Plane review – an aviation fuel-powered good time

A pilot miraculously pulls off a teeth-rattling emergency landing, only to discover he must rescue his passengers all over again, this time from the lawless separatists and militias that rule the island of Jolo in the Philippines. It may be big, brawling and somewhat inelegant in approach, but this Gerard Butler vehicle is an aviation fuel-powered good time. Think Die Hard meets Big Jet TV (or Fly Hard, if you prefer).

Butler plays Captain Brodie Torrance, a former RAF pilot now flying commercial routes in South East Asia. This trip is shaping up to be a little different: it’s New Year’s Eve, and if all goes to plan, Brodie will be reunited with his daughter at the end of it. But first there’s a whole lot of weather to push through and the little matter of a shackled prisoner, former French Foreign Legion operative Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), who is being extradited to stand trial for murder. Gaspare’s skill set proves crucial, both for the survival of the passengers and for the punchy blood lust of the film-making.