america has finally gotten what it 's needed for years : a compassionate sincere president with impressive ethics and charisma .
regretfully it 's only a movie .
president james marshall ( harrison ford ) is fed up with terrorist activities .
teaming up with the russian government , he orders a strike force capture of alexander radek , a reactionary general ready to re - unite the soviet union under his fascist reign .
during a celebration dinner , marshall announces to the world that he will send troops to fight oppression wherever it exists .
"
it 's your turn to be afraid , " he declares .
returning home on air force one , he gets the chance to demonstrate his words personally .
ultra - nationalist militants loyal to radek and lead by ivan korshunov ( gary oldman ) hijack the plane threatening to kill a hostage every half hour until the general is released .
marshall has a chance to escape in a jettisoned capsule ( which clinton says does n't exist in real life ) but refuses , preferring to stay and fight .
director wolfgang peterson ( " das boot " , " in the line of fire " , " outbreak " takes the over - used " die hard " theme and
gives us something new in a film that combines brilliant acting with hold - your - breath intensity .
if you can take your eyes off the screen , steal a look at the audience .
everyone is totally engrossed .
the two actors do what they do best and they are probably the best there are at it
.
oldman has become typecast as a psychotic sadist and no wonder --
he does it so well .
when he engages the teenage first daughter in sensitive conversation about his family and the next minute threatens to blow a hole in her forehead , you know that he 's over the edge in the manner that people with a cause can become .
you are convinced that young alice could end up terminated at any time .
when korshonov executes passengers , there is a frightening reality to it .
the guns in this film are deadly weapons , not cartoons .
harrison ford has done one role for several years .
his mastery of the man in the suit propelled into desperate action is in top form here .
marshall is a medal of honor recipient who now has a desk job .
realistically , he 's a man afraid , but not afraid to act .
ford is one of the few actors that could make us believe that the president of the united states could be an action hero .
indiana jones in the oval office .
he and oldman 's archetypes match up perfectly .
the other roles also go to accomplished actors .
glenn close as the determined but unsure vice - president is the picture of an executive forced into a position that she 's not quite ready for .
dean stockwell as defense secretary eager for the authority ( " i 'm in charge here ! " ) is her political nemesis and turns in a good alexander haig performance .
of course the politics are all wrong .
a cowboy president ( even down to his name ) with big guns shoots his way through problems .
much like the american collective memory of jfk 's camelot ,
the image is wondrous if you do n't look too deep .
the pulls on the patriotic heartstrings would be too much in any other film , but they work here .
no matter what political spin you put on the story , the movie is an outstanding one .
i left the theater feeling that there is hope for the country 's future : not a common belief nowadays .
now if we only can get ford to run for president .
just because one actor did n't work out as chief executive does n't mean that a different one could n't .
( michael redman has lost count of how many years he 's been writing this column -- 21 years . . .
22 years -- while watching the sunflowers outside his window swaying in the cool breezes . )
gives us something new in a film that combines brilliant acting with hold - your - breath intensity one of the few actors match up perfectly everyone is totally engrossed . the two actors do what they do best and they are probably the best there are at it the image is wondrous if you do n't look too deep they work here he does it so well is an outstanding one also go to accomplished actors