Men in uniform.....

Rating: 10/10 (2 July 2010)

When Cameron Poe, of the US Army, is found guilty of manslaughter after killing a drunk man while protecting his wife outside a bar, he is sent to jail for eight years.
During that time his daughter is born, but he waits patiently in his cell until his release date. He is flown home on board the Jailbird, which also transports some very dangerous convicts to a maximum-security prison in Louisiana.
The convicts manage to escape directed by Cyrus "The Virus", who also leads the plane's take-over and re-routes it to an abandoned airfield to catch another plane which will take them to a foreign country.
With Poe's help, the authorities learn where the convicts are headed for and manage to get there before they take off again.
After the police and army are killed in an ambush at the airfield, the convicts take off again toward Las Vegas, but a US Marshal, Vince Larkin, with the help of Poe on board gets there again in time to finally stop the convicts...
Another great film from Cage and Bruckhiemer, this feels like a compilation of all the elements of a god action film, throw in lots of noticeable actors, add explosions and ridiculous set pieces, buff Cage up and add Mullett, and you have the second best action movie of 1997.
The story is simple, leaving time for the most important part of the film, making the ridiculous seem plausible and enjoyable.
Cage is perfect as Poe, the gut just trying to get back to his wife, and the film is helped by other, more prolific actors, playing comic book type villains with their tongues firmly in cheek. And then we have Cusacks straight man Larkin to keep the film a little down to earth.
The editing is perfect, action scenes are just crazy, and there are enough humorous scenes in the film to keep the action from going over the top too much.
the film never stops from the start, and it really never gives up until the final three minutes, which honestly gave me a big lump in my throat.
It's a good film to watch with friends, is female friendly in more than one way, and it never takes itself seriously, which is what summer movies are all about..