CON AIR

This is the middle of three action films that Nicolas Cage starred in over a two-year period (1996-97), the others being 'The Rock' and 'Face/Off'.  All three are OK, but I found this one to be the most fun, for most of the running time at least.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that for a film of this type the dialogue is surprisingly witty, with John Malkovich in particular enjoying himself as Cyrus 'The Virus'. 

It moves along at a good pace, and has a great supporting cast, featuring among others Steve Buscemi and Ving Rhames.  Unusually we also get to see John Cusack in an action film, as a US Marshal who has to try to work out what Cyrus's plan is. 

The film starts to become less fun for me towards the end when Cusack gets directly involved in the action, concluding with an absurd crash landing of a plane on the Las Vegas strip, when we are supposed to believe there are no civilian casualties.

As for Nicolas Cage, he makes even less attempt than usual to create any dramatic tension or suspense, but then again this is just a thrill ride so it is best just to enjoy the film on that level. 

RATING: ✓ If You've Nothing Better To Do