killings. With the plane’s coms dysfunctional, Brodie decides to explore the jungle around him in search of a radio, phone, or any sort of communication device. Leaving Samuel in charge of the remaining crew and passengers, Brodie reluctantly selects passenger Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), a fugitive on the flight being extradited on homicide charges.
With a screenplay by Charles Cumming and J.P. Davis, director delivers white knuckle action, high tension thrills, and gnarly kills with Plane. Now I’m not about to blow up anyone’s ass and sing the praises of this movie’s story and script. Still, the movie’s writing is solid enough to where the movie isn’t an exercise in frustration and insulted intelligence. This is not heady material, nor was it intended to be. Plane is simply an unadulterated and unapologetic piece of spicy, salty popcorn cinema that offers a fun escape from the world On the technical side of things, the work of the cinematographers, editor, stunts, and effects crew all deliver some awesome action sequences that will keep audiences glued to the screen.
And the cast all perform well in adding to the intensity and gravity of the movie’s scenarios. The movie features great turns by Mike Colter, Yoson An, Daniella Pineda, Kelly Gale, Remi Adeleke, Tony Goldwyn, Paul Ben-Victor, and Evan Dane Taylor. But it is Butler who shines the brightest as pilot Brodie Torrence. Butler puts much heart, passion, physicality, and, of course, his natural charm into his protagonist. After Greenland and Plane, it is great to seem him back to making great movies that allow him to do what he does best.
I had the pleasure of watching this big, loud, and exciting movie on the big screen, and would highly recommend that people watch it that way. Pair this movie with either a spicy order of nachos or some spicy and salty popcorn. Plane brings the heat and deserves to enjoyed at the cinema.