Directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by Andrew W. Marlowe.

President James Marshall

• Never again will I allow our political self-interest to deter us from doing what we know to be morally right. Atrocity and terror are not political weapons, and to those who would use them, your day is over. We will never negotiate. We will no longer tolerate and we will no longer be afraid. It's your turn to be afraid.
• How far away are those MIGs? [The radar suddenly shows Kazakh fighters right behind Air Force One] Never mind.

Ivan Korshunov

• When you talk to the President, you might remind him that I am holding his wife, his daughter, his chief of staff, his national security advisor, his classified papers, AND his baseball glove!
• More time. [shoots National Security Advisor] Your national security advisor has just been executed. He's a very good negotiator. He bought you another half-hour.

Dialogue

President James Marshall: Did you hear my speech?

Grace Marshall: Yeah.

President: Yeah?

Grace: You're gonna get yourself re-elected.

President: That's what I keep telling them.

White House General: [After hearing the president] My God! Is he saying what I think he's saying?

Vice-President Kathryn Bennett: If we're going to act, we have to act now.

Defense Secretary Walter Dean: It's too risky.

Bennett: The president is up there with a gun to his head!

General Northwood: He's asking us to do that to Air Force One?

Bennett: He's not asking. Your commander-in-chief has issued a direct order. Do it!

Vice-President Kathryn Bennett: What are your intentions?

Ivan Korshunov: What arrogance to think you could ever understand my intentions.

Bennett: I want to understand what it is that you want.

Korshunov: What do I want...When Mother Russia becomes one great nation again, when the capitalists are dragged from the Kremlin and shot in the street, when our enemies run and hide in fear at the mention of our name, and when America begs our forgiveness...on that great day of deliverance, you will know what I want.

Ivan Korshunov: I understand Air Force One is able to refuel in midair. Well, we need fuel and we need it now.

Vice-President Kathryn Bennett: I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement. If you land the plane, we'll trade fuel for hostages.

Korshunov: This is bullshit! It's simple physics. Without fuel, the plane crashes, everybody dies!

Bennett: We're trying to do everything that we can-

Korshunov: Tell me what I want to hear or I will execute a member of the senior staff and continue killing one hostage every minute until the plane crash or refueling plane arrive! Well, what do you say?

Bennett: Fuel's on its way.

Korshunov: [Politely] Thank you.

F-15 Pilot: Sir, pull up! You've got one on your tail.

President James Marshall: Get him off my tail!

F-15 Pilot: Missile away. Air Force One, break left and climb!

Major Caldwell: Sir, we've lost countermeasures!

F-15 Pilot: This is Halo-2. They've lost countermeasures. I'm going in. [Takes the missile for Air Force One]

President James Marshall: I trusted you with my life!

Secret Service Agent Gibbs: So will the next president!

Taglines

• Impenetrable. Invincible. In Trouble.
• The fate of a nation rests on the courage of one man.
• The most important man, the surest airplane, the most dangerous hijackers...

Cast

• Harrison Ford - President James Marshall
• Gary Oldman - Ivan Korshunov
• Glenn Close - Vice-President Kathryn Bennett
• Bill Smitrovich - General Northwood
• Wendy Crewson - First Lady Grace Marshall
• Liesel Matthews - First Daughter Alice Marshall
• Paul Guilfoyle - Chief of Staff Lloyd 'Shep' Shepherd
• Xander Berkeley - Secret Service Agent Gibbs
• William H. Macy - Major Caldwell
• Dean Stockwell - Defense Secretary Walter Dean
• Tom Everett - National Security Advisor Jack Doherty
• Jürgen Prochnow - General Ivan Radek
• Donna Bullock - Deputy Press Secretary Melanie Mitchel