Kenneth Rexach/Lionsgate
There may be no title in cinema history more hilariously generic than Plane, and the fact that much of the film’s story is set on the ground rather than in the air only further underscores its silliness. Nonetheless, the bluntness of that moniker is perfectly in tune with this B-movie’s rugged thrills, which are as meat-and-potatoes as its lead, Gerard Butler.
Arguably the best of Hollywood’s old-school action heroes, Butler is in fine macho form in Jean-François Richet’s feature, which hits theaters Jan. 13, proving once again that few marquee leads are as comfortable, and skilled, at kicking ass in do-or-die genre efforts.
Plane is a cheeseburger and a side of fries in movie form. It stars Butler as Brodie Torrance, a Scottish pilot for Trailblazer Airlines who is stationed out of Singapore. As he races through the airport, he phones his college-student daughter Daniela (Haleigh Hekking) to reassure her that he’ll be in Maui in time for New Year’s Eve. Given the many stops along his route. Daniela doesn’t quite buy her dad’s promise. Then again, he’s Gerard Butler, so she can’t doubt him too much.