Whether flying through hyperspace, cracking whips, or just desperately trying to remember who he is, Harrison Ford has created a plethora of memorable characters in truly outstanding films over the course of his Hollywood career.  In 1997, Ford got the opportunity to play the President of the United States in Wolfgang Petersen's Air Force One, the result is not just a good action movie, but one of Ford's most unforgettable roles.

Ford stars as James Marshall, an ex-military man elected President who is returning from Moscow after making a speech outlining his administration's stance on terrorism.  Unfortunately for him, on his way home, his plane his hijacked by a group of terrorists led by Gary Oldman's Ivan Korshunov.  Korshunov and his friends are more than a little perturbed by the fact that at the start of the movie Russian and U.S. Special Forces capture the leader of Kazakhstan, Ivan Radek, a general who has caused genocide and sponsored terrorism.  Korshunov's plan is presented to the audience as a simple one – hijack Air Force One with some help from the inside and make the U.S. convince Russia to let Radek go.

The whole plan – while absolutely ludicrous if one takes these sorts of things seriously – goes exceedingly well, right until the terrorists lose track of Marshall and he does his best John McClane impersonation, taking out the terrorists one by one and doing his best to protect the hostages, which include several of his top advisors (and, for some reason, a Major played by William H. Macy).  The terrorists attempt to fight back, but, well, you can guess exactly where the whole thing is headed, can't you?

Yes, on the face of it, the entire movie sounds like something that Hollywood puts out over, and over, and over again.  Air Force One ought, however, to be thought of as the "best of breed."  While movies like this have been made before it and continue to be made after it, the excellent production values (save the final CG crash, which, even if it is supposed to simulate what would actually happen in the situation looks terribly cheesy in comparison to the rest of the effects), the stellar performances by the entire cast, and Petersen's incredible ability to ratchet up the tension despite the fact that everyone knows exactly where the movie is headed all combine to make this a simply outstanding film.

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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