Movie Review: Flightplan
By Moira Sullivan
Flightplan is a film that was made for Jodie Foster. It has all the ingredients of a Foster film, that is the mature Jodie. In the film she plays Kyle, a mother whose husband has mysteriously died, and whose body she is transporting from Berlin back to the USA with her daughter. Kyle has designed the plane which later turns out to be to her advantage for after a nap her daughter has disappeared. But according to the manifest of the plane she was never one it.
Director Robert Schwentke takes every opportunity to pump of the volume of the suspense of this mystery but is not entirely successful. Having studied David Fincher's Panic Room, he has created another high drama with Foster, a single mom with child that evokes her instincts of protection.
A note about the plane--it is one of those huge jumbo-jets with more than ample leg room for economy passengers. If the airlines need to consolidate, give me one of those planes.But in the spirit of 9/11 the first passengers to be suspected of hiding Kyle's daughter are Arabic. But Kyle doesn't care about being politically correct, she asks them if they had been observing her daughter before they left Berlin through the window from across the street. Someone was she declares. So why not them. And some of the passengers are inclined to agree. And there is a US Marshall aboard the plane , a precaution from post 9/11 and he soon takes Kyle into custody. Carson invokes trust and suspicion as does Captain Ric played by Sean Bean. We even learn to suspect Kyle, who as a mature woman is immediately pegged as being hysterical. Aren't mothers who lose their children allowed to be distraught--only if they indeed have children. And the question is, was there ever a little girl with Foster. We see her, but do we see dead people?
Without revealing any more of the intricacies of the plot the film falls short of captivating its audience with too many characters, too much space, too many plot twists. But Jodie Foster convinces us of her abilities even if her material since her two academy award winning performances in The Accused and Silence of the Lambs does not do justice to her abilities.
For Movie Magazine this is Moira Sullivan Stockholm Sweden
Director Robert Schwentke takes every opportunity to pump of the volume of the suspense of this mystery but is not entirely successful. Having studied David Fincher's Panic Room, he has created another high drama with Foster, a single mom with child that evokes her instincts of protection.
A note about the plane--it is one of those huge jumbo-jets with more than ample leg room for economy passengers. If the airlines need to consolidate, give me one of those planes.But in the spirit of 9/11 the first passengers to be suspected of hiding Kyle's daughter are Arabic. But Kyle doesn't care about being politically correct, she asks them if they had been observing her daughter before they left Berlin through the window from across the street. Someone was she declares. So why not them. And some of the passengers are inclined to agree. And there is a US Marshall aboard the plane , a precaution from post 9/11 and he soon takes Kyle into custody. Carson invokes trust and suspicion as does Captain Ric played by Sean Bean. We even learn to suspect Kyle, who as a mature woman is immediately pegged as being hysterical. Aren't mothers who lose their children allowed to be distraught--only if they indeed have children. And the question is, was there ever a little girl with Foster. We see her, but do we see dead people?
Without revealing any more of the intricacies of the plot the film falls short of captivating its audience with too many characters, too much space, too many plot twists. But Jodie Foster convinces us of her abilities even if her material since her two academy award winning performances in The Accused and Silence of the Lambs does not do justice to her abilities.
For Movie Magazine this is Moira Sullivan Stockholm Sweden
© 2006 - Moira Sullivan - Air Date: 03/06
More Information:
Flightplan
2005 - USA
