Butler has dabbled in comedy, but audiences have always wanted the burly Scotsman to be an action hero. Interestingly enough, he is at his strongest when he gives an everyman, albeit a mostly well-educated one, an average guy who just wants to save his wife, family or the world and therefore surpasses himself. In this role, the now 53-year-old has achieved a certain level of mastery. This also applies to his latest work, in which he, as a pilot of an airliner after a crash in the South China Sea, has to defend his passengers against a gang of bandits. Butler is making this endeavor a one-man show, despite working with veteran TV series star Mike Colter (Good Wife, Luke Cage, Evil) has a fit partner at his side.
But it’s Butler’s talent to be better than his films’ plots usually deserve. The actor keeps sending the message that if he had to, he would give his life for his job. And he does it so convincingly that he quickly builds an emotional bond with the audience, who really have to tremble for him because, unlike Stallone or Schwarzenegger, the icons of the golden action years, he doesn’t seem invincible or indestructible, but vulnerable , fearful and therefore courageous. He also manages this little feat again without any problems in the tarpaulin.
But that has to be enough. Because much more than a good Gerard Butler has Plane not to offer. Trying to create a chemistry between Pilot Butler and criminal Colter like John Carpenter once did in Assault – Attack at night (Plane director Jean-François Richet is also responsible for his remake with Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne) between cop and gangster fails; the script is clearly too weak for that.
There is also a clear lack of charisma on the side of the bandits, there is no Alan Rickman to be seen far and wide who could breathe life into the evil side, so the villains all remain pale here. Only the action is respectable because a lot of it is handmade. Although the budget of an estimated 25 million dollars was obviously not enough for major catastrophes, it made for exciting moments Plane also in good old man-to-man combat and with firefights that are as absurd as they are entertaining. That’s why remembered Plane so striking in productions from the 80s, in which the producer’s wallet often decided on the plot of the film.
Anyone who enjoys such a journey through time and can relate to Gerard Butler, who once again put his heart and soul into it, will certainly not regret going to the cinema. Then Plane is an honest film that never tries to be more than it is. There’s no subtext, there’s no political statement or big philosophical questions about life, which many an action film has attempted and transcended. Plane tells his heroic story in the best retro manner, with appropriate seriousness. It would be very surprising if there was no audience for it.
