Plane
Directed by Jean-François Richet
Starring Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Tony Goldwyn
Rated R
Runtime: 1 hour 46 minutes
In theaters January 13

by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

In the generically-titled action film, Plane, Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) is a pilot for Trailblazer airlines, a third-tier carrier. And with Plane, cynics might think that Butler is making yet another third-tier movie to keep his flailing film career aloft. But don’t discount this exciting thriller that features a nervy first act plane crash sequence that might have viewers reaching for the Dramamine. 

This efficient but predictable thriller opens with Torrance rushing through the airport, calling his daughter to tell her he will not be late meeting her for New Year’s Eve. But of course, he will! And once on board, he is informed one of the flight’s 14 passengers is Luis Gaspare (Mike Colter, Marvel’s Luke Cage), a prisoner being extradited for murder. Does that create a tense situation? Of course it does! But things get worse when the airline flight supervisor suggests Torrance “push through” the bad weather coming. But of course, he can’t! When lightning strikes the jet and it loses power, Torrance is “flying blind”— the control tower unresponsive— and the ride gets turbulent. The pilot calls for “mayday” and everyone, audience members included, brace for impact. 

Throughout this sequence, aptly filmed by director Jean-François Richet, Torrance has  grace under pressure. He even calmly reassures a worried passenger the jet is “pretty much indestructible” before takeoff. Butler is pretty much indestructible in Plane. The beefy Scotsman—and he is playing a Scotsman here—gets banged up, beaten up, bloodied, shot at, and more over the course of Torrance’s very long, very bad day. But Butler is great to watch, resigned to some of the situations he faces and yet compassionate when it comes to caring for his passengers, especially during their unexpected layover. He feels a responsibility towards them as they land in a jungle in the Philippines and are soon taken hostage by armed locals while Torrance sets out to find help. 

Torrance enlists the aid of Gaspare for his rescue mission efforts. Their male bonding allows Torrance to understand the murder Gaspare is being extradited for shortly before Torrance himself kills a man who attacks him in the film’s most intense fight sequence. This adds a little depth to his character, and Butler leans into it nicely. It is a far better reflective moment than a scene of his daughter recording a sentimental message for her father hoping he will not die. 

Plane isn’t going for subtlety, though, and the stock Hollywood “native” characters are cartoon ethnic baddies who rob, ransom, and/or wound, if not kill, the passengers. Torrance and Gaspare stumble upon a video camera that contains evidence of such. And no fair betting on who lives or dies —but you can suspect the fate that belies the most annoying, entitled passenger on board.

Meanwhile, the folks at Trailblazer bring in Scarsdale (Tony Goldwyn) to take control of the situation, find the missing plane, and do damage control because Plane works hard to make the airline look bad. This film is unlikely to ever be made available on any in-flight entertainment console.

Richet builds the action to full throttle as things become more desperate for the characters. The death toll starts climbing even before Gaspare finds a sledgehammer and uses it to pick off the locals in an effort to rescue the passenger hostages. (Hey, the prisoner’s skills as a killer come in handy!) The film is best when Colter’s Gaspare is in charge. His response to what unfolds and his plans to subdue the enemy are pretty shrewd. He is quite adept at bloodletting, something Richet emphasizes as heads are bashed in, and bullets send bloody bodies flying in one fantastic and frenetic action-packed shootout. 

Plane also includes a subplot with mercenaries armed with guns and a bag of money ($500,000!) coming in to rescue the survivors. And the big finale has Torrance begging the passengers to “trust him a bit more” to get them off the island and back to safety. As rocket launchers are employed, Butler grits his teeth, and the action escalates further, Plane strains credibility. But it does deliver a thrill ride—one that is better for viewers than the passengers.