TURBULENCE


US, 1997, 100 minutes, Colour.
Ray Liotta, Lauren Holly, Brendan Gleeson, Hector Elizondo, Rachel Ticotin, Jeffrey De Munn, John Finn, Ben Cross, Catherine Hicks.
Directed by Robert Butler.

Strongly reminiscent of the series of twenty years ago this should have been called Airport 97. Having Lauren Holly bring down a passenger jet (as Karen Black did so long ago) as well as cope with Ray Liotta as an increasingly cuckoo killer on board provides some adrenalin rushes.

But they whole thing is pretty preposterous, although it does offer audiences plenty of excitement and some reassurance about computers and automatic pilots and how safe they can be. Literally, over the top.

1. The title, expectations? In the tradition of the older disaster movies of the 1970s? Airport and aircraft disasters? 1990s version?

2. The New York settings, the police, the streets, the raid on the house and the arrest? Airports, the LA control tower? The musical score?

3. The planes, interiors, the engineering, pilot and autopilot, the role of the crew, the flight attendants and their service? Computers and consultants? The holds?

4. The police group tracking Ryan Weaver? His walking along the street, buying the bear, the visit to the young woman, professing his love, she loving him, the sudden raid, his arrest? Aldo Hines and his pursuit of Weaver, planting evidence, kicking him when down, and the audience unsure about Weaver as guilty or not? The introduction to him with his charm, character, protests that he was innocent, Hines and his brutality, in prison, the transfer to Los Angeles?

5. Teri, at Christmas, the decorations, sad? The breakup? The film’s use of the Christmas atmosphere, the decorations in the city, on the planes, Christmas moods, few passengers travelling, screening It’s a Wonderful Life and using the song Buffalo Gals?

6. The flight attendants arriving, Teri, Maggie, men and women, jobs, the prisoners aboard, tossing the coin, Teri serving the prisoners, the drinks, the menu, the repartee with Weaver, the gross remarks of Stubbs?

7. The boarding, Stubbs, the background of his robberies, crass, the marshals accompanying him? Weaver and his marshals? The discussions, Stubbs wanting to go to the toilet, Weaver supporting him? Stubbs unscrewing the tap, the attack on the Marshall, getting his gun, the random shootings, the deaths of the marshals, the hole in the side of the plane, Teri trying to get the suitcase to block the whole, the captain emerging, his being shot?

8. Weaver, his flirting, Teri’s rebuffs? Weaver and his control, offering to help, moving the bodies, going to the cockpit, the associate pilot, wounded, and Weaver and his death? Moving all the passengers to the back and locking them in?

9. The range of passengers, the skateboarder wanting the beer? The elderly couple and fussing, the trauma for the passengers?

10. Teri, not knowing the details of flight, listening to the microphone, following the directions, able to make contact? The contact with Captain Samuel Bowen? His clarity in explaining in detail the movements, where the controls were? Her following everything? The personnel in Los Angeles, keeping personal contact, morale boosting? Sinclair and the FBI, having the fighter plane in readiness, his making the decision that the plane should be shot down, one or two deaths compared with thousands if the plane crashed into LA?

11. The police authorities, Hines going to LA, going to the airport, his advice to Teri? The contrast with Sinclair?

12. The ominous storms, the amount of turbulence, the plane rolling in a circle?

13. Weaver, his approach to Maggie, mutual dislike, telling the truth, yet his sexual approach and murdering her? His appeal to Teri that she come to help?

14. Teri, the seductive approach in order to hit weaver? The verbal games? Physical struggles? Her trapping him and the roof closing on his leg? In the hold, getting the axe, destroying the autopilot?

15. Weaver, becoming more and more insane? Wanting to die?

16. Teri, told to stay put, going out, her motivations, the clash with Weaver, eventually shooting him? Going back into the cockpit, the details from Captain Bowen, autopilot, the fighter plane beside her, Sinclair telling him to obey, the pilot waiting?

17. The plane out of control, crashing into the buildings, the hotel at Christmas, the car attached to the bottom and its dragging the plane down?

18. The finale, success? The final credits and the busy detail after the landing?