Passenger 57 [Blu-ray]

Passenger 57 - Hijacking with Mr. Snipes.
Synopsis:
John Cutter (Wesley Snipes) is an airline security expert who is just getting back into his groove after the tragic murder of his wife. On his way to a meeting with airline executives in Los Angeles, the plane he is on is also occupied by international terrorist Charles Rane (Bruce Payne), escorted by the FBI. But things don't go as planned as Rane escapes and hijacks the plane. Cutter, along with an unsuspecting stewardess (Alex Datcher) must try to stop him before more people die.

About the Movie:
This is a movie that I initially really enjoyed, but after seeing it a second time a number of years later, I'm not so certain about any more. It's definitely nothing original as far as airplane disaster movies go, especially compared to the host of airplane hijacking movies that have come out in the past decade.

One of the main problems is that it needed to be better composed as far as its main characters. The movie makes great pains to...

PULPY FUN
Most of this explosive joyride is highly implausible even while you are sitting through it (one wonders if the art of Hijacking has come a long way) but it's an enjoyable diversion.

As an action hero Snipes belongs to the school that plays it cool and cracks jokes and kung-fu kicks when the going gets rough, all with a nonchalant glint in the eye, as if he were fully aware that the film is really a live-action cartoon.

Payne as his villainous and unabashedly racist counterpart brings a similar comic-book audacity to the psychopathic fiend.

I was particularly surprised to see a very young version of a face I was certain I recognized, but couldn't put a name to. Elizabeth Hurley! Male chromosomes take note.

To its credit, the film doesn't dilly-dally in going about its pulpy routine, with some very decent action scenes for its time. You know what's going to happen, but it's interesting to see how.

PASSENGER 57 IS WESLEY SNIPES' BEST MOVIE!!!
"Have you ever played roulette?"
"On occasion."
"Yeah, well here's a word of advice for you--ALWAYS BET ON BLACK!!!"

--Wesley Snipes as Atlantic International Airlines Head of Security John Cutter to Bruce Payne as terrorist Charles Rane in PASSENGER 57.

Not only is PASSENGER 57 a sensational action movie, not only does PASSENGER 57 feature a sensational villain--Bruce Payne in the ROLE OF HIS LIFE as terrorist Charles Rane!!!--not only does Wesley Snipes do a fantastic job of playing a black man trying to succeed in corporate white America, but PASSENGER 57 has excellent music, great photography, and a solid supporting cast anchored by Tom Sizemore, Bruce Greenwood, and Elizabeth Hurley as Payne's English henchwoman, Sabrina Ritchie.

And the script is pretty good, too, as Snipes plays the BLACK MAN OF ACTION to the hilt, with just the right mix of awareness, bravery, and humor--with his own interests in meditation and martial arts thrown in--as he rolls with the...

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