The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper

1981 "Who says you can't take it with you?"
5.5| 1h40m| PG| en
Details

A speculation on the fate of the famous hijacker who parachuted with his ransom and disappeared in the mountains. Has Cooper succeeded in following a meticulous plan to disappear into anonymity despite the best efforts of a dogged cop?

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Clips

Reviews

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant
StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
fishguy-20977 I liked this movie. It was fun to see Duvall, Williams, and Gleason on the screen together. I've been fascinated with Dan Cooper ever since my father bought me a "Greatest Mysteries" book when I was about 8. That book got me going on Oak Island, too. Anyway, this is obviously not a factual account of anything. For one, none of the money cooper stole has ever made it back into circulation. The serial numbers were all noted, and the money was never used. So, if you go into the movie with the understanding that it's fiction and not based on actual events, I think you'll enjoy yourself. I really liked seeing Gleason, too. He's not in many movies, and it was fun to see him in something besides "The Breakfast Club" and "Trading Places."
SnoopyStyle The mysterious hijacker with the alias D.B. Cooper (Treat Williams) jumps out of the back of the plane. The bomb is fake. Bill Gruen (Robert Duvall) is an investigator for the insurance company out $200k in ransom. He discovers that Cooper's real identity is his Ranger trainee and Vietnam hero Jim Meade. Meade had prepared by hiding equipment and a jeep. He drives out of the forest during deer season. Also on the chase for the reward is old war buddy Remson. Gruen zero in on Meade's wife Hannah (Kathryn Harrold).There is a fair cat and mouse chase with Williams and Duvall. It isn't all logical. It's not that intense. It rambles a bit. It has a light fun tone. It's inspired by the real case but isn't real even with the start. Duvall keeps this movie just compelling enough to watch.
burton611 It's really hard to take this movie seriously, especially to anyone who is fascinated by the D.B. Cooper story. I think my biggest problem with the movie is that it just starts with Cooper jumping out of the plane. There is no stage of the actual highjacking and little realism of the jump itself (it happened at night time during a storm). During the actual highjacking, the bomb was not left behind by the highjacker and there was never a stewardess locked in a bathroom. The movie seems to be a parody of the events with a cheesy-hillbilly soundtrack. You almost expect a Jerry Reed/Cledus cameo or even Cheech & Chong at some point. My problem is they had the opportunity to do so much more with it and failed miserably. In recent years, the alleged highjacker was supposedly identified (see Brad Meltzer's decoded). I, for one, love the D.B. Cooper story and hope that someone will serve the story justice, but may be somewhat undeserving seeing as how the "Dan Cooper" who made the infamous jump literally flew from justice himself.
cinecarl This film was hard to get a hold of, and when I eventually saw it the disappointment was overwhelming. I mean, this is one of the great stories of the twentieth century: an unknown man takes advantage of the unsuspecting airline industry and GETS AWAY with millions in ransom without hurting anyone or bungling the attempt. With all of this built-in interest, how could anyone make such a lackluster, talk-laden flick of this true-life event. While Williams is always interesting, the screenwriters assumed that the D.B. Cooper persona was stereotypically heroic like a movie star, s what we get is a type-without any engaging details or insights into the mind of a person daring enough and clever enough to have pulled it off. Harrold practically steals the movie with her spunk and pure beauty, but the real letdown was in the handling of the plot and the lame direction. Shame on this film for even existing.

Similar Movies to The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper