"Flight Plan"

Reviewed by Chris Cappola
Starring Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard and Sean Bean. Directed by Robert Schwentke. (2005, Touchstone/Imagine)

'Flight Plan' knows its genre well and for the most part, executes it enormously well. It tries to be a little more intelligent than it needs to be and has a plethora of problems, but is a great mystery and an interesting idea. The genre is supposed to deceive, manipulate and enthral its audience into believing the premise and turn of events without succumbing to red herrings and irrelevant distractions. For the most part, 'Flight Plan' does this.

Jodie Foster plays Kyle, a recent widower travelling with her daughter on a flight from Berlin to New York to bury her husband and start over. When she falls asleep on what seems the most luxurious airplane of the world, she awakens to find her daughter is missing and nobody has any idea of where her daughter is let alone any trace that she existed on the flight to begin with. What follows is Kyle's crusade to find her daughter onboard in any way possible. Is she delusional? Does the daughter exist? The best comparison to this idea is 'The Forgotten' takes on 'Panic Room', although 'Flight Plan' is a little better than those two solid but slightly unrealistic thrillers.

Director Robert Schwentke does a good job creating a claustrophic and suspenseful atmosphere but he has a lot of problems with pacing and focus. Perhaps he had too many ideas but he doesn't translate them all out entirely well. At times, the film is bogged down by red herrings that are thrown in to distract the audience but they take up a large portion of the film and it loses momentum quickly. Although it does pick up steam in the subsequent scene, there's no excuse for a film of this type to be losing its audience at times and that's Schwentke's fault. The recent and similar 'Red Eye' didn't have this problem and its director Wes Craven had a great pace that kept the momentum at full speed and its something 'Flight Plan' needed badly in certain sections. Still, for the most part it is well directed with some stylish cinematography, great production design and a suitable score by James Horner. The screenplay by Peter A. Dowling and Billy Ray is interesting and believable but it's littered with many mistakes that the film could have done without. There are attempts at humour that are embarrassing and unnecessary in a film of this type. Would you expect passengers to clap after just being placed in danger? The references to September 11 are perhaps a little too soon and of bad taste while the ending is too abrupt and a little too perfect. What's with that opening? It isn't explained too clearly throughout the film when the big twist is unveiled. Some movies open a Pandora's Box of questions after it's deceived the audience, which does detriment the film a little. It's as if the audience needs a 'Dummy's Book to Flight Plan' to help explain the inconsistencies of the last two hours and there are many.

Jodie Foster does exactly what you expect from an accomplished actress of her calibre. The performance is hysterical but believable. Even as the character wanders off into doing the impossible, Foster evokes a level of authenticity that many actresses just simply cannot do. Many were quick to dismiss this as merely 'Panic Room 2' and sure, there are echoes of that role, coincidentally her last role in 2002. However, as she has pointed out in the press, these are different films but with a similar strong-wielded character. To be honest, it's refreshing to have an actor remain in the same genre and do it well time after time and if Foster wants to endure another thriller for her next role, it would be a good choice. Foster is supported by a large cast who are all good in their own right. Peter Sarsgaard is just an excellent actor who continues to get terrific roles and even in a bad movie, he can't be bad - he's just that good. He gets to have a lot of fun with the role in the second half and it's great to see him have the spotlight. Sean Bean too is sympathetic and entirely believable as the pilot while Erika Christensen and Kate Beahan lead the cabin crew who are all very good, many in very limited performances. Blink or you will miss Greta Scacchi in a small and unnecessary role suggesting she was friends with someone in the production or is that slumped in her career to accept eighth billing in a five-minute role.

Ultimately, 'Flight Plan' asks the audience to take its ride and forget its obvious inconsistencies and faults. Not every film is perfect and 'Flight Plan' for the most part is a very good movie. It comes down to whether the audience can overcome the problems and be deceived by the twists and enjoy the ride, which is an exhilarating one. As someone who finds the thriller genre to be a personal preference, it may be easier for one to accept its flaws but it does do a great job of hiding its flaws by a polished production, interesting ideas, a good and believable twist (none of that 'Forgotten' nonsense there!) and strong performances. Another redraft with the script and some better choices from the director, this could have been one of the years best but its still a very good movie.
out of 10
- Chris Cappola's Reviews

Moviemarshal.com home