Con Air
Con Air

Con Air

1997Movie116 minEnglish

Newly-paroled former US Army ranger Cameron Poe is headed back to his wife, but must fly home aboard a prison transport flight dubbed "Jailbird" taking the “worst of the worst” prisoners, a group described as “pure predators”, to a new super-prison. Poe faces impossible odds when the transport plane is skyjacked mid-flight by the most vicious criminals in the country led by the mastermind — genius serial killer Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, and backed by black militant Diamond Dog and psychopath Billy Bedlam.

Read Reviews

Insights

IMDb6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes56%
Metacritic52/100
Google Users80%
Director: Simon WestGenres: Action, Crime, Thriller

Plot Summary

A paroled convict (Nicolas Cage) finds himself trapped on a prisoner transport plane that is hijacked by the other inmates. He must fight to survive and ensure his own freedom while trying to prevent the criminals from escaping and causing further devastation. The situation escalates into a high-stakes aerial battle as the plane is taken over by a group of dangerous felons led by Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom.

Critical Reception

Con Air was a commercial success, generally well-received by audiences for its over-the-top action sequences and ensemble cast. Critics offered mixed reviews, with many praising its entertainment value and pacing, while others pointed to its outlandish plot and excessive violence.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its fast-paced action and entertaining, albeit absurd, premise.
  • The ensemble cast, particularly John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi, received commendation.
  • Criticized by some for its excessive violence and improbable plot developments.

Google audience: Audiences generally found Con Air to be a highly enjoyable and thrilling action movie, appreciating its big-budget set pieces and the charismatic performances of its cast. Many viewers enjoyed the film's blend of humor and excitement, though some noted its over-the-top nature.

Fun Fact

The role of Cameron Poe was originally offered to Tom Cruise before Nicolas Cage was cast.

AI-generated overview · Verify ratings on official sources

My Review

TMDB Reviews

5 reviews
Horseface

Horseface

Silly perfection! Having just watched this again after twenty-odd years, as it's now available in 4k. My god, Hollywood was great back in the day. This movie is stupid, silly, over-the-top everything, and wholly implausible. But it d...
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

This takes forever to get going, but once the plot gets the establishing twenty minutes out of the way, it's actually quite a decent adventure story. Ranger Nicolas Cage ("Poe") gets embroiled in a fatal brawl that lands him in jail. Out on...
Andre Gonzales

Andre Gonzales

Great movie. One of my favorites growing up. Action packed with a great storyline. Great cast too.
John Chard

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 ...
Per Gunnar Jonsson

Per Gunnar Jonss...

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...