Con Air
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 "Put the bunny back in the box!"
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Con Air is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich. Written by Scott Rosenberg and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film centers on a prison break aboard a Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System aircraft, nicknamed "con air". It features an ensemble supporting cast including Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, Colm Meaney, Mykelti Williamson, Dave Chappelle, Rachel Ticotin, Danny Trejo, and Monica Potter.
Plot
Honorably discharged U.S. Army Ranger Sgt. Cameron Poe returns home from Desert Storm to his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, and reunites with his pregnant wife Tricia. However, on the night of the reunion, three intoxicated men attempt to assault Tricia, which leads to him being given a ten-year prison sentence for accidentally killing one of them. Eight years later, Poe is paroled and boards a flight to Alabama on a Fairchild C-123 Provider known as the Jailbird, a converted JPATS prison transport plane. Accompanying him is his diabetic cellmate Mike "Baby-O" O'Dell. Most of the inmates boarding the flight are high-risk convicts being transferred to a supermax prison, including mass murderer William "Billy Bedlam" Bedford, serial rapist John "Johnny 23" Baca, Black Guerrilla former general and member Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones, and professional criminal Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom. The flight is overseen by U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin, who is approached by DEA agents Duncan Malloy and Willie Sims; the latter plans to go undercover to get information from drug kingpin Francisco Cindino, who is being picked up en route. After taking off, inmate Joe "Pinball" Parker sets another prisoner on fire using smuggled kerosene as a distraction, allowing Grissom and Diamond Dog to take over the plane. They plan to land at Carson Airport as scheduled, pick up and transfer other prisoners, and then fly to a non-extradition country. Sims tries to retake control, but Grissom kills him and takes his gun. Poe and Grissom also put a halt to Johnny 23's rape attempts on the plane's female guard, Sally Bishop. The plane arrives at Carson City and the inmate exchange commences. The ground crew is unaware that hijackers are disguised as guards and the real guards are forcibly disguised as inmates, gagged to prevent them from revealing the scheme. Amongst the new passengers are Cindino, pilot Earl "Swamp Thing" Williams, and serial killer Garland Greene. The authorities discover the hijacking upon finding evidence in Grissom's old cell and a tape recorder planted by Poe on one of the disguised guards, but are unable to stop the plane from taking off. Meanwhile, Pinball disposes of the plane's transponder, but dies trying to re-board during takeoff. The inmates plan to land at Lerner Airfield, a remote desert airstrip, and transfer onto another plane owned by Cindino and his cartel. Poe finds Pinball's corpse trapped in the landing gear and writes a message to Larkin on the body before throwing it out. Larkin learns of the news and heads to Lerner after contacting the National Guard. Bedford, raiding the cargo, discovers Poe's identity when reading his parole letter and finding the stuffed rabbit Poe intends to give to his daughter, forcing Poe to kill him. The Jailbird is grounded at Lerner, with no sign of the transfer aircraft. Poe warns the others of Cindino's past acts of deceit and betrayal, and thus Grissom orders the others to fuel up the plane and get it ready for takeoff. Poe leaves to find Baby-O a syringe to give him insulin, meeting Larkin and informing him of the situation. They discover Cindino planning to escape on a hidden private jet, which Larkin sabotages. Grissom executes Cindino by igniting the plane's fuel. Meanwhile, Greene meets a little girl, but resists the urge to kill her. As the other inmates prepare the plane, Johnny 23 spots a National Guard convoy approaching and gives the alarm. The inmates find a cache of fully loaded shotguns and rifles in the cargo hold and prepare an ambush. As the National Guard arrives, the inmates launch an assault, resulting in a number of casualties, but Larkin defends the surviving troops using a bulldozer as a makeshift shield, while the surviving inmates flee back onto the Jailbird and take flight. Poe's identity is revealed when Bedford's body is found. Grissom is about to execute him and Baby-O, when Larkin and Malloy arrive in attack helicopters, damaging the Jailbird's fuel tank. Though Larkin orders the plane to land at McCarran International Airport, Swamp Thing is forced to land it on the Las Vegas Strip, causing mass destruction and killing Johnny 23. Grissom, Diamond Dog, and Swamp Thing escape on a fire truck, pursued by Poe and Larkin on police motorcycles; the chase leads to the deaths of all three escapees. Poe and Larkin form a friendship before the former meets his daughter for the first time and gives her the bunny. As the surviving inmates are apprehended, the only one unaccounted for is Garland Greene, who gambles in a casino.
Why It Buckles Up
- Nicolas Cage's performance as Cameron Poe is spectacular.
- John Malkovich was a fantastic choice to play the villain Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom.
- John Cusack's performance as Vince Larkin is pretty good.
- Cameron Poe is a memorable and likable protagonist who loves his wife Tricia and his daughter Casey. Poe is also a discharged Army Ranger and former convict who wants to see his daughter.
- The idea of a Die-Hard style film set on a prison plane is well executed.
- Awesome and intense action sequences, such as the shootout scene in the airplane junkyard.
- Brilliant soundtrack that was composed by Mark Mancina and Trevor Rabin with good songs (like "How Do I Live" by Trisha Yearwood and "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynrd).
- The aircrafts used in the film are a nice blend of models, real and CGI.
- Plenty of memorable quotes, such as "Put the bunny back in the box!", "Welcome...to Con Air!" and "I hope he likes sand".
- The final confrontation between Cyrus, Diamond Dog and Swamp Thing against Poe and Larkin is well-done.
- Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom is an excellent villain, and his plans are awesome.
- The ending is great with Poe and Larkin forming a friendship and the former reuniting with his wife and daughter.
- It has an early performance from Dave Chappelle.
- The way with the stunts are really impressive and worked very well.
- Has a great cast of 90's icons, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, John Malkovich and more.
Qualities That Get to Smell Cyrus' Stinking Breath
- Cyrus' death is ridiculously over-the-top, on top of that the editing of his death scene is bad, when he falls down he lands on the wrong side of his body.
- The story can be predictable and clichéd at times.
- The final action scene as the Nostalgia Critic pointed, is completely pointless.
- Plot Hole: Why would they put a man with a clean record on a plane full of some the most dangerous criminals, is there no other way to get him home?
Reception
Critical Response
Con Air received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and audiences, with praised Cage and the cast performances as well as its action sequences, stunts and Malkovich's portrayal of the villain. It currently holds a 56% "rotten" critic rating and holds a 75% audiences score on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus reads, "Con Air won't win any awards for believability – and all involved seem cheerfully aware of it, making some of this blockbuster action outing's biggest flaws fairly easy to forgive." Metacritic scores the movie a 52/100 and holds a 8.7/10 user score on the same site. On IMDb, the film holds a 6.9/10.
Box Office
The film grossed $224 million worldwide against its $75 million budget. The film was a box office hit.
Videos
External Links
Con Air at the Internet Movie Database
