It couldn't have sustained its full running time just by having Cutter alternate between hiding in steerage and hiding in the bathroom. In that respect, the movie is pretty smart to keep things moving around. The formula of the Die Hard knock off was already stretching credibility at this point, and the idea of " Die Hard on a plane" seemed to be stretching it to its breaking point - there just isn't enough physical space to make that scenario work (though, to be fair, Executive Decision does a pretty awesome job, but that's a very different movie and not really a Die Hard imitation). The the bad guy (SPOILERS) gets off the plane one last time, only this time it's in mid-flight.ĭespite all of this on-again, off-again business (it's like a Kate Hudson movie, but with way more face kicking), Passenger 57 is smart to not try and take place entirely on a single plane. Then the bad guy gets back on, and then Snipes gets back on so he can be Passenger 57 again. Then the plane lands (SPOILERS) and Snipes gets off so the movie can become Die Hard at a carnival for about 10 minutes. There's a fairly long setup to get Wesley Snipes on board, followed by about 30 minutes of plane action. There's just ONE THING THEY DIDN'T COUNT ON.įor a movie that's basically Die Hard on a plane, not much of Passenger 57 takes place on the actual plane. So, Cutter boards flight 163 to start his new career - but, wouldn't you know it, the flight is also carrying renowned terrorist Charles Rayne, who seizes control of the airplane with the help of his crew and holds the passengers hostage in exchange for his freedom. He's off the force and works now as a security adviser to airlines when he's offered a job by his old friend Sly Delvecchio (Tom Sizemore, who seems like a slimy villain even when he's playing a good guy best friend part) heading up an anti-terrorism unit for an airline in Los Angeles. Wesley Snipes stars as John Cutter, a former police officer still haunted by the murder of his wife. It's the seat number that changes all the rules. But the stream of rip-offs didn't end there, instead trickling down until it had reached perhaps its silliest iteration: the Die-Hard-on-an-airplane movie Passenger 57. They were good.Last week, I talked about Under Siege and Sudden Death, two of the better Die Hard imitators to appear in the wake of the best action movie ever made. Just the dialogue alone is worth it.īlade, with Kris Kristoffersen, is pretty goodīased on a character developed by Marv Wolfman Not an action movie, but “White Men Can’t Jump” with Woody Harrelson is pretty darn good. It is a cheerful drama about social issues. Of course, Wesley was Willie Mays Hayes in MAJOR LEAGUE, but if you can turn off your brain (believe me, it’s necessary) for some truly stupid, but watchable, violent action, you might try the really dumb MONEY TRAIN.Ī good movie also directed by Kevin Hooks: Not in a class with some others best, but entertaining. This is probably the best of Snipes thrillers. Would I watch another Wesley Snipes movie? Based on this sample of size one, I see no reason why not.ħ Responses to “A Movie Review: PASSENGER 57 (1992).” The ladies in the cast are, unfortunately, the weakest links, in my opinion, but all of the men are consummate pros at this sort of thing, especially the primary villain (Bruce Payne), who seems to be having a great time playing pure evil incarnate, and with his glowering presence, taking over every scene he’s in.īut here’s the question. There is a light touch to the movie that makes all of the gunfire, martial arts fighting, explosions and every other means of organized chaos all the more bearable, such as when one elderly female passenger mistakenly takes Snipes’ character to be Arsenio Hall. I don’t think the movie is as good as those in the “Diehard” series, say, but I enjoyed it. To help rescue their leader from the FBI, they take over a passenger jet that Snipes’ character, a newly promoted chief of security, just happens to be a passenger on. This one has to do with a notorious terrorist and a gang of equally vicious followers with the same carefree attitude toward killing that he has. I see from his resume on IMDb that over his career he has made quite a few action thriller movies like this one, and as of 2014, he was still making them, if The Expendables 3 is the kind of movie I think it is. I don’t know how you can live as long as I have and still be able to say that this is the first movie starring Wesley Snipes that I have even seen, but it is so. Wesley Snipes, Bruce Payne, Tom Sizemore, Alex Datcher, Bruce Greenwood, Robert Hooks, Elizabeth Hurley.
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