David Farnor | On 05, Oct 2024

Director: Jean-François Richet
Cast: Gerard Butler, Mike Colter
Certificate: 15

There’s something about a thriller set on a plane that instantly adds a layer of claustrophobic tension. So when an action movie about a plane comes along that’s actually called Plane, you know exactly what you’re going to get – and Plane succeeds by living up to those expectations, and then going beyond them.

The B-movie blockbuster begins, as you’d expect, with a plane – piloted by none other than Gerard Butler, playing the brilliantly named Brodie Torrance. He’s a low-key heroic type, a former RAF office making ends meet as a commercial flyer. So when a killer is added to his passenger list, being extradited, he of course does all he can to keep the rest of the people on board safe. Which becomes a lot harder when – during a shortcut amid a storm – he has to make an emergency landing on a remote island.

And so what begins as a potentially fun plane adventure shifts gear into a survival thriller, with tensions rapidly climbing amid the downed passengers. Of course, it turns out that the additional passenger, Louis (Mike Colter) – a former Foreign Legion fighter – is a handy guy to have as an ally while trying to find supplies and help. Even more so when they discover that the island is run by a group of rebels considered too violent and dangerous for the airline to send in official help. And so what turned into a survival thriller turns into an underdog turf war – and a race against time to get the plane back in the air again.

Every time the film pivots into a slightly new genre, Gerard Butler shifts gears with it. He’s a grizzled but good-hearted leading man, as reluctant to save the day as he is determined to do the right thing. Butler’s natural charisma is perfectly suited to selling such implausible stakes, and he’s nicely counterbalanced by Mike Colter’s swaggering, smooth not-really-as-bad-as-he-seems bad guy. Together, they make an enjoyable odd couple, both able to deliver on physical set pieces without losing their humanity – Butler, in particular, is very good at being believably exhausted and injured the more things go on.

Director Jean-François Richet, who previously gave us Mesrine, keeps the pace high throughout the 107 minutes, capitalising on the ever-evolving scenario to keep the action fresh and exciting. The result is a rousing, old-fashioned romp that – despite its on-the-nose title – is a commendably grounded affair.

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