Con Air (1997)

The 90s were a lost decade in some respects.  With raising a young daughter and getting started on a career, I did not see a lot of movies then.  Case in point:  1997.  I have never seen Con Air which was on TV Friday night.

Nicolas Cage is Cameron Poe, just getting released from prison and on the way to see his daughter.  He is put aboard a flight full of the worst criminals getting transferred to another prison.  When the criminals hijack the plane, Poe has a decision to make:  go along with the crime or try and stop it.

Very visually similar to Top Gun, also done by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the flying and ground scenes as well as the conflict between those on the ground and those in the air are pronounced.   Lots of 90s style action scenes, walking away/ outrunning explosions, funny pranks as part of the mayhem, the wrap up scene at the end, made it entertaining.

A good villainous cast:  John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Dave Chappell, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo.  And an unexpected John Cusack as the government liaison.

Some things didn't age well:  the racism, the violence against women and children.  But they are "the worst of the worst".  All in all, quite better than expected.

* * * * of 5