Nothing makes good-guy non-recidivist offender Cameron Poe happier than the thought of returning to society, where his angelic wife and the equally angelic little girl he's never known are waiting. And nothing makes him angrier than the passel of psychopathic murderers and rapists aboard his prison transport plane--especially when, under the direction of ringleader Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, they revolt and hijack their own plane. Fortunately, our hero's been trained by the Army as an elite one-man-fighting-machine, and a dogged Justice Department agent waits on the ground to help him bring the fanatical fly-boys in for a bloody crash landing--in Vegas! A hyperactive Molotov cocktail blended from the frenetic efforts of high-octane action producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("The Rock"), hipster-schtick screenwriting specialist Scott Rosenberg, and music video director West. Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Original Song ("How Do I Live"), and Best Sound.
Review 1:
"...[Malkovich] seizes the chance to camp it up....The film's slightly lunatic tone also suits Nicolas Cage's acting style..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.37-8 07/01/1997
Review 2:
"...Fast, funny and robustly acted..."
Source: USA Today
p.4D 06/06/1997
Review 3:
"...The actors are appealing....[A] renegade action fantasy....[With] nonstop climaxes..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.38-9 06/13/1997
Review 4:
"...[A] thrill ride....[Cage] neatly embodies the noble hero....His charismatic performance gives the film the center..."
Source: New York Times
p.C5 06/06/1997
Review 5:
"...Malkovich has the charisma to hold the plot together, with another of his dry, intellectual villains..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.31 06/06/1997
Review 6:
3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] the excellent cast looking like they're having the time of their lives as the criminals' escape creates more and more carnage."
Source: Ultimate DVD
p.101 07/01/2006