Movie Review: Plane (2023)

Genre: Thriller

Director: Jean-François Richet

Starring: Gerard Butler, Mike Colter

Running Time: 107 minutes

Synopsis: Captain Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) is in charge of a Trailblazer Airlines New Year's Eve flight from Singapore to Tokyo. The light passenger load includes handcuffed prisoner Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an ex-French Foreign Legion soldier being extradited to Canada. A lightning strike forces Torrance to land the damaged plane on a small Phillipino island dominated by violent militants. Torrance and Gaspare have to collaborate to keep the passengers safe, as the airline hires a mercenary group to improvise a rescue.

What Works Well: The raucous thrill-every-ten-minutes attitude ensures a consistent level of basic enjoyment, and Gerard Butler and Mike Colter create an effective pair of protagonists with just enough background to register as interesting characters. The cinematography (filmed in Puerto Rico) captures lush beauty and the chaos of rule-by-militia lawlessness. 

What Does Not Work As Well: In a shallow script that barely rises above rudimentary levels, Gerard Butler's central role is sidelined, prisoner Gaspare and mercenary squad leader Shellback both emerging as more intriguing - and impactful - characters. The violence-loving separatist rebels are cartoon villains, most of the plane passengers register as glorified extras, and the CGI work is far from the required standards 

Conclusion: A low altitude, low budget flight sets and meets no-frills expectations.



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