Official Synopsis:
In this against-all-odds, high-octane action-thriller starring Antonio Sabato Jr. and Michael Paré, a private flight for a billionaire's daughter and her friends becomes a hellish ordeal when the plane is overtaken by a team of terrorists, plotting to hold the billionairess hostage. But there is one thing the hijackers didn't count on - Major John Masters (Antonio Sabato Jr.), who is also on board. Within a matter of minutes the situation spirals out of control, resulting in a wounded pilot, several dead, and a severely damaged plane. Now, Masters must somehow land the plane on a small Pacific island despite a category five hurricane if they hope to survive - that is if Captain Williams (Michael Paré) and his team can finish the runway in time...
Our Take:
It's the battle of the direct-to-video all-stars! Antonio Sabato Jr. takes on Michael Pare, no holds barred!
Okay, well, that would be more accurate if the two weren't on the same side in this flick, but they are. So there's no actual battle between Pare and Sabato. Instead there's a battle between Sabato and... some unknown actor. You see why I went with the Sabato vs. Pare up there?
I will give Antonio Sabato Jr. credit, though, for doing what he does well. There's a reason he gets cast so often as these square-jawed action heroes, and it's because he plays the role well. I mean, there's no real acting involved, but if you need someone who can set his jaw in steely determination really well, Sabato is your man. Which is good, because it helps make up for the problems Crash Landing has. Overall, it's a pretty typical Die Hard knock-off, but every time you just about start to get wrapped up in it a little bit, they go and do something stupid. Like having a huge gunfight in an airplane at 30,000 feet. I mean huge. Like, easily 100 rounds were fired. A) Did no one think that was a bad idea? Whatever happened to, "Don't shoot! You might hit a window" like in every other airplane movie? B) How the hell did they not hit anything? Things like that keep Crash Landing mired in mediocrity.
On the plus side, lead actress Brianne Davis is extremely easy on the eyes, and the party plane is well stocked with pretty teenagers. These are things that are a necessity for a good cheesy direct-to-video action flick. Sadly, the DVD comes sans any extras, which is also a hallmark of many DTV flicks.
Crash Landing is a halfway decent way to kill an evening, but I'd mostly recommend it for fans of Pare and Sabato Jr.
Overall Picture:
Movie: C
DVD: C
- Mike Spring
Editor
|
|
