When the government puts all its rotten criminal eggs in one airborne basket, it’s asking for trouble. Before you can say, “Pass the barf bag,” the crooks control the plane, led by creepy Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom. Watching his every move is the just-released Cameron Poe, who’d rather reunite with his family.

Credits: TheMovieDb.

Film Cast:

• Cameron Poe: Nicolas Cage
• Agent Vince Larkin: John Cusack
• Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom: John Malkovich
• “Baby-O” O’Dell: Mykelti Williamson
• Nathan “Diamond Dog” Jones: Ving Rhames
• “Pinball” Parker: Dave Chappelle
• Agent Duncan Malloy: Colm Meaney
• Tricia Poe: Monica Potter
• Casey Poe: Landry Allbright
• Guard Sally Bishop: Rachel Ticotin
• Garland Greene – “The Marietta Mangler”: Steve Buscemi
• William “Billy Bedlam” Bedford: Nick Chinlund
• “Swamp Thing”: M.C. Gainey
• “Johnny-23”: Danny Trejo
• “Sally-Can’t Dance”: Renoly Santiago
• Guard Falzon: Steve Eastin
• Conrad: Brendan Kelly
• Francisco Cindino: Jesse Borrego
• Con #1: Carl Ciarfalio
• Ajax: Mongo Brownlee
• Sims: José Zúñiga
• Chopper Pilot: Ned Bellamy
• Gator: John Marshall Jones
• Devers: John Roselius
• Pilot: Fredric Lehne
• Co-Pilot: Martin McSorley
• Starkey: Dylan Haggerty
• Fuel Jockey: Dan Bell
• Ted, the Pilot: Bob Stephenson
• Bus Guard: Scott Ditty
• Sheriff: Tommy Bush
• Debbie (6 Yrs Old): Lauren Pratt
• Ronnie: Steve Hulin
• Smoke: Don Charles McGovern
• Ginny: Angela Featherstone
• Donald: Doug Hutchison
• Watts: Jeris Poindexter
• Londell: David Ramsey
• Viking: Conrad Goode
• Carlos: Emilio Rivera
• Mongoose (Stunt): Mario Roberts
• Blade: Ty Granderson Jones
• Guard: Earl Billings
• Guard: Greg Collins
• Guard: Billy Devlin
• Guard: Mark Ginther
• Guard: Joseph Patrick Kelly
• Uncle Bob: Jeff Olson
• Female Baggage Handler: Dawn Bluford
• Transportation Officer #1: Charlie Paddock
• Stickman: Randee Barnes
• Man In Car: Don S. Davis
• Woman In Car: Barbara Sharma
• Cindino Gunman (Stunts): Thomas Rosales Jr.
• Cindino Gunman (Stunts): Eddie Perez
• Cindino Gunman (Stunts): Scott McCoy
• Cop In Vegas: Brian Hayes Currie
• Huey Pilot: Ashley Smock
• DEA Agent: Charles Lynn Frost
• Tech Guy: Joey Miyashima
• Air Traffic Controller: Scott Burkholder
• Judge: Kevin Cooney
• Guard Renfro: Gérard L’Heureux
• Guard Garner: Pete Antico
• Guard Ryan: John Robotham
• Ramirez (Stunt): Gilbert Rosales
• Warlock (Stunt): Richard L. Duran
• Old Con on Plane: George Randall
• Con: Jamie Bozian
• Con: Harley Zumbrum
• Con: Doug Dearth
• Supervisor: David Roberson
• Waitress: Alexandra Balahoutis
• Airplane Pilot: Dick ‘Skip’ Evans
• Co-Pilot: Sheldon Worthington
• Soldier: Robert Taft
• Soldier: Robert White
• BOP Official Grant: Chris Ellis
• BOP Bus Driver: John Campbell
• Paramedic: Brian Willems
• Paramedic: Bill Cusack
• Old Man Under Truck: Dabbs Greer
• Cindino’s Pilot: Marco Kyris

Film Crew:

• Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
• Executive Producer: Chad Oman
• Post Production Supervisor: Pat Sandston
• Editor: Chris Lebenzon
• Casting: Matthew Barry
• Casting: Jeanne McCarthy
• Casting: Victoria Thomas
• Executive Producer: Jonathan Hensleigh
• Original Music Composer: Trevor Rabin
• Editor: Glen Scantlebury
• Screenplay: Scott Rosenberg
• Supervising Music Editor: Bob Badami
• Director of Photography: David Tattersall
• Art Direction: Edward T. McAvoy
• Music Editor: Zigmund Gron
• Editor: Steve Mirkovich
• Original Music Composer: Mark Mancina
• Associate Producer: Kenny Bates
• Director: Simon West
• First Assistant Editor: Joel Negron
• ADR Editor: Denise Horta
• First Assistant Director: Mike Topoozian
• Set Decoration: Debra Echard
• Executive Producer: Jim Kouf
• Art Direction: Chas. Butcher
• Camera Operator: Michael St. Hilaire
• Assistant Art Director: Mark Hofeling
• Executive Producer: Lynn Kouf
• Costume Design: Bobbie Read
• First Assistant Editor: Timothy Alverson
• Supervising ADR Editor: Juno J. Ellis
• Sound Mixer: Art Rochester
• Stunt Double: Randall Huber
• Stunt Double: Eddie Yansick
• Stunts: Jay Amor
• Dolly Grip: Mark Meyers
• Unit Production Manager: Peter Bogart
• Assistant Art Director: Cosmas A. Demetriou
• Set Designer: Daniel R. Jennings
• Production Supervisor: Mark Indig
• Boom Operator: Randall L. Johnson
• Supervising Sound Editor: George Watters II
• Set Designer: Barbara Mesney
• Still Photographer: Frank Masi
• Music Editor: Will Kaplan
• Script Coordinator: Karin Anderson
• Visual Effects Editor: Kathy Chasen-Hay
• Steadicam Operator: David Emmerichs
• Stunt Coordinator: Steve Picerni
• Key Hair Stylist: Erma Kent
• Storyboard Artist: Marc Messenger
• Armorer: Michael Papac
• Script Supervisor: P.R. Tooke
• Costume Supervisor: Hugo Peña
• ADR Editor: Nicholas Korda
• Visual Effects Supervisor: David Goldberg
• Storyboard: Matsune Suzuki
• Storyboard Artist: Alex Hillkurtz
• Assistant Production Coordinator: KristieAnne Reed
• Music Supervisor: Kathy Nelson
• Production Supervisor: Carl S. Griffin
• Production Coordinator: Jacqui Popelka
• Production Accountant: Donna Glasser-Hancock
• Assistant Production Coordinator: Gary Trentham
• Makeup Artist: Greg T. Moon
• Property Master: Mike Blaze
• Second Assistant Director: Bob Wagner
• Special Effects Coordinator: Chuck E. Stewart
• Stunts: LaFaye Baker
• ADR Editor: Stephen Janisz
• Assistant Editor: Richard Villa
• Key Grip: J. Michael Popovich
• Dolly Grip: Thomas J. Ruffner
• Best Boy Electric: Edward R. Nedin
• Rigging Gaffer: Mike Bonnaud
• Stunts: Ivan Bates
• Stunts: Alanna McManus
• Post Production Assistant: Jason Fetchik
• Post Production Accountant: Ric Morelli
• Best Boy Grip: Ray D. Chase
• Dolly Grip: Alesia Walser
• Art Department Coordinator: Jennifer Ritchey
• Makeup Artist: Lindey L. Crow

Movie Reviews:

• Per Gunnar Jonsson: This is one of those movies which are simply good solid entertainment. The fact that I do like Nicolas Cage, even though he is at times really lousy at choosing which movies he participate in, is of course an additional plus.

  Naturally I do like the performance of Nicolas Cage in this movie but John Malkowich is also great as the main bad guy and Steve Buscemi is perfect as the nutcase although his role could have been a bit more expanded upon. The rest of the actors are doing nicely as well although it always saddens me to see Colm Meaney playing a dumbass and/or bad guy after his role in Star Trek.

  The story is not really bad although it has the usual Hollywood mistakes here and there. The ease by which they pick locks in this high security flight is somewhat laughable and I seriously doubt that they would have been able to haul the plane out of that desert junkyard in flyable condition in real life for instance. Still, it is not a bad story and it works for moving the movie forward.

  There are plenty of action and it is mostly quite entertaining. Sometimes it is a bit silly and rather unrealistic of course but, as I wrote, mostly it is quite entertaining. The ending is definitely a bit on the silly side with the plane touching down on the Las Vegas Strip. This bit felt like the producers realized that they had some FX budget left and just had to burn it.

  Anyway, on the whole a quite entertaining movie.

• John Chard: Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have the only gun on board. Welcome to Con Air.

  Hummingbird Humdinger.

  Con Air is directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich. Plot sees Cameron Poe (Cage), a parolee on his way home to his wife and daughter after serving years in prison for manslaughter. He’s travelling on a plane full of the most dangerous criminals currently being held in America, they are being transferred to some new super prison. Inevitably something goes wrong and the cons take over the plane, with only Poe standing between them and freedom.

  No doubt about it, Con Air is one of the most over the top action film’s you are ever likely to see. But it knows it is, it embraces it – and positively revels in it. What we have is a bunch of sicko’s and psycho’s on a plane, their roll call of crimes as gargantuan as the excess of explosions and quips are. Down on the ground are a frantic John Cussack and an angry Colm Meaney, the play off between the two almost as funny as the shenanigans on the plane – where characters called Billy Bedlam (Nick Chinlund), Cyrus The Virus (Malkovich) & The Marietta Mangler (Steve Buscemi) push mania to a new level.

  Enter director West, who clearly under orders from Bruckheimer, unleashes a barrage of explosive set pieces, each one more outrageous than the last. It’s neatly edited and paced like a good action movie should be. There’s also no small amount of tension to sidle along side the white knuckle thrills. As Cage strips down to his Bruce Willis vest we have a real likable hero to get on side with, yes it’s played tongue in cheek, very much so, but his character has been so well written by Scott Rosenberg we really forgive the ridiculousness of each heroic act. Also along the for the ride are Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, M.C. Gainey & Rachael Ticotin, the latter of which does admirably well as the lone female surrounded by 800 tonnes of testosterone.

  Junky nonsense as a story for sure, but just like the cast are having a blast of a time with it, so too should the discerning action comedy fan. 7.5/10