Flightplan

(L-R) Bess Wohl, Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Judith Scott, Erika Christensen. Photo Credit: Ron Batzdorff, SMPSP.
© 2005 Touchstone Pictures. All rights reserved.

 
Some people are going to want to shoot me for this… possibly several other critics. So, let me get it out of the way, now. “Flightplan” is, in my opinion, a better version of “Red-Eye.”

POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING: It’s not possible to discuss this film in any detail whatsoever without giving at least some hints concerning important plot points of which you may or may not want to have prior knowledge. Proceed at your own risk…

The film opens in Germany, at a train station in Alexanderplatz. The scene intercuts between Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) at the train station, and flashbacks to a morgue and then her husband’s coffin. Ominously rumbling piano notes and a cutaway to birds suggest that this isn’t an ordinary death. But, all right… I’ll suspend my amusement for the moment and run with it.

It’s relatively clear that the casket is going somewhere with her. With a bleak mood sufficiently established, we return to Julia Pratt’s (Marlene Lawston) room. A window is open, and more suspicious notes tremble forth from the soundtrack. Kyle reassures her daughter and stays in her room for the night.

The next day, they proceed to the airport. There’s a false alarm (why must there always be?) at the airport. For a moment, Julia disappears while Kyle gets agitated, nervous, until—relief—she spots Julia at the nearby convenience shop. At this point, I thought most parents would be happy to have found their child. Instead, Kyle scolds Julia for having caused such a scare. What do I know? Perhaps, some parents could be more concerned about their own peace of mind than the reality of their child’s safety. If ever there were a case for radio tagging your kids, this film would be it.

Finally, they board the gargantuan E-474—a double-decker that, oddly, bears a striking resemblance to the Airbus A380. Something tells me that Airbus had certain reservations about their trademarks being associated with a film that demonstrates how easy it is to lose one’s child (or mind) aboard such a monstrous plane. On the other hand, there could have been hilarious potential had they hired Paul Verhoeven to direct this movie in the style of a corporate promotional video for air safety, “Hi, I’m Jodie Foster… you may remember me from such safety infomercials as ‘Panic Room’…”

But anyway…

There’s a momentary test of the viewer’s prejudices as Kyle and Julia board the plane. They pass by four men for whom, I would say, the director had gone to considerable trouble to cast to a Middle-Eastern stereotype. I mention this not because I think films have a responsibility to avoid stereotypes, but because I’d be curious to see if audiences react with the same suspicions as Kyle. At the same time, one could argue these characters were included to falsely inflate the tension, and, if that were so, then the directors are indeed somwhat culpable for, at least, exploiting irrational phobias.

She also passes by another individual who, from the very beginning, takes a rather curious interest in her. For reasons that will become apparent to you when you see the film, I think Gene Carson’s (Peter Sarsgaard) appearance and interest in Kyle are demonstrated a bit early. Then again, it’s interesting to see where it goes from there… because that he is curious about Ms. Pratt is not the point.

One self-realization that humors me is the casting of Sean Bean as the plane’s pilot, Captain Rich. There seems to be an informal rule that Sean Bean will always play a character whose loyalties lie elsewhere. Well, there’s certainly more to Captain Rich than there appears to be.

The set-up to this film, which ultimately leads up to her daughter’s disappearance, takes nearly an hour. Normally, I’d feel that’s too long for a film concerning a plane, and a plot, that are intended to… well… go somewhere. However, I didn’t feel fatigued or particularly bored by the exposition. Granted, it’s not particularly complicated, verbose or, to borrow a favorite Ebert-ism, “labyrinthine,” in its design, but “Flightplan” has some conversation between various characters which not only establish a number of possible suspects for her daughter’s disappearance, but also gradually build our tension through various dialogues that slowly inch closer to the truth… or do they?

Eventually, Kyle gets tired of pressing the staff on rules and procedures. Many amongst the crew seem as though they’re either terribly or willfully incomptetent, again keeping the playing field of candidates in this semi-whodunit rather open.

At one point, she believes the bearded, Arabic-looking gentleman has something to do with it. She accosts him and makes his life miserable. The scene ends with him facing the other passengers, some of whom encouraged his interrogation, and asking them if anyone else would like to question him. This political message is quickly, and wisely, ended once it’s made its impression.

One way of looking at it is that Hollywood doesn’t mind exploiting a stereotype for the sake of a possible plot diversion. Another way of looking at it is that, while the diversion is understandable given that some people in our post-9/11 world probably do mentally profile other passengers, Hollywood is still too nervous to make a movie that deals frankly with that subject—not unlike how nervous they felt about dealing frankly with anti-Semitism in the post-World War II era. However, I’m not trying to write a polemic about the double-standard of Hollywood’s marketing-driven phony appreciation for diversity.

Some people may immediately pick up on how this film is going to end, some may not. It’s still an entertaining film that does give you a reasonable amount of suspense around Kyle Pratt’s affairs and concerns even if it tends to ignore the concerns and fears of the other 400-some passengers. I also have to admit that what the actual plot involves, when you do discover it, is a departure from the norm.

Normally, the degree of panic involved on the part of Kyle would probably have resulted in the plane being routed back to its departure point and grounded until a full investigation could take place… but then there’d be no movie. There’s sufficient story, action and diversion going on throughout this movie to make this critic forgive that otherwise egregious oversight.

Regarding “Red-Eye,” my chief complaint was that the “cavernous” Boeing 767 is too large a setting to convey a proper sense of claustrophobia. Here, however, it’s the expansive stage of a double-decker aircraft that is intended to convey a sense of disorienting size amidst which a parent can lose their child. I have to caution that my review might be overtly optimistic because I found “Red-Eye” to be pompous, over-rated dreck. However, being that both films attempt to use the space on a plane to convey a sense of terror or suspense, I felt this movie did a far better job of it. If it helps, see “Red-Eye” first.

Flightplan • Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and some intense plot material. • Distributed by Touchstone Pictures.