Flightplan (2005)

Nice effects though.

Did you people see the same film I saw?

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

It's intriguing how someone can manipulate our minds! I thoulght of leaving the film in the middle because I thought the idea was extended in a boring way. I decided otherwise when there was a plot twist the film suddenly became interesting.

Flightplan (2005) starring Jodie foster is a very fun and entertaining thrill ride. This movie really is very well made and well written, and I really did enjoy every minute of it. I know that this film did not review very good reviews from professional critics, but I respectfully disagree. This movie is full of interesting plot twists, cool action/fight sequences, and great dramatic acting from all performers. I absolutely loved Jodie Foster in her lead role! Also, I enjoyed Sean bean's character in this film, he had some very good dramatic moments here. The plot of this film is very intriguing and engaging and the plot is well executed here. Also, I love how this movie isn't just another generic action movie full of a bunch of random effects, this is actually a very intelligent and smart movie that features a list acting and a well written script. Bottom line is that this film is very smart and fun and a true joy to watch, this is one more gem in Jodie Foster's filmography. 8/10 for Flightplan.

Flightplan (2005): Dir: Robert Schwentke / Cast: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, Erika Christensen, Kate Beahan: Energetic yet standard thriller about stress as Jodie Foster boards her daughter onto a plane that carries 400 passengers. Her husband was killed in what appeared to be a suicide and now she and her daughter are transporting the casket. Central plot regards Foster's daughter going missing and her frantic search to find her. The captain and crew passengers are growing frustrated with Foster's demands and the passengers applaud when she is brought to her seat and detained by a law official. Screenplay is fast paced if not familiar and routine but what director Robert Schwentke does do is go inside Foster's mind. Foster is dynamite as expected causing paranoia within a search that is much broader than at first seems. What really brings this plane down in flames and reduces the screenplay to routine formula is the bland and pathetic supporting roles. Peter Sarsgaard as the officer is exactly what we expect and it seems to go without saying that certain actors struggle to access our trust. Sean Bean as the captain, and Erika Christensen as a stewardess are total cardboard. Jodie Foster holds the film together better than the screenwriter does. Theme of emotional duress accompanies the bond between mother and child that is best not broken. Score: 6 ½ / 10

The key to making a really good "mysterious disappearance" film, in my opinion, is how the story pans out after the "reveal". This Jodie Foster-starring feature is absolutely fine for the first two thirds as the mystery attendant on her daughter vanishing from the seat next to her while sleeping on an airbus flight, is carefully built up. I even liked the giveaway's nod to Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" but after that, the film subsides to a ridiculously far-fetched extortion / hijacking plot and a madcap chase through the body of the plane before the predictable happy ending, or should that be landing takes place. I did admire the sense of claustrophobia created in the confines of the aircraft and there's no denying the piece as a whole is a fast-moving mystery-thriller. There's also a welcome caution against xenophobia as Foster initially suspects a pair of Arab passengers but the stereotypical responses of the passengers and crew to the as it turns out innocent men and later to Foster's disruption of their flight is greatly overstated. In fact the singling out of Foster's character by the baddies, which necessitates the pre-flight murder of her husband so that his coffin can be placed on the flight stretches credulity and credibility way beyond breaking point.Foster herself shows herself to be fit and athletic as she searches every nook and cranny of the plane seeking her daughter but otherwise doesn't to have demonstrate many emotions other than anxiety. Sean Bean, as the incredulous pilot trying to calm the situation, is probably the best of the rest.It really is very hard to take seriously a straight-faced thriller set on a plane when we've all seen the corny "Airport" films of the 70's and of course the spoof "Airplane" movies of the 80's. "Flightplan" doesn't manage to reclaim that territory but once you check your disbelief in the overhead locker, you can still sit back and enjoy this particular flight, making sure you stay awake of course.