A FLIGHT TO ALABAMA?

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2004)

Con-Air is kind of movies that you don't look for a logical script,satisfying character analyzes or lessons for life.You just go and watch the movie.You remember that there were times that movies were just for entertainment.It helps you forget the day and enjoy the moment.And I think Con-Air does it very well,all of the special effects,explosions,gunfights.chases...It's hard to find a minute to breath and focus on another thing. Con-Air is the plane that all 'respected' and 'highly-reputable' criminals of U.S.A. are brought together for a transport.And of course there is a good man who will save the day.The bad guys take the control of the plane so you start to think with all of this cruel gang if there can be a top for the action.
The script has a lot of senseless points like if there is any way to put all these men together with such a lazy security or every agent in U.S.A. knows 'cutting the root' with exploding something no matter what the cost is the best solution for a problem.But as I said the action is so successful that if writers tried to write the script deeper,there won't be such a big chance to make this adrenaline crush.Seeing this movie I thought that Simon West would be good action-movie director but I still can't believe that is there any chance to make a 'going down' movie like Tomb Raider.Then I figure it out that the key to this movie is the script;it is too smooth.It has no mysteries,puzzles,dialogs to analyze so it lets the director create huge action scenes.Like Tomb Raider,if you try to tell a story,an adventure,too,Simon West is the wrong man.By choosing him you both loose the chance to tell the story or make great action scenes.
Con-Air is a typical Bruckheimer production:good cast,easy story,smooth script,a director who is familiar with action movies,culture of new generation and of course the explodings that are planned never to stop.After The Rock Bruckheimer chose a different path.I think Con-Air and Pirates Of The Caribbean are the best ones of this period.In movies like Pearl Harbor and Armageddon he tried to tell a story,too.But Michael Bay was the wrong man.To achieve this he finally worked with Gore Verbinski and 'right in target!'.Unlike most of his other productions the bad guys are another topic to speak.These guys are not just characters to be.In this movie Malkovich,Rhames,Trejo and of course Buscemi make the villains to watch.All of the action and humor are on the shoulders of these guys.
There is no need to speak about the cast very long.There can be great actors but the language of their performance depends on their charisma in this film;except Buscemi.Just for watching Steve Buscemi,this movie is one of the gifted ones.This guy is a great actor and after seeing the movie the longest talk can be about his character.
I don't say that this movie is a classic.Probably when there is John Woo,it's hard to remember this one.But in 1970's the Michael Caine movies are the purist tone of action movies.Now time has changed.There are special effects,new concepts and audience approach to action in different ways.And I think Con-Air is one of the examples of the pure action movie of these times.Besides sometimes you love a movie just because it's just a movie