Diagonaldi Very well executed

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The_Phantom_Projectionist I first noticed Dean Cochran for his role in A DANGEROUS PLACE, and after seeing that he can perform a pretty good fight scene, I thought it'd be cool to see him headline a movie. I need to learn to specify my wishes, because even though AIR MARSHAL does indeed turn Dean into a leading man, the vehicle itself is pretty darn dreadful. With poor action scenes and a seriously flawed screenplay, this is definitely one of the worst offerings from the Nu Image / Millennium catalogue.The story: When a trans-European flight is hijacked by extremists, an undercover air marshal (Cochran) must find a way to save the passengers before the plane is shot down by the military.This movie was released in 2003, but might as well have been released 20 years earlier given its mindset. Hollywood never tires of vilifying Arab characters, but AIR MARSHAL is so irredeemably embarrassing in its heavy-handed Islamophobia that one would almost think it's an ironic statement against it. The whole movie actually feels like a farce on traditional action: moments of idiotic heroism (e.g. the captain's roller coaster flying) flow smoothly into the most harebrained coincidences (e.g. the friendly stowaway), while women fawn over hero Dean for no real reason and a child (Luke Leavitt) is *almost* sucked out of a sprung window…(SPOILER) an hour before he helps land the plane, putting his video game experience to good use.Eli Danker leads the hijackers, and even though his character is a walking cliché, he's a rare example of competent acting in the film. There's also good old Tim Thomerson playing a hostaged senator, but he's mainly = there to pad the cast and doesn't do anything cool. Dean Cochran looks like he's enjoying himself but is stuck playing a completely unremarkable character. It's a relief when he can stop talking and fight, but the four cramped brawls likewise lack any shred of uniqueness (no shortage of slow motion, though). A narrow body jet is an awkward place to stage an action flick to begin with, but the characters don't care at all about wantonly firing guns – even purposely shooting the window that the aforementioned boy gets to see the outside of.I'd see another Dean Cochran action vehicle, if such a thing ever came about, but only if it were helmed by a completely different set of filmmakers. I haven't gotten into the ridiculously transparent special effects, but only because they're the least of this one's problems. It's worth skipping.

bart-301 Okay now, I've read all the other commentaries here on IMDb, and I can conclude that all positive reviews come from people in the US (who appear to think that ANY movie concerning killing Arab-types can't be a bad movie) and/or women that squirm by the sight of this joke of a lead, this Prescott-figure. People, this movie sucks. I hope they stored it in a safe place, because of you'd leave this movie uncovered in an open field, it would create a black hole. Honestly. The acting... WHAT acting? The special effects... Did they use MS-PAINT to make that "plane"? - The inaccuracy where it comes to armed forces, procedures, flying an airplane... The crew on this movie could not even portray someone blinking, even if they tried hard.Too bad you can't vote for NO stars whatsoever.

KHayes666 You would think if they were going to ripoff a movie, they should at least do it right. But after 9/11, maybe this type of movie wasn't the best idea.The story is retired special forces ace Brett Prescott is now a US Air Marshall and catches a flight home to see his pregnant wife. On the way the plane is hijacked by Muslim terrorists.....if you've seen Exectuve Decision you know the drill. He eliminates the terrorists one by one and saves the day.What astounded me was the number of ripoffs. Same US senator on board, same kamikaze Muslim, same special forces at the beginning of the movie. Plus the special effects were about as special as a glass of water. Either way the writers of this movie have all the creativity of a xerox machine. It has some flashes of hilarity and action (a spinebuster) but its overall a ripoff.The highlight of the movie is when Luke gets freaked out when he realizes Brett is still alive and the guy tells him "SIT DOWN!" in a really high pitched voice.3 out of 10

noothergod There is not one category in which I can rate this movie positively... but I'll try anyway.Plot: Nope. Other posters have beaten this one to death. Military accuracy: My ROTC friend kept screaming that the Special Forces guys were using the wrong guns. He also tells me that the Navy doesn't use F-16s. I'll take his word on all that. I was annoyed at the clumsy way in which the alleged elite troops crouch-walked towards the hostile gunmen near the airport. Also, the fact that a White House fund raiser was authorized to make decisions involving missile strikes on civilians rather bothered me.Physical accuracy: This just totally lost me. The plane didn't depressurize, nor did oxygen masks deploy, when the window blew out (a good half hour after it was shot, mind you). The CGI plane kept pitching and yawing at angles that can't happen. The shooters would frequently aim at other things (like the floor), yet their targets would fall back, shot in places only a magic bullet could reach. The list goes on.Acting: Ha. The generic terrorists, who spoke perfectly articulated English, were so boring in their desires that I often wondered why they were even bothering. The "scared passengers" were more annoyed than anything, which made their presence annoying to the viewers. And Mr. Shirtless Dean Cain Wannabe was just sad. Fight sequences: Competent stage acting, better than some films I've seen, but in no way what you'd call "good." Plane realities: All wrong. I like how the pilot was from the school of flying that teaches top speed landings, without wing flaps, and while pointing the nose down. The internal layout of the plane did not come close to matching the external CGI shell. The hurricane-sized storm they fly through takes all of a minute and a half to get through. The speed at which they are tracked on the map (using a transponder that was shut off) is ludicrously fast. And I'm sorry, but the ability to land a prop lane in an IMac flight simulator should not convey any skill to pilot a commercial jet.Sequels: Okay, so this is the one area that I can say something good. There is no sequel to Air Marshal. However, there are other films in the American Heroes series to which Air Marshal belongs.