“Plane” is a rip-roaring action film that will please lovers of the genre. Hurtling from one crisis to the next, the script is so tautly written and shot that there is no chance to be bored. By avoiding the traps of unnecessary romance or human melodrama, the movie is a perfect embodiment of what an action genre picture should be.

Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) is a pilot for Trailblazer Airlines. He is based out of Singapore and is taking a flight to Tokyo. Only a few passengers are on board. One of them is a prisoner, Louis Gaspare (Michael Colter), convicted of murder.

Brodie and his co-pilot Samuel Dele (Yoson An) are concerned about an approaching storm. They are told by an airline functionary that they have to fly anyway.

The plane encounters turbulence as they enter the storm. They ascend above the storm but then more jostling occurs. Passengers are told to strap in and then a lightning strike disables the avionics and communications system.

The man in charge of the prisoner loses his phone. When he gets up to retrieve it, he and a flight attendant are killed when the plane hits a pocket of turbulence so severe that they are flung around the cabin. Brodie is injured as well with a cut to the head.

On the ground, as the plane becomes incommunicado, a war room is formed by the airline head, Hampton (Paul Ben-Victor). He brings in a fixer, Scarsdale (Tony Goldwyn), who starts to coordinate the media campaign and the search effort.

In the air, Brodie has no choice but to land the plane in the remote Jolo Island chain in the Philippines. Fortunately, the disabled craft is able to land safely.

As they descended, Brodie noticed a building down the road. He decides to take Louis, the prisoner, along with him. In the building, he is able to patch a call through to the airline, but the person answering believes that it is a crank call. Brodie then calls his daughter in Hawaii and gives his coordinates, obtained from an iPad with GPS, to her.

Brodie’s call to his daughter is interrupted by an armed guerilla. They go mano-a-mano until Brodie is assisted by the now-armed Louis. It turns out that Louis was in the French Foreign Legion and has considerable combat skills.

Once Scarsdale is informed of Brodie’s phone calls, he realizes that the plane has landed in area that is run by rebels and has no rule of law. So he hires mercenaries to go in, secure the site, and coordinate rescue efforts.

The head rebel of the island is informed by a villager of the plane’s landing. They go out to the site and take the passengers hostage after killing two of them. Louis and Brodie witness this but can do nothing. The hostages are herded onto a bus and leave.

Brodie and Louis subdue the remaining rebels and get information about where the hostages are being sent. They discover that they are going to be put on a boat to go to another island. If they don’t stop the boat, then all is lost.

Before leaving on their rescue mission, Brodie discovers that Sam has been able to restore some of the plane’s functions. Brodie leaves a note detailing where he and Louis are going in case a rescue team makes it to the plane. Will they be able to rescue the others?

I was genuinely pleased and surprised at the quality of this production. The visual effects as the plane is disabled in the beginning are first-rate. The tension created is palpable.

If you ever wondered why you need to stay strapped in when a plane is in turbulence, this movie will convince you of the necessity. The death sequence as the two passengers are thrown around is chilling.
I appreciated the little details about how a crew operates during a crisis. From the disembarking on the inflatable ramps to the presence of body bags for the victims, the realism seems remarkable.

After the landing, while there is some carping from the token disgruntled passengers, the movie avoids the trap of getting into any of the personalities involved. We are spared extensive background stories that would bog down the action. This goes for the crew as well.

In fact, this is a movie where in some ways the crew, passengers, and rebels could be played by anybody. There is a sense in which they are just taking up screen space in favor of the action and plot. Yet, on the flip side, the choices that were made in casting are spot-on in that everyone seems to completely inhabit their minor roles.

The script is so well-written. Its no-nonsense approach to crisis management and minimal expository dialogue elevate this film to a higher level than most action movies.

Plot-driven, the picture is not a showcase for acting. That being said, Gerard Butler is superb in his role as the beleaguered captain. I enjoyed the fact that his character is allowed to say that he is originally from Scotland.

Michael Colter as Louis starts out as an embittered individual but quickly segues to a more human portrayal as the need arises. He and Butler are a good team.

Another highlight is Tony Goldwyn as Scarsdale. If only every crisis could have a manager as no-BS as he is. His sardonic manner is perfect as he deals with stupid people, such as the dunce who made the flight go through a storm.

The cinematography is very well-done. From the effects shots to the cuts in shoot-outs, the precision and attention to detail is notable.

Accordingly, this also is a well-edited movie with satisfying pacing. “Plane” is the type of picture where you could come into the film at any point and be engaged. There are very few wasted or filler shots. The ending is thrilling and to the point.

Of course the laws of human physiology and anatomy go by the wayside as Brodie is beaten beyond what a human could truly endure and still be operating. People are shot and still function. But this is a minor quibble.

“Plane” is not suitable for small children due to the intensity and the deaths, either by shooting or blunt force trauma. But it should be fine for teens.

If you are looking for an exciting time, “Plane” is the movie for you.

Four out of five stars

In the white-knuckle action movie PLANE, pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island – only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare’s help, and will learn there’s more to Gaspare than meets the eye.

Cast: Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Yoson An, Daniella Pineda, Paul Ben-Victor, Remi Adeleke, Joey Slotnick, Evan Dane Taylor, Claro de los Reyes, and Tony Goldwyn
Directed by: Jean-François Richet
Screenplay by: Charles Cumming and J.P. Davis
Story by: Charles Cumming