Air Force One example essay topic

At a time when presidents lie, steal, and do anything else morally wrong, Harrison Ford sets the standard for what a president should be in one of this decade's most entertaining films. Director Wolfgang Petersen has given audience members a pro-American thriller. Air Force One thrives because it has a riveting plot, tremendous acting, and superior special effects. The movie starts with a U.S. led commando raid in Kazakhstan that captures a renegade Russian leader, General Radek (Jurgen Prochnow). James Marshall (Harrison Ford), the President of the U.S., declares that the U.S. will no longer tolerate with any terrorist group. No sooner does he make that statement then a group of Radek supporters, led by Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) and assisted by secret service agent Gibbs (Xander Berkeley), hijack Air Force One.

They demand that Radek be released from prison or they will execute a passenger every half-hour. What they did not count on is that Marshall did not leave the plane on an escape pod, but instead he remained on board where he will try and save the lives of his wife (Wendy Crews on), teenage daughter Alice (Lies el Matthews), and other white house workers. From this point on it is an ongoing plane ride with Marshall taking out terrorists and trying to prevent the plane from crashing. Although the plot does seems like the ordinary hijacked plane story people have seen so many times, Air Force One does add a lot more to it. There is enough novelty in this film that the audience will never be bored, and everything has a fresh feel to it. Most importantly, this film gives America something to hope for.

With politics in this country seeming more corrupt everyday, this film stands out in that it shows a hero president who values morals above all else. This gives America an image of what a president should be and can be if the public takes the proper actions to put some one of such virtue in office. Another remarkable part about this film is the acting. Harrison Ford provides another stellar performance. He really sets the tone with his speech at the beginning of the film. His seriousness, facial reactions, and tone of voice really make the film seem more serious and realistic.

Another notable actor is Gary Oldman who plays the lead terrorist Korshunov. He does an excellent Russian accent that makes him seem so much more communistic and evil. The manner in which he speaks to the president's daughter when he is threatening the U.S. government is very frightening. His performance is so realistic that the audience will want to see this man brutally murdered. The technical aspect of this film is superb also. I would not be surprised if the plane created for this film is the actual Air Force One.

Everything on the plane seems so genuine and authentic. Director Wolfgang Petersen creates phenomenal action sequences. One in particular is when some of the passengers are trying to escape from Air Force One and get on to another plane by sliding on a rope. It seems as if the characters are actually in the air hanging on for their lives 30000 feet up in the air. Many scenes will keep audiences sitting on the edge of their seats in tenseness and anticipation. If I had to rate this movie using the four star scale, taking into account I saw it on video at home, I would have to give it four stars.

This film had all the aspects of a quality movie: capturing plot, great acting, and exceptional action sequences. Most importantly, this film promotes good moral values. It proves that in the end, the good guys always prevail.