Themes: Haunted By the Past, Air Disasters, Race Against Time
Main Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Robert Sean Leonard, Kelly McGillis, Kristy Swanson
Release Year: 1999
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Ground Control follows the reluctant return to work of Jack Harris (Kiefer Sutherland), a retired air traffic controller who is still haunted by his role in a probably unavoidable plane crash that has left him guilt-ridden and professionally gun shy. When a Phoenix airport fighting budget cutbacks calls him in for emergency duty, he begins experiencing flashbacks to the night of the disaster, all while trying desperately not to lose concentration even for the single moment it would take to cause a fresh disaster. He is supported by a seasoned supervisor (Bruce McGill) but challenged by a cocky young controller (Robert Sean Leonard) who not so privately questions his mettle. All must put aside their differences and band together when stormy weather and failing equipment puts another flight in harm's way. The tension mounts as a resourceful mechanic (Henry Winkler) tries to paste together the outdated circuitry and give the skeleton crew technical support beyond their professional cunning. Ground Control also stars Kristy Swanson and Kelly McGillis. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Review
For a straight-to-video release with little financial means, Ground Control is a surprisingly tense and reasonably realistic attempt to portray the profession that gives its practitioners an athlete's rush while also turning them prematurely gray. That a rusty, shell-shocked retiree has no place among them is abundantly clear, but Keifer Sutherland rises to the challenge -- because he's the hero, naturally. Ground Control contains way too many sweaty flashbacks by anyone's standards, but the script is sleekly frantic enough that it doesn't need such a crutch. A movie like this requires an eyeball-rolling conglomeration of mishaps in order to ratchet up the suspense, but it's believable that a second-tier airport might indeed hamstring its equipment through scrimping to the point that a situation like this could arise. The methods the characters use to circumvent their navigational equipment seem plausible, as well, in addition to providing genuine excitement. The actors show commitment to the material beyond their desire to collect a paycheck, which might seem like the only motivator in a film that was never likely to get wide distribution. Sutherland is especially convincing in a rare understated performance. Ground Control would doubtless collapse under scrutiny from real air traffic controllers, but as a piece of pop entertainment for laymen, it's a nice underdog treat. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Ronald Schmidt - Associate Producer, David Tripet - Associate Producer, Donald Paul Pemrick - Casting, Dean Fronk - Casting, Peter Block - Co-producer, Richard Howard - Director, Edward R. Abroms - Editor, Mark Amin - Executive Producer, Marion Oberauner - Executive Producer, Michael Perry - Production Designer, Henner Hofmann - Cinematographer, Talaat Captan - Producer, Vince Ravine - Producer, Talaat Captan - Screen Story, Robert Moreland - Screen Story, Robert Moreland - Screenwriter, Mark Shepherd - Screenwriter
Chicagoair traffic controller Jack Harris, though cleared of responsibility for a major Transair crash, killing all 174 aboard, gives up the job and designs air control software. Five years later, his ex-colleague T.C. Bryant, meanwhile also transferred to Phoenix, desperately asks him to help out short-term, given desperate staff shortage on New Year's Eve with a bad storm predicted, after a power cut hits. Colleagues welcome him in very different states of mind but he quickly proves his capabilities. [1]
