Air Force One (1997) on Netflix
R19972h 4mActionAdventureDrama
President James Marshall is flying home from Moscow when hijackers led by Korshunov seize Air Force One and take his wife and daughter hostage. They demand General Ivan Radek's release.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb6.6/10226,079 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes78%
Trailer
Plot summary
After American and Russian special forces capture General Ivan Radek, who ruled a neo-Soviet regime in Kazakhstan, President James Marshall travels to Moscow to praise the operation and to vow that his country will not bargain with terrorists. On the flight home, six of Radek's loyalists, posing as journalists and led by Korshunov, seize Air Force One and take the passengers hostage, including First Lady Grace Marshall and the Marshalls' daughter Alice. The hijackers demand Radek's release and threaten to kill one captive every half hour until their demand is met. Marshall, a Vietnam War veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, is aboard, and in Washington Vice President Kathryn Bennett weighs how to respond to the hijackers.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Air Force One (1997)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Randy Newman was first hired to write the score, but Petersen thought his composition was almost a parody and commissioned Jerry Goldsmith, who wrote and recorded a more somber, patriotic score in just twelve days and vowed never to take on such a last-minute job again.
- Kevin Costner was offered the role of James Marshall but turned it down because he had other commitments, going on to play the lead in The Postman; the script was then given to Harrison Ford, who accepted it.
- Gary Oldman was hired as the film's villain after choosing not to accept a role in Speed 2: Cruise Control, and he used his acting fee from the film to help finance his directorial debut, Nil by Mouth.
- The film scored the highest opening weekend for an R-rated film, passing Interview with the Vampire and holding that record for three years until Scary Movie in 2000. It also took the highest opening weekend for a Harrison Ford film, a record it held for a decade until Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008.
- President Bill Clinton saw the film twice while in office and noted that parts of its version of the plane, such as the escape pod and the rear parachute ramp, did not reflect features of the actual Air Force One.
- The soundtrack's first track, "The Parachutes", was used by Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign, played at the New York Hilton Midtown before his victory speech and repeatedly at campaign events with his plane as background, until the film's producer asked him to stop.
- A Wall Street Journal poll in 2016 named James Marshall, the president played by Harrison Ford in Air Force One, the greatest fictional president.
