This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

AIR FORCE ONE is one of the last wave of 'DIE HARD IN A...' Hollywood flicks inspired by the Bruce Willis blockbuster, although DIE HARD rip-offs would continue in B-movie cinema for years to come (and are still being made, in fact). This film has Harrison Ford's everyman US president tackling a gang of murderous Russian terrorists who have stormed Air Force One and are willing to sacrifice the hostages for their political ends. The film is dated and more than a little cheesy in some of the sentimental scenes (the black woman on the parachute is one of the most unintentionally hilarious scenes you'll find here) and the CGI effects haven't dated too well either. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it. Wolfgang Petersen brings some of the same claustrophobia as he mined in DAS BOOT and even manages to fit Jurgen Prochnow into a little role. Ford and Michael Douglas were my favourite Hollywood thriller stars of the 1980s and 1990s and Ford does well here as the tough yet believable character. There's plenty of suspense and action throughout and the latter scenes are well staged and exciting. Gary Oldman reprises his volatile villain role from LEON to strong effect and as a whole this is an entertaining package where you can just switch off and enjoy.

This is from 1997 and I just now got the chance to see this on TV by accident.Wow, what utter tosh! I don't even know where to begin. Harrison Ford as president with Ninja skills, Glenn Close with ridiculous peroxide hair trying to sound serious? Nah, my favourite thing is that it - of course - is the evil, evil Russians who capture the president's plane, I mean, who ever else, right? We all know that Russia is oh so evil (and I mean really EVERYbody there, no exception) as the media constantly tells us. And of course the baddie's name is even Iwan - played by Gary Oldmn, who is as Russian as I am a nuclear scientist.So yeah, hail to the good old prejudice and please US movie makers, make another one with evil Russians, I just can't get enough Oo

This action film focuses on the figure of the US president and his private airplane, Air Force One, which is abducted by politically motivated air pirates, willing to kill everything and everyone to liberate a dictator from Eastern Europe. Of course the film is a copious rain of US imperialist propaganda, with the US being the "world police" and champion of democracy. Despite all this, it is a good action movie, although there are already so many action movies on planes that ends up bringing nothing new other than the propaganda. The scenes in the presidential crisis cabinet are much more interesting than the scenes on the plane, with the several hesitations and fears of the presidential staff jumping into the public's eyes. These scenes greatly help the audience to get into the mood and get carried away by what they see. The end of the film lacks credibility and ends up implausible. Harrison Ford did a good job but reminds us a bit of other action movies where he shined, so it's not surprising. Gary Oldman did very well, almost stealing the scene from Harrison Ford. The worst of his interpretation is a fake Russian accent that makes the character a bit ridiculous. Glenn Close also does a good job, in a secondary character that ends up having some centrality in the plot. All the rest, unfortunately, is US self-praise.

Throughout watching this movie I kept waffling between "this is a piece of crap, I've got to shut it off" and "this is freaking awesome!" So I sat through the whole thing.Yes, Air Force One has its moments of utter cheese but then there are also some surprisingly intense action scenes which mostly involved the actual plane, Air Force One or mid air refuelling or parachuting or fighter jets or Gary Oldman executing someone or Harrison Ford kicking ass.There's also some decent acting; Glen Close is really good as the Vice president as is William H Macy in what must have been an early role for him. Even Ford surprised me here with a couple of poignant scenes.The moments of flag waving patriotism and the ultimate "get off my plane" line upped the cheese factor but I have to admit in a fun way. 8/10/13