Con Air (1997) * * *

Directed by: Simon West

Starring:  Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, Mykelti Williamson, Rachel Ticotin, Danny Trejo, Colm Meaney, Monica Potter

Con Air is exactly what you would expect.    It is full of explosions, absurd action scenes, sadistic villains, and a tough, principled hero; the type of film in which a plane crash lands on the Vegas strip and you aren't the least bit surprised.    The movie is a skillfully made and cheerfully absurd; very happy to be no more than exactly what it is.     1997 was the year in which Nicolas Cage morphed into an action film star.    Both The Rock and Con Air work in their own ridiculous ways, with Cage as the steady hand through all of the hyperactivity surrounding him.

Cage is Cameron Poe, an Army Ranger-turned-convict paroled after serving eight years for killing a man in a bar fight who attempted to assault his wife.    He finds himself on a plane full of criminals being transferred to various higher security prisons.    He only wants to go home and reunite with his wife and daughter, but a group of prisoners led by Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom (Malkovich) hijack the plane, forcing Poe into action to save the hostages aboard and help his best friend who is suffering from a diabetic seizure.    Poe pretends to be on Cyrus' side, while figuring out a way to bring the plane down.  

The hijacking comes to the attention of air marshal Vince Larkin (Cusack), who quickly deduces that Poe is not a villain and just may be the help he's looking for to bring the plane down safely.    Larkin is constantly at odds with his superiors who simply want to shoot the plane down, leading him to take matters into his own hands.    John Cusack may not be the first, second, or third actor you would expect in an action film role, but he is pretty convincing anyway.    Malkovich by this point in his career had the vicious, cerebral uber-villain thing down pat, while Cage carries on in his own quietly laconic way.    The rest of the cast turns up the wattage as things go haywire all around.    At one point, a sports car is somehow tethered to a plane taking off and you don't even blink.    It is that type of movie.    You just go along for the ride, if this is the type of ride that interests you.