Air Force One (1997)
Saturday, May 18 ABC, 8 to 11 p.m. ET
Harrison Ford makes an executive decision to kick terrorist butt in this breathtaking thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen ("In the Line of Fire"). When a terrorist (Gary Oldman, barely keeping himself from going over the top in yet another psycho role) takes control of Air Force One, he doesn't bank on the president (a decorated soldier) sneaking around, taking out his men and generally screwing up his evil plan. Yes, it's a patriotic "Die Hard" on a jumbo jet, but it's extremely well done, with Ford turning in a reserved-man-of-action performance befitting a commander in chief. Glenn Close is equally excellent and refreshingly human as the vice president, who takes charge on the ground. With well-placed humor and tense situations leading up to an edge-of-your-seat finale involving the president dangling in midair outside the plane, "Air Force One" soars high as first-rate escapist entertainment.--Len P. Feldman |
