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Flightplan (Widescreen Edition)
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List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $13.49
Your Save: $ 1.50 ( 10% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Starring: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, Kate Beahan, Michael Irby
Directed By: Karen Inwood Somers, Robert Schwentke
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: FOSTER,JODIE
EAN: 0786936270532
Format: AC-3
Label: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2006-01-24
Running Time: 98
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Theatrical Release Date: 2005-09-23
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Editorial Reviews:
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Academy Award(R) winner Jodie Foster (Best Actress, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, 1991) gives an outstanding performance in the heart-pumping action thriller FLIGHTPLAN. Flying at 40,000 feet in a state-of-the art aircraft that she helped design, Kyle Pratt's (Foster) 6-year-old daughter Julia vanishes without a trace. Or did she? No one on the plane believes Julia was ever onboard. And now Kyle, desperate and alone, can only count on her own wits to unravel the mystery and save her daughter. From the producer of APOLLO 13 and A BEAUTIFUL MIND, FLIGHTPLAN is an intense, suspense-filled thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire flight.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Thriller for Families!
Comment:
I didn't expect to see the airplane thriller genre to revive anytime soon after 9/11, but the claustrophobic, understandably turbulent action offshoot made famous by the likes of Executive Decision and Air Force One never actually went away. Unfortunately real life events are still forcing a fictional tone down, but the 2002 Jodi Foster thriller Flightplan embraces the new less on action, more on brains turnabout.
Flightplan begins with former Engineer Kyle Pratt (Jodi Foster) preparing for a flight from Germany to America. Pratt and her six year old daughter (Marlene Lawston) are transporting her husband's coffin home, and understandably so, both mother and daughter are upset and confused. Kid is very fearful of the outdoors and the jumbo plan designed by Pratt. The packed double decker plane provides little comfort to the family, and when Mrs. Pratt wakes up from a restless sleep, she discovers her situation has gotten worse. Every mother's fear-kid has disappeared. When evidence implies that kid was never even on board the plane, both the crew and passengers suspect Pratt of foul play.
While researching for this review, I was surprised to find Jodi Foster's role was intended for Sean Penn. The change is nominal-the masculine first name of Kyle is only mentioned once in the film, and although it would have been intriguing to see a father dealing with the loss of a six year old, the vigilante father theme has been done before. I wouldn't think the role out of Penn's range, especially now, as an older subdued actor. For Foster however, the role comes almost too easy. Make no mistake, her performance was spot on, and no doubt about it, this is Jodi's film. Her facial realizations, actions, and movements are just right, yet it seems we've seen Foster in this kind of role before with previous hits Little Man Tate and Panic Room. Yet still, she adds her own spin on this near hysterical, yet highly intelligent mother. Panic Room was more action and stunts and about strong women taking control. Here, you would have somehow expected a man to be a propulsion engineer-except Foster plays Pratt as sympathetic, yet always with her wits about her. Not an easy line to walk, and its probably Foster's Oscar winning talent that makes it seem so effortless and nonchalant.
I was impressed with the mostly unknown cast that holds its own with Foster. We see just enough of daughter Julia for the seeds of a realistic relationship, and hey, it's a cute kid. Who wants to have her kidnapped, really? I've not seen Peter Sarsgaard before, but his portrayal of the ambiguous marshal Mike is equally subdued versus Foster. Likewise, Erika Christensen becomes fishy as the lone flight attendant who may be trying to help Foster, as does contentious stewardess Stephanie (Kate Beahan). The dialogue between all is tight and real, including the swift references to Foster simply as `Mrs. Pratt'. They are all just trying to be so polite!
Kudos to director Robert Schwentke and writers Peter Dowling and Billy Ray for keeping the film multi cultural and languaged. On-plane video and the jet's crew are often heard repeating everything that's said in English, German, and French. Making a film like this with an American protagonist and a solely American crew is simply not realistic.
Fortunately, the most obvious antagonist in Flightplan is Sean Bean as Captain Rich. His attempts at sympathy toward Pratt try his patience-and he seems quite the jerk. His flat out questioning of Pratt's drinking or medication and labored indulgence of her absurd requests allude to a Twilight Zone feeling. Is there no one on Pratt's side? Why does she have such blind faith in the Captain's control of the plane? Thinking of his crew and passengers first makes Bean-who is very well known to American audiences for his villainous turns in Patriot Games, Goldeneye, and Don't Say A Word- look like the bad guy. His uppity British tone had a tinge of villainy, but of course, early on you learn that nothing in Flightplan is what it seems.
Flightplan excels in delighting the mind over the action. We've seen films like Turbulence that pride themselves on how much they can make their prop plane shake, but Pratt's knowledge of aeronautics and aviation provide smart set ups and believable in-flight action. The references to the 9/11 attacks are also well played. You can't not mention it or how its change airline procedures. How the crew and passengers react to these restrictions in the unusual situation of having a child onboard go missing is more suspenseful and mind thrilling than losing cabin pressure.
The believability of a child missing on a plane-How many places could there be? It's not like she could leave!- is helped by the ultra slick set of the plane. Lush bars and crew areas, double decker passenger lounges, spacious cockpit. The posh look of the common plane areas is state of the art, and the underbelly sequences are dark, cramped, full of mechanics-very realistic. If you don't know what the innards of a plane look like, you can imagine with Flightplan.
The behind the scenes features on the widescreen DVD are standard enough-and by the way, do get widescreen even if you are still clinging to full screen viewings. The scope of the plane and flying cannot be fully realized with a cropped picture. Schwentke and his team shed light on the featurettes, along with cast interviews, screen tests, and the usually movie magic reveals. What amazes me most about Flightplan is while it does have some potentially scary scenes and the obligatory plane explosions, the film is quite family friendly.
Younger children may be frightened by the kidnapping set up or death talk-especially children that might have recollections of September 11th, but thinking kids 10 and up might enjoy a night in with Flightplan. Enough action, realistic folks to root for, and very little blood or language. Parents beware, however, over a few scenes involving the stereotyping of Arab passengers. I don't suspect that is something even the smartest kid could really understand.
The conclusion of Flightplan, unfortunately, leaves a bit to desire. After showcasing Foster's intelligence, the ending relies on one the the bad's cohorts to confess everything. It's also a bit foolish to have Pratt ultimately destroy the evidence that could clear her without the cohort's capture. Still, all parties carry their performances through to the end. Not only carry, but step up as the story unfolds to its inevitable- if potential let down- ending.
But hey, it's tough for parents to find a film the whole family can watch. Even if you think your children are too young to understand the finer points of Flightplan, it's not the kind of film you have to keep looking your shoulder for while you watch. Let the kids cheer for something-and perhaps get a lesson and some food for thought with the entertainment.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fakes On A Plane...
Comment: I've loved Jodie Foster ever since being mesmerized by her in THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was the dark icing on the cake. Now, Ms. Foster has become a suspense / thriller / action hero. PANIC ROOM was great and FLIGHTPLAN is almost as good. Here we get a mother named Kyle Pratt (Foster), trapped on a plane, unable to find her 6yo daughter. Unfortunately, no one believes her, and there's no record of her daughter ever being on the plane! Is she nuts, or is there some diabolical conspiracy afoot? The tension builds nicely, while we wonder what is going on. Kyle goes from concerned parent to nearly berserk passenger to unstoppable super-mum on the loose! Definitely a flight worth taking...
Customer Rating:
Summary: A serious "AIRPLANE?"
Comment: For some reason, I couldn't take this movie seriously. It was the way that all the people looked at Jodie Foster (Kyle) when she told everyone that her daughter was missing on the plane. The flight attendants and passengers looked like they were going to give "that look" from the comedy "Airplane." In fact, any minute I was expecting Leslie Nielsen to show up and say "Stop calling me Shirley." Wait a minute, I was expecting Sean Bean (The Captain) to say "Stop calling me Shirley."
Foster mentions to the captain and attendants that she was under the medication of Klonopin. Well, as the film kept dragging on, I felt like I was on Klonopin - not that I've ever taken Klono.......pin. Never mind.
It was a nice trip through the entire plane, while everyone was looking for Kyle's daughter. I loved the "pained expression" on the Sky Marshal's face when Foster was berating him. Come to think of it, seems like everyone had a pained expression when inconvenienced by Foster - in particular, the Middle Eastern guys. Goofy movie.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Never under estimate a mother
Comment: Jodie Foster shows everyone that a mother will do anything to protect her child and no one will get in her way as she plows through doubters and those in authority to find her child. This movie gets your blood pumping through her struggle. Movie arrive in excellent condition.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Whole Lotta Bad Acting
Comment: I usually like Jodi Foster but her performance here is over the top, and the rest of the performances are just plain bad. The story itself is formulaic. I was disappointed.
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