Air Force One (film)
Encyclopedia
Air Force One is a 1997 American action-thriller film written by Andrew W. Marlowe
and directed by Wolfgang Petersen
. It stars Harrison Ford
, Gary Oldman
, and Glenn Close
, and also features Xander Berkeley
, William H. Macy
, Dean Stockwell
and Paul Guilfoyle
. It was rated R by the MPAA
for its "intense violence".
and American Delta Force
operatives capture General Radek, the dictator of what is deemed to be a "terrorist regime" in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan
.
Three weeks later, James Marshall, the President of the United States
is in Moscow at a state dinner. Afterwards Marshall, his family, much of his Cabinet and his advisers board Air Force One
to return to the United States. Meanwhile six terrorists loyal to Radek, led by Ivan Korshunov and posing as a Russian news crew, have boarded the plane. Shortly after take-off, they are able to overtake plane and shoot numerous people with help from their mole
, Gibbs in the Secret Service. Agents hustle a reluctant Marshall to the escape pod before Korshunov's men can capture him.
In the cockpit, the pilots declare an emergency and set course for Ramstein AFB; Germany. A flight of F-15s (Call sign Halo Flight) dispatch from Ramstein and escort Air Force One while on the ground, emergency forces including soldiers set up to prepare for a raid of the plane. However, when the terrorists realize what's happening, they storm the cockpit and shoot both pilots when they refuse to get back in the air. While still speeding down the tarmac (the pilots were trying to slow the plane down), the hijackers push the throttles to maximum power after almost hitting the control tower, a trees and a parked C-141 and and take off back into the air while Air Traffic Control tries repeatedly to contact air force one with no response.
Korshunov gathers the surviving passengers into the conference room and contacts the White House Situation Room
, where he speaks to Vice President
Kathryn Bennett. He demands that they arrange for Radek's release in exchange for the President's family, killing National Security Advisor
Jack Doherty to prove he is serious. Until their demands to release Radek are met, the terrorists would begin executing hostages every half hour. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Marshall is still on board; the escape pod empty. He kills one of Korshunov's men and Korshunov to demands that he surrender or he will kill a member of staff. Marshall is indecisive and a hostage is killed.
Hiding from Korshunov in the avionics
bay, Marshall kills another hijacker and is able to initiate a dump of Air Force One's fuel reserve. This forces Korshunov to demand a mid-air refueling
. Marshall is able to sneak back into the conference room where the passengers are being held. A plan is concocted where the refueling tanker will ask the hijackers to drop to an altitude of 15,000 feet, allowing the hostages to escape via parachute
. Marshall orders the plan to be carried out via fax
.
They escort the remaining passengers to the cargo hold to carry out the escape attempt, but are only partially successful in getting some of the hostages to safety before the escape attempt is discovered by one of Korshunov's other men. The resulting fight causes depressurization and several people fall out of Air Force One. At the same time, the depressurization also causes the tanker to explode when the hijackers can't keep the plane steady and; while still attached to the refueling probe cause the boom to hit the tanker and leak fuel.
Korshunov takes President Marshall hostage and threatens to kill his daughter unless he agrees to call the Russian president and request Radek's release. As Radek prepares to leave prison, Marshall breaks free and kills the last two of Korshunov's men. During the struggle, Korshunov drags Marshall's wife, Grace, down to the cargo bay, where he throws the remaining parachutes overboard. Grace manages to distract him, allowing Marshall to kill Korshunov by first wrapping a cord around his neck, pulling the rip cord of his parachute and tells Korshuov "Get Off my plane". Back in control, Marshall halts the release of Radek, who is fatally shot while attempting to escape.
Marshall, a former pilot, takes over the plane hoping to fly to the closest safe airbase, but he learns that six Kazakh MiG-29s
piloted by Radek loyalists are in pursuit. Intercepting USAF
F-15
fighters fend off the MiG-29s, but an explosion damages the plane's tail (caused when Halo 2 sacrifices himself to save the president when he loses countermeasures), forcing it into a descent far over the Caspian Sea
. It is now badly damaged and impossible to land.
An Air Force Pararescue MC-130 Hercules
plane is hastily tasked to zip-line
Marshall and the remaining passengers from the plane before it hits the water. Marshall insists on first rescuing everyone else. Then Secret Service agent Gibbs reveals himself to be the mole who helped the terrorists. Marshall fights with Gibbs before escaping from Air Force One at the last moment before the plane crashes and breaks up in the Sea with Agent Gibbs still on board. The Hercules assumes the call sign "Air Force One" and fighter jets escort the first family back home.
Gary Oldman did not stay in character between the scenes. The director later said he called the filming experience 'Air Force Fun' because of how comedic and genial Oldman would be off-screen. He also said that Oldman would suddenly return to the menacing film persona like a shot.
and the consensus stating "This late-period Harrison Ford actioner is full of palpable, if not entirely seamless, thrills." Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4. The performance of Gary Oldman was praised, claimed as "flawless and menacing." Conversely, The Independent
called it "so preposterous that it begins to seem like a science-fiction artifact…the product of a parallel-universe 1990s which somehow by-passed the decades since the 1950s."
The film was a major box office success, earning $172,650,002 (54.9%) domestically and $142,200,000 (45.1%) in other countries It grossed a total of $315,156,409 worldwide in the box office
. to earn $315,156,409 worldwide.
President Bill Clinton
saw the film twice while in office and gave it good reviews. He noted, however, that certain elements of the film's plane, such as the escape pod and the rear parachute ramp, did not reflect actual features of Air Force One. In the audio commentary
, Wolfgang Petersen reflected that although the real plane did not have those features at the time of the filming, it would—according to him—be probably added by future governments. However, because of the highly classified nature of Air Force One's security features, the possibility of the capsule and parachute ramp existing cannot be completely ruled out.
The film was nominated for two Academy Awards
; one for Best Film Editing, the other for Best Sound (Paul Massey
, Rick Kline
, Doug Hemphill
and Keith A. Wester
).
was initially hired to write the film score
, however Petersen considered his version to be almost a parody and commissioned Jerry Goldsmith
to write and record a more sombre and patriotic score in just twelve days (with an assist from Joel McNeely
). After the harried experience, Goldsmith vowed never again to take on such a last-minute task.
Newman used some of his material from the rejected score in Toy Story 3
.
Varese Sarabande
released a soundtrack album featuring Goldsmith's music (McNeely receives a credit on the back cover for "Additional Music in the Motion Picture," but none of his work is on the CD).
Andrew W. Marlowe
Andrew W. Marlowe is an American screenwriter.He graduated from Columbia University with a degree in English Literature, and attended the University of Southern California where he obtained his MFA in Screenwriting....
and directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen is a German film director and screenwriter. His films include The NeverEnding Story, Enemy Mine, Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, Troy, and Poseidon...
. It stars Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
, Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
, and Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
, and also features Xander Berkeley
Xander Berkeley
Alexander Harper "Xander" Berkeley is an American actor. His roles include George Mason on the television series 24.-Early life:Berkeley was born in Brooklyn, New York, but has lived most of his life in New Jersey...
, William H. Macy
William H. Macy
William Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
, Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell is an American actor of film and television, with a career spanning over 65 years. As a child actor under contract to MGM he first came to the public's attention in films such as Anchors Aweigh and The Green Years; as a young adult he played a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and...
and Paul Guilfoyle
Paul Guilfoyle
Paul Guilfoyle is an American television and film actor. He is currently a regular cast member of the forensic television drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation where he plays Captain Jim Brass.-Early life:...
. It was rated R by the MPAA
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
for its "intense violence".
Plot
A joint special operations mission composed of Russian SpetsnazSpetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
and American Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
operatives capture General Radek, the dictator of what is deemed to be a "terrorist regime" in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
.
Three weeks later, James Marshall, the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
is in Moscow at a state dinner. Afterwards Marshall, his family, much of his Cabinet and his advisers board Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
to return to the United States. Meanwhile six terrorists loyal to Radek, led by Ivan Korshunov and posing as a Russian news crew, have boarded the plane. Shortly after take-off, they are able to overtake plane and shoot numerous people with help from their mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
, Gibbs in the Secret Service. Agents hustle a reluctant Marshall to the escape pod before Korshunov's men can capture him.
In the cockpit, the pilots declare an emergency and set course for Ramstein AFB; Germany. A flight of F-15s (Call sign Halo Flight) dispatch from Ramstein and escort Air Force One while on the ground, emergency forces including soldiers set up to prepare for a raid of the plane. However, when the terrorists realize what's happening, they storm the cockpit and shoot both pilots when they refuse to get back in the air. While still speeding down the tarmac (the pilots were trying to slow the plane down), the hijackers push the throttles to maximum power after almost hitting the control tower, a trees and a parked C-141 and and take off back into the air while Air Traffic Control tries repeatedly to contact air force one with no response.
Korshunov gathers the surviving passengers into the conference room and contacts the White House Situation Room
White House Situation Room
The White House Situation Room is a conference room and intelligence management center in the basement of the West Wing of the White House. It is run by the National Security Council staff for the use of the President of the United States and his advisors to monitor and deal...
, where he speaks to Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Kathryn Bennett. He demands that they arrange for Radek's release in exchange for the President's family, killing National Security Advisor
National Security Advisor (United States)
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...
Jack Doherty to prove he is serious. Until their demands to release Radek are met, the terrorists would begin executing hostages every half hour. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Marshall is still on board; the escape pod empty. He kills one of Korshunov's men and Korshunov to demands that he surrender or he will kill a member of staff. Marshall is indecisive and a hostage is killed.
Hiding from Korshunov in the avionics
Avionics
Avionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
bay, Marshall kills another hijacker and is able to initiate a dump of Air Force One's fuel reserve. This forces Korshunov to demand a mid-air refueling
Aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight....
. Marshall is able to sneak back into the conference room where the passengers are being held. A plan is concocted where the refueling tanker will ask the hijackers to drop to an altitude of 15,000 feet, allowing the hostages to escape via parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
. Marshall orders the plan to be carried out via fax
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
.
They escort the remaining passengers to the cargo hold to carry out the escape attempt, but are only partially successful in getting some of the hostages to safety before the escape attempt is discovered by one of Korshunov's other men. The resulting fight causes depressurization and several people fall out of Air Force One. At the same time, the depressurization also causes the tanker to explode when the hijackers can't keep the plane steady and; while still attached to the refueling probe cause the boom to hit the tanker and leak fuel.
Korshunov takes President Marshall hostage and threatens to kill his daughter unless he agrees to call the Russian president and request Radek's release. As Radek prepares to leave prison, Marshall breaks free and kills the last two of Korshunov's men. During the struggle, Korshunov drags Marshall's wife, Grace, down to the cargo bay, where he throws the remaining parachutes overboard. Grace manages to distract him, allowing Marshall to kill Korshunov by first wrapping a cord around his neck, pulling the rip cord of his parachute and tells Korshuov "Get Off my plane". Back in control, Marshall halts the release of Radek, who is fatally shot while attempting to escape.
Marshall, a former pilot, takes over the plane hoping to fly to the closest safe airbase, but he learns that six Kazakh MiG-29s
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...
piloted by Radek loyalists are in pursuit. Intercepting USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
F-15
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
fighters fend off the MiG-29s, but an explosion damages the plane's tail (caused when Halo 2 sacrifices himself to save the president when he loses countermeasures), forcing it into a descent far over the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. It is now badly damaged and impossible to land.
An Air Force Pararescue MC-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
plane is hastily tasked to zip-line
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
Marshall and the remaining passengers from the plane before it hits the water. Marshall insists on first rescuing everyone else. Then Secret Service agent Gibbs reveals himself to be the mole who helped the terrorists. Marshall fights with Gibbs before escaping from Air Force One at the last moment before the plane crashes and breaks up in the Sea with Agent Gibbs still on board. The Hercules assumes the call sign "Air Force One" and fighter jets escort the first family back home.
Cast
- Harrison FordHarrison FordHarrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
as PresidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
James Marshall - Gary OldmanGary OldmanGary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
as Ivan Korshunov - Glenn CloseGlenn CloseGlenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
as Vice PresidentVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Kathryn Bennett - Wendy CrewsonWendy Crewson-Life and career:Crewson was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the daughter of June Doreen and Robert Binnie Crewson. She attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where she won the prestigious Lorne Greene Award for outstanding work in the theater. She then studied at the Webber Douglas Academy...
as Grace Marshall - Liesel Matthews as Alice Marshall
- Dean StockwellDean StockwellDean Stockwell is an American actor of film and television, with a career spanning over 65 years. As a child actor under contract to MGM he first came to the public's attention in films such as Anchors Aweigh and The Green Years; as a young adult he played a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and...
as Secretary of DefenseUnited States Secretary of DefenseThe Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Walter Dean - Elya Baskin as Andrei Kolchak
- Levan Uchaneishvili as Sergei Lenski
- David VadimDavid VadimDavid Vadim is a Ukrainian-born American actor who appeared in the movies Air Force One, Exit Wounds, G.I. Jane and Punisher: War Zone...
as Igor Nevsky - Andrew DivoffAndrew DivoffAndrew Daniel Divoff is a Venezuelan film and television actor, best known for playing the evil Djinn in the two first Wishmaster films and the villains Cherry Ganz in Another 48 Hrs., Boris Bazylev in Air Force One, Ivan Sarnoff in CSI: Miami and Mikhail Bakunin in Lost.- Early life :Divoff was...
as Boris Bazylev - Ilia VolokIlia VolokIlia Volok or Ilia Volokh is a notable Russian-born television and movie actor. Volok appeared in more than ninety films and TV shows.-Life and career:Volok was born in Kiev where he graduated from a high school and became a professional athlete...
as Vladimir Krasin - Paul GuilfoylePaul GuilfoylePaul Guilfoyle is an American television and film actor. He is currently a regular cast member of the forensic television drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation where he plays Captain Jim Brass.-Early life:...
as White House Chief of StaffWhite House Chief of StaffThe White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
Lloyd Shepherd - Xander BerkeleyXander BerkeleyAlexander Harper "Xander" Berkeley is an American actor. His roles include George Mason on the television series 24.-Early life:Berkeley was born in Brooklyn, New York, but has lived most of his life in New Jersey...
as United States Secret ServiceUnited States Secret ServiceThe United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
Agent Gibbs - William H. MacyWilliam H. MacyWilliam Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
as MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Caldwell - Alan Woolf as Russian President Petrov
- Tom EverettTom EverettTom Everett is an American actor known for his performances in political films such as Air Force One and Thirteen Days.-Film:-TV:-External links:...
as National Security AdvisorNational Security Advisor (United States)The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...
Jack Doherty - Jürgen ProchnowJürgen ProchnowJürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
as General Ivan Radek - Donna Bullock as Deputy Press SecretaryWhite House Press SecretaryThe White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
Melanie Mitchell - Michael Ray Miller as ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Axelrod - Carl WeintraubCarl WeintraubCarl Weintraub is an American actor who appeared on numerous television shows from the 1970s to the 2000s in addition to several movies....
as Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Ingraham - Spencer GarrettSpencer GarrettSpencer Garrett is an American actor who has appeared in television programs, television films, films, and a few blockbuster productions like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Public Enemies, and Air Force One....
as White House Aide Thomas Lee - Bill SmitrovichBill Smitrovich-Personal life:Bill Smitrovich was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Anna and Stanley William Zmitrowicz, a tool and die maker. Bill is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport and holds an MFA from Smith College . He is married to Shaw Purnell from Pittsburgh, PA...
as General Northwood - Glenn MorshowerGlenn MorshowerGlenn Grove Morshower is an American actor best known for playing Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce on the Fox action thriller drama series 24...
as Agent Walters - David Gianopoulos as Agent Johnson
- Dan ShorDan ShorDaniel Shor is an American veteran actor, director, writer and teacher with a career spanning over 30 years.- Early life :Shor was born and raised in New York City. Attended McBurney school from 6th thru 8th grade...
as Notre DameUniversity of Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
Aide - Philip Baker HallPhilip Baker Hall-Early life:Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of a factory worker father who was from Montgomery, Alabama. He attended the University of Toledo. As a younger man, Hall served in the military, started a family, and became a high school English teacher. In 1961, he decided to become an actor...
as U.S. Atty. General Andrew Ward - Richard DoyleRichard Doyle (actor)Richard Doyle , sometimes credited as Richard Doyal, is an American actor and voice actor.- Early life :Richard Doyle was born in 1945 in Brockton, Massachusetts...
as Colonel Bob Jackson, A.F.O. Backup Pilot - Willard PughWillard E. PughWillard Earl Pugh is an American actor with numerous film and television credits. He has appeared in notable mainstream Hollywood films such as The Color Purple and Air Force One as well as genre films such as RoboCop 2 and Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy...
as White House Communications Officer - Don R. McManus as Colonel Jack Carlton, F-15 "Halo Flight" Leader
Production
A large part of the crew took a tour of the real Air Force One before filming. They based some of the scenes in the film, where the terrorists disguised as journalists survey the layout of the plane and begin to take their seats, on the touring experience. The character of Deputy Press Secretary Melanie Mitchell was based largely on their real life tour guide, and the crew felt uncomfortable having to film the character's execution by the terrorists.Gary Oldman did not stay in character between the scenes. The director later said he called the filming experience 'Air Force Fun' because of how comedic and genial Oldman would be off-screen. He also said that Oldman would suddenly return to the menacing film persona like a shot.
Reception
Air Force One received positive reviews from critics, with an overall approval "Certified Fresh" rating of 78% on review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and the consensus stating "This late-period Harrison Ford actioner is full of palpable, if not entirely seamless, thrills." Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4. The performance of Gary Oldman was praised, claimed as "flawless and menacing." Conversely, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
called it "so preposterous that it begins to seem like a science-fiction artifact…the product of a parallel-universe 1990s which somehow by-passed the decades since the 1950s."
The film was a major box office success, earning $172,650,002 (54.9%) domestically and $142,200,000 (45.1%) in other countries It grossed a total of $315,156,409 worldwide in the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
. to earn $315,156,409 worldwide.
President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
saw the film twice while in office and gave it good reviews. He noted, however, that certain elements of the film's plane, such as the escape pod and the rear parachute ramp, did not reflect actual features of Air Force One. In the audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
, Wolfgang Petersen reflected that although the real plane did not have those features at the time of the filming, it would—according to him—be probably added by future governments. However, because of the highly classified nature of Air Force One's security features, the possibility of the capsule and parachute ramp existing cannot be completely ruled out.
The film was nominated for two Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
; one for Best Film Editing, the other for Best Sound (Paul Massey
Paul Massey (sound engineer)
Paul Massey is a British sound engineer. He has been nominated for six Academy Awards in the category Best Sound. He has worked on over 150 films since 1982.-Selected filmography:* Legends of the Fall...
, Rick Kline
Rick Kline
Rick Kline is an American sound engineer. He has been nominated for eleven Academy Awards in the category Best Sound. He has worked on over 200 films since 1978.-Selected filmography:* Terms of Endearment * Silverado * Top Gun...
, Doug Hemphill
Doug Hemphill
Doug Hemphill is an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Best Sound and has been nominated for six more in the same category. He has worked on over 140 films since 1979.-Selected filmography:...
and Keith A. Wester
Keith A. Wester
Keith A. Wester was an American sound engineer. He was nominated for six Academy Awards in the category Best Sound...
).
Score
Randy NewmanRandy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
was initially hired to write the film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
, however Petersen considered his version to be almost a parody and commissioned Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
to write and record a more sombre and patriotic score in just twelve days (with an assist from Joel McNeely
Joel McNeely
-Biography:Joel McNeely was born in Madison, Wisconsin. Both of his parents were involved in music and theater, and as a child he played the piano, saxophone, bass, and flute...
). After the harried experience, Goldsmith vowed never again to take on such a last-minute task.
Newman used some of his material from the rejected score in Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
.
Varese Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
released a soundtrack album featuring Goldsmith's music (McNeely receives a credit on the back cover for "Additional Music in the Motion Picture," but none of his work is on the CD).
- The Parachutes (5:14)
- The Motorcade (2:40)
- Empty Rooms (4:02)
- The Hijacking (7:30)
- No Security (2:59)
- Free Flight (4:41)
- Escape From Air Force One (5:25)
- Welcome Aboard, Sir (2:06)