By Jack Holmes
You can’t beat a classic Nicholas Cage movie, can you? Best worst actor or worst best actor? The 1997 action thriller Con Air has built up quite a cult following over the years from its all-star cast of “all the freaks and creeps in the universe” as Cage’s character puts it, to the over-the-top writing and storyline that lets realism take a back seat.
The head count of the convicts that take centre stage for the length of the movie is testament to just how crazy this film is even without Nicholas Cage’s usual over the top performance, this time as a Southern, borderline hillbilly ranger-turned-convict. From John Malchovich’s ringleader Cyrus, to Hannibal Lector-style serial killer Garland Greene portrayed by Steve Buschemi, Ving James as black militant Diamond Dog and Danny Trejo as serial rapist Johnny 23. They’re matched by the “good guys” on the ground in the form of a US martial (John Cusack) and mad dog DEA agent (Colm Meany), who, at times, seem just as insane as the plane full of criminals. It would be a ridiculously over-the-top cast if the movie didn’t manage to keep its storyline so fast paced that you’re rarely given time to acknowledge just how silly the whole thing is.
It fits comfortably in with the likes of action thrillers such as Top Gun, Days of Thunder and Crimson Tide, but its humour is what sets it apart and puts it on parallel with only a few other classics such as the Keanu Reeves fronted Speed from 1994 and perhaps even Will Smith’s Bad Boys movie from ’97. Critics would cite that Con Air does seem to borrow large portions of its entire closing sequence from the former thriller, with both Speed and Con Air featuring chase sequences resulting in huge amounts of destruction, but it takes little away from what is, overall, an original and well written classic. Well worth a watch.
In the same way as these 90s classics had their own iconic scenes, in typical fashion for a Cage movie, Con Airs are so over the top watching them as clips is a sure way to confuse any movie lover that hasn’t gotten around to seeing the whole thing yet. Quote “put the bunny back in the box” to someone who’s seen the movie before and you’ll get an amused nod of approval. Trying to explain it, however, just wouldn’t do the scene justice.
The film’s core appeal lies in its swift pace, one liners and elaborate, often logic defying, action sequences. It’s not a film you can take seriously, and that’s absolutely fine. Con Air manages to walk the thin line between entertainment and stupidity the likes of which hasn’t been accomplished recently bar the likes of Kingsman. Con Air boasts the same kind of comic action appeal long before it became the blockbuster attraction it has in the 21st century, and has solidified its place in film history.
Want to write up your own cinema classic review? Have your own opinion on Con Air? Let us know @Holmesblogs and @HumanityHallows
Featured image and gallery: Sally Stretch The Royston Club perform alongside Overpass and Permanent (Joy) at a sold-out O2 Victoria Warehouse. Welsh indie rock band The Royston Club, school friends who began playing together in 2017, now headline O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. Touring second album Songs For The Spine, they generate an energetic sold-out…
Featured image: Radical Optimism Album Artwork / Warner Music Radical Optimism was released in May 2024 by Dua Lipa, an album which I have grown to love more and more after every listen, and earning my most-listened-to album on Spotify last year. However, critics had different opinions, with the Huffington Post declaring that it’s “great, but not…
Featured image: Press It’s a spring evening at Manchester Academy 2, and there is a stir of anticipation. An amicable, yet certainly eager crowd flock to the front of the sold-out venue, itching to secure a satisfactory view of the stage. Of course, Balu Brigada are worth the urgency. Formed in 2016 by multi-instrumentalist brothers…
Feature Image: Press “It’s important to find your people. Don’t feel like you have to find this incredible producer or person who’s going to give you loads of money and change your life” says Lauerence Tratalos, one-half of the Northern duo responsible for Misper; a feature debut for director Harry Sheriff and script writer Tratalos….
Leave a reply