Perfect if it wasn't for Cage

Rating: 9/10 (19 June 2004)

My TV guide insists on granting "Con Air" a single star, whereas "The Rock" usually receives three. While the two of them have a lot in common. They use the same combination of Nicolas Cage teamed up with another major name and state-of-the-art action sequences in order to deliver a roller-coaster action thriller against an original background.
But i'm here to discuss "Con Air" in its own integrity. During several screenings i started to make an explicit distinction between the elements that work and the aspects which probably upset the critic community.
The principal cast mostly gives away a good performance : John Malkovich is due to his voice & eyes the perfect choice to bring Cyrys Grissom to live. It was one of the few times i would nominate an actor as the new Anthony 'Zorba' Quinn. Next, Ving Rhames' portrayal of a black militant seems more convincing than the decent, but rather soulless roles of Nick Chinlund Danny Trejo - whose characters get a little more attention than most of the convicts. On the other side of the law, John Cusack found himself an appealing equilibrium between the rookie and the sidekick approach. Steve Buscemi is a man apart. Although basically he has little more to do that put his teeth and tiny humid eyes to work to play the greatest psycho of them all, Garland Greene wouldn't have been the same without Buscemi's dry sense of humour. He is a relief - well, measured by the standards of action movie humour. For example, his comments on insanity & idiocy have the class of a Trainspotting voice-over.
As for the action, there are some memorable moments : the breakout, the trap at the deserted airfield and the firetruck chase in Vegas really brought out the merciless insanity connected to the convicts on the Jailbird. The other sequences may not be as good, but keep up a rapid, steady pace. So far, we have a more than average action flick which is enriched by its cast. Then where lie weak points ?
Number On : Nicolas Cage !! It is a complicated matter which is best explained through another comparison with the Rock : both times he played a sensitive hero, making good use of his personal charisma, but the emotional background Scott Rosenberg came up with for Con Air feel like a lame excuse to put a likable one-man army on screen. Apart from that, his haircut and smoky BBC accent annoyed me immensely. Number two : that stupid diabetic sidekick of his was merely another twist of the script to make us connect with Cameron Poe. I did not give a damn whether he'd succumb to an insulin shortage or take one between the eyes like the three stooges aka Carl, Bensen & Popovich.
Number three ... you've got to have some Elvis Presley or Tom Jones on the soundtrack when you take a trip to Vegas, though Buscemi's attachment to Sweet Home Alabama largely make up for it :-)