It was 2003’s Lara Croft Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life that was probably the first hint at the genre Gerard Butler was going to make his name and though a brief foray in another failed film adaptation of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with Phantom of the Opera it was 2006’s ‘300’ that established him as a lead actor in action films. Seventeen years later with action fare as varied as the excellent Olympus has Fallen, Den of Thieves & Hunter Killer and the forgettable Gods of Egypt & Geostorm we now have Plane which falls somewhere in between.
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), a convicted murderer who was being transported by the FBI. Discovering there’s more to Gaspare than meets the eye, it will be up to both men to rescue everyone. Read our review HERE
Originally titled The Plane it became plain old Plane presumably in a bid to pack a lot more plot. Firmly in the Satyurday night movie category this is a lot of fun with Butler doing his thing and a serious of villainous extras to be despatched in inventive ways – one of which includes a sledgehammer!
Out on 4k UH, blu-ray and DVD there a number of EPK like featurettes including This is Your Captain (11 mins) – which spends most of its time emphasizing that the star wanted people to be happy on set and in fairness as this was shot during stifling heat and humidity it’s a commendable attitude. Plane Clothes (8 mins) is a rather odd feature about the costume design probably the last thing action films are concerned about and there’s no iconic costumes a la Bruce Willis Die Hard vest or such like here. Brace for Turbulence (18 mins) is better with an insight in the stunts and effects notably a gimble that the plane set was placed on which simulated the sort of horrendous flight not seen on screen since that Ryanair documentary. There is also the ubiquitous deleted scenes too. The best touch here is a voiceover for the menu done in the style of a stewardess announcing what you can select.
Though it is something of straight forward disc with few really notable bonus features it’s the film itself that sells this disc. Plane is one of those end of a hard week, slouch on the sofa and just enjoy the carnage as Butler does his thing for an hour and 47 minutes and in that respect this is a lot of fun.
Related feature : Those real life special forces ops appearing in Plane
Related feature : How they shot the plane crash in Tenet
related feature : We chat to the director of the first big screen interactive film
Here’s the Plane trailer….
Lionsgate UK presents Plane on digital 17th April and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray & DVD 24th April
