MOVIE: Con Air, an incredibly loud and in your face action movie that does what it sets out to do. Recently Disney has released a bunch of Jerry Bruckheimer produced "unrated" DVD's. Con Air was re-released with Crimson Tide and Enemy Of The State. This so called "unrated" edition is nothing but a marketing ploy, but we did need new editions of these Bruckheimer action extravaganzas. Con Air, directed by Simon West, is a flick about a man who is sent to prison after accidentally killing a man during a bar brawl. The opening scene and credits are set to a montage of Cage writing letters to his daughter that was born while he was in prison, and she writes back. So basically it's a narrated reading of the letters back and forth. Okay, we got the character development out of the way in about five minutes, now time for the action. Cameron Poe (Cage) is put on a plane to be sent back home, but he is transported with other hardened criminals. Cyrus The Virus (John Malkovich) has other plans though, and he stages a takeover of the plane. Let the mindless but fun action ensue. Nicolas Cage sports a bad southern accent, long hair, and pumped up biceps and is our protagonist. The movie has some bad dialogue and some cliched scenes, but it never takes itself seriously. We also get Mark Mancina and Trevor Rabin's full blown action score. Mancina and Rabin are members of Hans Zimmer's studio at Media Ventures, and Bruckheimer almost exclusively uses Zimmer or one of the composers that collaborate with him. The score is all electronic based, but it suits the movie well. As for the "unrated" material, there is basically nothing. The original running time was 115 minutes, so that makes 7 minutes of added footage. There really isn't anything more in terms of violence and action, just some awkward dialogue scenes that didn't really fit. So, yes, in a way the added footage hinders the movie if that's possible.ACTING: The movie also has a topnotch cast. Nicolas Cage, who is a favorite when it comes to Jerry Bruckheimer, is great as Cameron Poe the simple southern boy. John Malkovich steals the show as the movie's antagonist. He plays a serial killer yet adds class to the character. John Cusack plays the good cop who is back on the ground trying to handle the situation and believes that Poe is a good guy. So, you see the characters are pretty much cardboard cutouts, but they work. We have some great support from Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, and good ol' Dave Chappelle.
VIDEO: The original release came with a non-anamorphic transfer, which is why this release is appreciated. This release comes with an anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer. The picture is sharp, no signs of any major flaws.
AUDIO:The sound mix isn't the best, it's pretty much the same thing from the old disc, a basic 5.1 Dolby Digital track. It's not as spread out as I'd like it to be, but it's okay.
SPECIAL FEATURES: None. When you have no special features, that's a sign that this DVD's only purpose is to sucker in losers like myself into buying them. Oh well, I enjoyed it and don't mind double dipping for a better transfer.
BOTTOM LINE: They should have just thrown in a featurette or something to at least show some effort was put into it. I feel a little cheated that there is absolutely nothing on this set, especially since the added footage is pretty much crud. For those who don't own it, get this edition. However, if you do own it then don't double dip unless you really liked the movie or if you have a widescreen set that would benefit from the anamorphic transfer. Con Air is your typical mid 90's Bruckheimer actionfest. Nothing here to intrigue your mind, just entertain it.
"Con Air" is a movie that doesn't take itself seriously, and you shouldn't, either. This is a Bruckenheimer movie that is heavy on action and comedy, and light on plot & character development. Yes, most of the movie is absurd, but it is also absurd in a fun way.
The cast is absolutely impeccable, featuring Nicholas Cage, John Malchovich, Steve Buscemi and John Cusack. We even get Colm Meaney as an irate Irish DEA agent a wonderful touch! The direction is superb, and Trevor Rabin delivers yet another riveting score.
This is a can't miss for anyone who wants to sit back & watch an hour & a half of hilarious mayhem. This is what I would call a guy movie squared!Con Air is a good action film and several things keep it alive. One is acting. John Malkovich is good as Cyrus "the Virus" Grissom, who claims he's killed more people than cancer. John Cusack is in good form as U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin, who owns the plane the criminals take over, named "the Jailbird". Nicolas Cage delivers one of his best performances as Cameron Poe, a decorated military hero who is catching a ride home after being in prison for 8 years for defending his wife in a bar fight. Other good performances were by Steve Buscemi as serial killer Garland Greene and Ving Rhames (Mission:Impossible) as Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones. The musical score was very good. There are a few plotholes but hey, there aren't too many movies that don't have a few plotholes here and there. Another good thing is action. Most of the action on board the plane is hand-to-hand combat. Probably the best action scene in the movie is where the criminals stop to get a new plane. U.S. troops attack them in a long and great gunfight. The other action sequence is when Cusack and Cage chase Cyrus on motorcycles through a tunnel in Las Vegas. It is very humorous when the plane is crashing and Garland Greene is singing "He's got the whole world in His hands". At the Academy Awards Con Air was nominated for two things:Best Sound and Best Original Song. It did not win either. Though Con Air may be a level below Crimson Tide, The Rock, and Air Force One, it's still a great action film
Read Best Reviews of Con Air (1997) Here
This review refers to "Con Air: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"....."Con Air" was a terrific action-packed film,filled with top notch actors, edge of your seat moments, and even a little romance. The music though, is really something special. Composed by Mark Mancina and Trevor Rabin, it really captures the tense, blood pumping,moments of the story. Even on it's own,it's an album you can listen to and feel exhilareted by any time. I enjoy putting it on in the car, it will defintely keep you awake on those long and boring drives.
All the tracks are instrumental, and if you have seen the movie, the music will have you recalling "The Con Air Theme","Lear Crash","The Takeover", "The Battle in The Boneyard" and the wonderful "Overture".(see buying info for complete track listings). The only thing that is missing from the soundtrack is the beautiful ballad,"How Can I Live". This song was a very big part of the romantic aspect of the film and should have been included.And afterall it was nominated at Oscar time for Best Song. For this reason alone I am going with 4 stars instead of 5.
The music fills the room(or the car) and is joy to listen to.The drums (Lou Molino III) are a standout. There are 17 tracks in all. They range from an all to short "The Fight" at 0.22 to a breathtaking 7.41 min of "Battle in the BoneYard", most somewhere in betweeen.
More thrilling than the film itself!(but missing the romance!)
enjoy....LaurieMost people don't consider this movie to be an action-comedy, but is. This is definetly John Malkovich's funniest movie. It is about a plane transporting deadly convicts across the country, until it is taken over by the convicts. The convicts include, Cyrus "the virus" Grissom (Malkovich), a deadly killing machine who's violated every law in the book. A black-supremeist leader "Diamond Dog" (Ving Rhames), and a quiet, psychotic killer, Garland Greene (Buschimi) who's creepy in his own little way. Cyrus's plans are fouled by a parolee, Cameron Poe (Nicholas Cage), an ex-army ranger charged with manslaughter returing home to see his family. This movie is packed with action, plenty of laughs, and great actors give this movie two thumbs up.
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