Plane Makes The Most Of Its Paint-By-The-Numbers Plot With Surprising Results

       What does one get when they place a charismatic action star such as the likes of Olympus Has Fallen's Gerard Butler in a mindlessly fun action-adventure fare? The answer that both audiences and action fans get get is Lionsgate Films Plane. Also co-starring Luke Cage's Mike Colter, Plane takes what could've easily ended up being a forgettable straight-to-video feature and turns it into a surprisingly fun and respectably decent action fare that's powered by Gerard Butler's strong screen presence and relentless action mayhem that's unapologetically brutal and genuinely satisfying. 

      Plane's plot has Pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saving his passengers from a lightning strike by performing an emergency landing on a war-torn island. However, when dangerous rebels take the passengers hostage, Torrance finds himself teaming up with an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI to save them. The concept for Plane feels standard for the action genre with nothing being shown that hasn't been executed before in previous action films. Although it relies heavily on old formulaic structures and character cliches, Plane manages to make them work once again here with a story that works as being a serviceable action fare with its true power coming from the charismatic performances of its main leads, as well as the promise of delivering raw action. While it doesn't present anything new or groundbreaking for the genre, Plane still offers audiences a reasonably fun flight worth boarding. 

      One key element that makes Plane work so effectively as an exciting action thriller are the strong acting performances from its main leads. Gerard Butler delivers a taut performance as commercial pilot Brodie Torrance with his work serving as being the backbone of the film, along with keeping things grounded while elevating the story to the level of being compelling to watch. Mike Colter is equally compelling as Louis Gaspare, a prisoner being extradited on charges of homicide who Brodie ends up pairing with in order to rescue the hostages. Colter delivers fine work with him playing his character as being one big enigma for the audience with him showing both a dangerous side to Louis, along with a redeemable one. Both actors not only share a strong screen presence but churn out believable work as being the savior of the passengers. The supporting cast surrounding them also present strong work with Tony Goldwyn playing former Special Forces officer Scarsdale, who leads the rescue effort, Daniella Pineda as head flight attendant, Bonnie, Yoson An as Brodie's whip-smart co-pilot Samuel Dele, and Paul Ben-Victor as the airlines owner, Hampton. When it comes to performances, Plane's cast makes the most of their roles and do a fine job of supporting the films main leads with Butler and Colter providing the strongest work.

      With Plane's directing, Jean-Francois Richet instills realism and heavy tension with the films cinematography which largely consists of close-up shots of the actors faces, along with some crafty hand-held work that often feels like audiences are put in the films most intense moments. Although the score by Marco Beltrami and Marcus Trump is paint-by-the-numbers, it help enhances the films level of suspense much like its camera work. One of the films most intense sequences include Brodie and his co-pilot struggling to fly their plane through a lightning storm and landing it on the island. The films action sequences are executed as being anxiety-inducing with the violence appearing gruesome and relentlessly gory, almost giving off a John Wick style vibe. While the films directing is nothing groundbreaking to write home about, Richet's work is noteworthy for his efforts to both surprise and shock audiences with the heavy amounts of blood and guts shown being admirable.

      As far as scriptwriting goes, Plane's script is serviceable stuff with the audience being delivered just enough information regarding the films plot and characters to become invested in both. Butler's character is written as being a sympathetic figure to audiences immediately from the start with him  being a widow, whose trying to move past his wife's passing while raising their daughter. His character is also shown to be selfless with him putting his own safety on the line in order to protect his passengers. Redemption is also a key theme here with Louis being introduced as a suspicious and intimidating prisoner with him ultimately redeeming himself by helping Brodie save the passengers. The main villains appear as being typical generic Hollywood rebels with the same being said about the films mercenaries, but these characters were never intended to have an enormous amount of depth and rather serve as being chest pieces for moving the plot along. The stories real focus and moments of character depth are reserved for exploring the thrilling team up between Brodie and Louis as they battle rebel forces together. With the latters character, the audience is kept in suspense in regards to whether he'll remain loyal in helping Brodie or betray him in pursuit of his own freedom. As a whole, Plane's script works because of its ability to provide a plausible scenario for the films action along with giving audiences main characters whom the audience can get behind. 

      Although it's story-structure may amount to being just typical action fare, Plane makes maximum use of its basic plot with loads of explosive action and mindless fun while bearing a surprising amount of emotion that's largely attributed to a strong performance from Gerard Butler. As standard action fare that delivers old school action while providing some solid tension, this one delivers and will make for satisfying popcorn entertainment. It carries the right balance of action mixed with surprising moments of drama with the combination ultimately resulting in a enjoyable action experience, though nothing more. 

Final Verdict: Worth Watching Either In Theaters Or Streaming.

Images Courtesy Of Lionsgate