Plot
Former war hero Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) is sentenced to eight years in prison when he accidentally kills a man in a barroom brawl while defending his pregnant wife. When his release comes through, he's eager to see the daughter he's never met. However, Poe's original flight is delayed, so he's put aboard a flight transporting ten of the most dangerous men in the American penal system to a new high-security facility. One of the criminals, Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom (John Malkovich), is a serial killer and insane genius who has hatched a diabolical plot: with the help of several other hoods, including Diamond Dog (Ving Rhames), Johnny 23 (Daniel Trejo), and Garland Greene (Steve Buscemi), Cyrus and his men will hijack the plane and fly to a neutral nation where they can live as free men. Poe finds himself stuck in the middle; he has to find a way to get home, keep himself alive, look after his cellmate Baby-O (Mykelti Williamson), who will die without proper medicine, and try to help the cops on the ground, including agent Vince Larkin (John Cusack). Producer Jerry Bruckheimer's first film after the death of his partner Don Simpson, Con Air shows he learned well how to assemble the formula all by himself, with plenty of action, stunts, and special effects and not a lot of story to get in the way. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
Sometimes it takes a couple of years for a film to fully mature -- not so with the ill-advised Con Air. In this mostly depraved, pseudo-stylized action film, a perenially distinguished cast goes for the big bucks. Director Simon West, doing his best John Woo impression, recruits the talented John Cusack, Nicholas Cage and John Malkovich for this misguided effort. Malkovich and Cage make the most out of the dissatisfying dialogue while Cusack is completely out of his element. The plot twists keep the film from being a total disaster -- although the romance at the center of the film is a stretch, considering the nonstop-bloodbath action sequences -- as does the late appearance of always-entertaining eccentric Steve Buscemi. In fact, the spirited supporting cast of characters, including Dave Chappelle and Ving Rhames, almost steal the show entirely. Filmgoers didn't heed reviewers' advice, however, as the film climbed well over $100 million at the box office. ~ Mike DiBella, RoviCast
- Nicolas Cage - Cameron Poe
- John Cusack - Vince Larkin
- John Malkovich - Cyrus (The Virus) Grissom
- Steve Buscemi - Garland Greene
- Ving Rhames - Diamond Dog
Credit
Edward Mcavoy - Art Director, Steve Picerni - Associate Producer, Kenny Bates - Associate Producer, Matthew Barry - Casting, Jeanne McCarthy - Casting, Victoria Thomas - Casting, Steve Picerni - Coordinator, Bobbie Read - Costume Designer, Mike Topoozian - First Assistant Director, Simon West - Director, Peter Bloomfield - Second Unit Director, Chris Lebenzon - Editor, Steve Mirkovich - Editor, Glen Scantlebury - Editor, Lynn Bigelow - Executive Producer, Peter Bogart - Executive Producer, Chad Oman - Executive Producer, Jonathan Hensleigh - Executive Producer, Jim Kouf - Executive Producer, Mark Mancina - Composer (Music Score), Trevor Rabin - Composer (Music Score), Thomas R. Burman - Makeup Special Effects, David Tattersall - Cinematographer, Jerry Bruckheimer - Producer, Barbara Mesney - Set Designer, Debra Echard - Set Designer, Daniel R. Jennings - Set Designer, Dream Quest Images - Special Effects, David Goldberg - Special Effects, Art Rochester - Sound/Sound Designer, Mario Roberts - Stunts, Kenny Bates - Stunts Coordinator, Scott Rosenberg - Screenwriter| Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1997 Film), Comrades in Dreams (2006 Film) | |
| Con Artist (2009 Film), Con El Culo Al Aire (1980 Film) |
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