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Con Air Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 31 Reviews)

Put down the bunny
Great premise for an action movie - put "every creep and freak in the universe on one plane" (they're transferring a bunch of murderers, rapists, and arsonists in one fell swoop.) Cuff `em to the aisle seats. The really bad guys, like Cyrus the Virus (John Malkovich), are locked down in cages along the walls. The really really bad guy, Garland `The Marietta Mangler' Greene (Steve Buscemi,) is trussed up like Hannibal the Cannibal and treated by the wary transport guards like a rabid rottweiler. Into this stew of degenerates add one Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage,) ex-Army Ranger who is going home after serving a seven-year sentence for murder. Of course, Poe killed the man with his bare hands when the man, along with a couple other drunken thugs, jumped Poe and his wife in a parking lot. The ex-Ranger, as the sentencing judge informs us after Poe refuses to cop a dishonorable guilty plea, is a killing machine. So Poe is flying home a free man, to see for the first time his seven-year-old daughter. You see, his still-faithful wife was pregnant when the killing occurred, and Poe wouldn't allow his child to see her Daddy in jail. Poe is very anxious to see her today. It's his daughter's birthday and Poe's bringing her a birthday present, a bunny....

Don't let that touchy-feely stuff worry you too much. The movie needs a reason for Poe to be in a hurry to get home, and this one works well enough. The situation turns ugly before the plane leaves the runway.

CON AIR is an extremely engaging action movie. The actors are top-notch, including John Cusack as the US Marshal on the ground who believes in Poe and tries to resolve the situation without shooting the hijacked plane out of the air. The action is non-stop and the dialogue is sometimes startlingly funny. For instance, at one point one of the bad guys snarls threateningly at Poe "You know what I am?" "Ugly all day" is Poe's deadpan response. Add to that a lot of explosions and car crashes, snarly bad guys and good guys too, and a pace that's lifted from a Road Runner cartoon and CON AIR is a hoot. CON AIR is non-stop, totally improbable, over-the-top, and a whole lot of fun.



Non-stop action... who could ask for anything more
For some reason this movie didn't do well in the theatres, however I'd have to say that it's one of the best action movies that has been made in recent times. Sure the "prisoner gets a chance to do good" premise isn't the most original, however Nicholas Cage pulls off an entertaining performance with a lot of quality stunts and great effects.

Buscemi, Cusack, Malkovich -- who could ask for more?
I love this movie and, really, it isn't like I'm any kind of Nicolas Gage fan. I'm not. I am, however, a major fan of Steve Buscemi and John Cusack. They're what takes this film from mediocre to very entertaining, together with the rest of a really fine cast. Gotta admit though, I did snicker when asked what is wrong with serial murderer Garland Greene, Gage replies straightfaced, "My guess is, a lot". Garland is played by one of my all-time favorite actors, Steve Buscemi. John Malkovich does one his finest gigs as master criminal "Cyrus the Virus", damn near owning every scene in which he appears. "Johnny 23" is wonderfully played by character actor Daniel Trejo. Ving Rhames is not the greatest actor in the world but he is a likable cuss, even as bad guy/bouncer "Diamond Dog". This would have been enough but then they throw in agent "Vince Larkin" (John Cusack, who is in the classic GROSS POINT BLANKE -- and he's great there, too.)

Personnaly, I generally skip the first few minutes of the movie. Poe (Gage) screwing up and getting thrown in jail. Yawn. Tender scenes with the wife. Another yawn. Let's get to the good stuff. That would be Cyrus' plan to take over the airplane and escape, along with an infamous drug dealer from whom he stands to make a lot of money. It's well done, the characters are interesting, and Buscemi alone is worth the price of admission.

This one is a keeper so go ahead and buy the thing.

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