Con Air (1997)
★★★½ — Con Air (1997)
Con Air arrived in the summer of 1997 as a quintessential product of the Jerry Bruckheimer production machine, riding the wave of high-concept action spectacle that Bruckheimer and the late Don Simpson had pioneered through the previous decade with films like The Rock (1996) and Bad Boys (1995). It was the feature debut of British director Simon West, who had built a reputation directing music videos and commercials before Touchstone Pictures handed him a $75 million budget, which was considerable studio money for an original action property. Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg had previously written Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995), and the script attracted a cast of serious character actors alongside Nicolas Cage, who was coming off his Oscar win for Leaving Las Vegas (1995) and already leaning hard into blockbuster territory.
Con Air (1997) is pure, unapologetic 90s action cheese, and that’s exactly why it works. The plot is utterly ludicrous: a transport plane full of the most dangerous criminals in America gets hijacked mid-flight, and it’s up to a bunch of convicts (including Nicolas Cage as a wrongfully imprisoned war hero) to save the day. A flying prison taken over by John Malkovich’s mastermind with a British accent that comes and goes like Wi-Fi on a desert island. But you don’t watch Con Air for logic. You watch it for the sheer audacity. The explosions, the one-liners, the ridiculous character names (Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom!), and Cage at his most unhinged, wearing a tank top and quoting Machiavelli while punching drug lords. It’s all so over-the-top, so committed to its own madness, that you can’t help but lean in and enjoy the ride. The action is loud, dumb, and gloriously fun. And yes, the soundtrack slaps too. Not great cinema, not even close, but one of the most entertaining action films of the decade. A perfect example of how sometimes, the dumber it is, the better it feels. You know it’s ridiculous. That’s the point. Strap in, hang tough, and enjoy the chaos.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 1997 | Watched: 2025-11-03
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Simon West: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
More with Nicolas Cage: Raising Arizona (1987) · Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
More from the 1990s: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · Blue (1993) · Cemetery Man (1994)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More thriller: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Angst (1983) · The Long Walk (2025) · Punishment Park (1971)
