英文影评: 空军一号 Air Force One(1997)

Air Force One is Das Boot director Wolfgang Petersen's third major Hollywood movie to feature a top American star. (For the record, the previous two are In the Line of Fire and Outbreak.) One consistent aspect of Petersen's studio pictures is that he hasn't had any difficulty getting A-list talent (Clint Eastwood, Dustin Hoffman, Harrison Ford) to work for him, and there is a reason for this. After watching Air Force One, I am convinced that Petersen is one of the best action/thriller directors working today. The thing that astonishes me the most is how much he can cull from so little. Petersen has taken a script that can best be described as idiotically preposterous and, from this thin and lame-brained skeleton, has generated a moderately-entertaining motion picture. In the hands of a hack, Air Force One could have turned into a major embarrassment. As it is, the movie is a roller coaster ride for those who prefer not to think once the theater lights have dimmed.

Even the most energetic and original action film is likely to foster a sense of deja vu. It's the nature of the genre -- after all, there are only so many ways you can blow things up and stage shoot-outs. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that about 95% of Air Force One seems familiar -- the film is a clear derivative of Die Hard and Executive Decision. The twist here is that the action hero isn't a down-on-his-luck cop or an anti-terrorist PhD, he's the President of the United States. And, although the script seems to have been written with Steven Segal in mind, somehow the film makers snagged Harrison Ford. How? Well, I can think of two possible reasons. First, a big paycheck can make almost any role look appealing. Second, most American actors probably crave the opportunity to play the President (look at Ronald Reagan...).
 
So how does Ford fare as the latest big-screen Commander-in-Chief? Better than the likes of Bill Pullman (Independence Day), Ronny Cox (Murder at 1600), and Sam Waterston (The Shadow Conspiracy), but not up to the level of Michael Douglas (The American President) or Gene Hackman (Absolute Power). Ford's James Marshall is suitably charismatic and decisive, but he's too good to be true. He has a code of ethics and, when he says stomach-churningly saccharine things like "Never again will I allow political self-interest to deter us from doing what is morally right," he actually means it. Ford may be a good actor, but not even he can make us swallow a fantasy character like this.www.130q.com
 
The storyline is generic. A military partnership between the United States and Russia has resulted in the capture of the dangerous and fanatical General Alexander Radek (Jurgen Prochnow, the captain from Das Boot), the self-appointed military dictator of Khazakstan. A group of terrorists, led by the psychotic Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman), uses an elaborate ruse to get on board Air Force One for a trans-Atlantic trip from Moscow to Washington D.C. Once the plane is in the sky, Korshunov (with a little inside help) takes over. The President apparently escapes in an emergency pod, but, in reality, he's hiding out in the luggage compartment, ready to do battle single-handedly with the six bad guys, who are holding fifty passengers at gun point, including his wife (Wendy Crewson) and 12-year old daughter (Liesel Matthews). Back in the United States, the Vice President (Glenn Close) is doing her best to defuse the situation, but Korshunov is adamant: he will kill one hostage every half-hour until Radek has been released.
 
There are numerous occasions during Air Force One when Petersen ratchets the tension up to a level where the viewer is likely to forget the imbecilic plot contrivances that have gotten the situation to this point, and just enjoy the action and adventure. Unfortunately, every time dialogue and plot exposition interrupt the flow, we're reminded of how implausible the scenario is. On top of that, the film is too long. The opening setup, which lasts nearly 30 minutes, is plodding (mainly because it's poorly written). There's a little too much running around during the middle segment, and the movie's last third features no fewer than three endings.
 
The film belongs to Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman, both of whom turn in competent (albeit unexceptional) performances. Neither has to stretch their range very far, since Ford is adept at playing the strong, competent hero, and Oldman has become typecast as the slightly-unhinged, scenery-chewing villain. The supporting cast includes a number of familiar faces, but, other than Glenn Close, no one has much to do. William H. Macy, as a member of the President's military entourage, is especially underused.
 
I had hoped that Petersen would bring some of the claustrophobic feel of Das Boot to Air Force One (after all, both films take place almost entirely in the isolated confines of a cigar-shaped structure). However, rather than opting for the slow boil approach, Petersen has gone for high energy/low intelligence. The result is passably entertaining, but not a standout. Air Force One offers two hours of flashy, instant gratification. The only lingering effect is the slightly bad taste that occurs when you expect more from a film than it actually delivers.

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