Directed by:
Robert SchwentkeCinematography:
Florian BallhausComposer:
James HornerCast:
Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, Kate Beahan, Erika Christensen, Shane Edelman, Haley Ramm, Brent Sexton, Marlene Lawston, Matt Bomer, Gavin Grazer (more)Plots(1)
Jodie Foster is Kyle Pratt, an aircraft designer who with her young daughter is returning to the US from Berlin to bury her late husband. On waking from a much-needed nap, Kyle realises to her horror that six-year-old Julia is missing. Initially thinking Julie may have wandered off, she enlists the help of the in-flight staff, the sympathetic Fiona, (Erika Christensen) a rookie on only her second international flight and the suspicious more senior Stephanie (Kate Beahan). Mild panic turns to full-scale hysteria when after an exhaustive search Julia is nowhere to be found. When it emerges that Julia was never even registered as a passenger on the flight and no one on board can confirm that they had seen her, the passengers are left wondering if this is all a figment of Kyle's strained state of mind. While Airline Captain Rich (Sean Bean) and Air Marshal Gene Carson (Peter Sarsgaard), in charge of safety, don't want to doubt Kyle's insistent claim that her daughter has vanished, all evidence points to the fact that Julie was never on board. As paranoia and doubt mount among the passengers, Kyles credibility and sanity are called to question and she is drawn into a complex web of mystery, treachery and perceived conspiracy that take her to the very depth of maternal tenacity.
Flightplan mixes human emotions and ethical dilemmas in the enclosed realm of an aeroplane where, in today's world, isolation, fright, and suspicion are already heightened to the max. Although the story was developed before 9/11, Flightplan reflects the new era of travel, one that's filled with uncertainty and the themes of paranoia and shifting perception of foreigners come even more to the fore than originally intended.
(Disney / Buena Vista)
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Reviews (8)
This is a drama that is much stronger in its questioning when it provides no clues, let alone answers. When it stops asking, it quickly, very quickly, loses steam and the ending becomes painfully routine, riding on the most embarrassing clichés. The film starts at 4 stars, only to slip to one in the end. I'll give a final 2 stars for Jodie Foster's effort. Overall impression: 40%. That plane looked more like an ocean liner or a luxury hotel. Either way, its operator doesn't bear the burden of fuel payments. This is only possible in the aviation fleet of some oil-soaked Arab state...
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This was handled poorly. It doesn't make sense as psychological-ghostly madness or as an action thriller. Perhaps the "more mystical" half is worth watching thanks to Jodie Foster, but during the big twist the screenwriter went crazy and, together with the story, the whole film goes to hell. The fact that Robert Schwentke at least manages to keep the directing slightly above average does not change anything.
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I liked the first half of the movie a lot. Just the kind of psychological puzzle movies I like. But suddenly the villain is revealed to the viewer and a huge and stale bore begins. She tries, blah blah blah... he's hot on her heels... and she eventually escapes him. She's a hero. Except for the ridiculously flubbed ending, a nice show.
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*** Spoilers! *** Flightplan is most reminiscent of Ron Howard’s Ransom. However, whereas Ransom was built “only” on a powerful twist that divided the film into two halves that work separately and together, Flightplan wants to go further; the powerful twist isn’t enough and is instead intended to make a major point. But the film’s insensitive and confusing transition from the first, psychological level to the second, action-oriented level requires viewers to spend ten minutes finding their bearings in the plot, after which they are only served a portion of American heroism. Flightplan is a technically precise, atmospherically and psychologically well-made drama that turns into a feminine version of Air Force One. And that’s a shame.
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A dark, suspenseful thriller, that is a strange combination of all possible movies with the theme “trouble on board a plane". I was surprised about what happened with the story in the end and was gobsmacked about what the screenwriters had managed to put together. And about the kidnapper. He was about as suspicious as another ten people on that plane. But I admit, I had my suspicions ;-)
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