:Air Force One (film)
{{Short description|1997 film by Wolfgang Petersen}}
{{distinguish|Air Force One Down}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Air Force One
| image = Air Force One (movie poster).jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Wolfgang Petersen
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Armyan Bernstein
- Gail Katz
- Jonathan Shestack
- Wolfgang Petersen
}}
| writer = Andrew W. Marlowe
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Harrison Ford
- Gary Oldman
- Wendy Crewson
- Paul Guilfoyle
- William H. Macy
- Liesel Matthews
- Dean Stockwell
}}
| music = Jerry Goldsmith
| cinematography = Michael Ballhaus
| editing = Richard Francis-Bruce
| studio = {{Plainlist|
- Columbia Pictures
- Beacon Pictures
- Radiant Productions
}}
| distributor = {{Plainlist|
- Sony Pictures Releasing (United States and Canada)
- Buena Vista International (International)
}}
| released = {{Film date|1997|07|21|Century City|1997|07|25|United States}}
| runtime = 124 minutes{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0118571/ |title=Air Force One (1997) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=January 1, 2021 |archive-date=July 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714112526/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=airforceone.htm |url-status=live}}
| country = United States
| language = English
Russian
}}
Air Force One is a 1997 American political action thriller film directed and co-produced by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson, Xander Berkeley, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell, Paul Guilfoyle and Jürgen Prochnow. The film was written by Andrew W. Marlowe. It follows Air Force One being hijacked by a group of terrorists who demand the release of their country’s imprisoned dictator and the President's attempt to rescue everyone on board by retaking his plane.
The film was a box office success and received mostly positive critical reviews. It became the fifth highest-grossing film of 1997, earning $315.2 million worldwide. It also received two Academy Award nominations for Best Sound and Best Film Editing, losing both awards to Titanic.{{cite news |last=Garner |first=Chris |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/iowa-city-press-citizen-a-titanic-winn/109932077/ |title=A 'Titanic' winner |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506152141/https://www.newspapers.com/article/iowa-city-press-citizen-a-titanic-winn/109932077/ |date=March 24, 1998 |access-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |page=17 |agency=Gannett News Service |newspaper=Iowa City Press-Citizen |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}
Plot
A joint operation between American and Russian special forces captures General Ivan Radek, the dictator of a rogue neo-Soviet regime in Kazakhstan that retained its nuclear weapons, threatening war. Three weeks later, U.S. President James Marshall attends a diplomatic dinner in Moscow, during which he praises the operation and insists the United States will no longer negotiate with terrorists. Marshall and his entourage, including his wife Grace and daughter Alice, and several of his cabinet and advisers, prepare to return home on Air Force One. Six Radek loyalists disguised as journalists led by Egor Korshunov board the plane.
After takeoff, Secret Service agent Gibbs, a mole, enables Korshunov and his men to obtain weapons and hijack the plane, killing multiple security and military personnel before taking the passengers hostage, including Grace and Alice. Marshall is raced to an escape pod in the cargo hold and seemingly escapes as the pod is ejected. Korshunov breaches the cockpit, aborting the plane from making an emergency landing at Ramstein Air Base. A squadron of F-15s escort Air Force One as Korshunov has it piloted towards Kazakhstan.
However, Marshall, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a Medal of Honor recipient, had hidden himself in the cargo hold instead of using the pod. He covertly kills two of Korshunov's men and obtains a satellite phone to communicate with Vice President Kathryn Bennett, letting his staff know he is still alive and aboard the plane. Korshunov, assuming that it is merely a Secret Service agent in the cargo hold, contacts Bennett and demands Radek's release, threatening to kill a hostage every half-hour. Separating Alice and Grace from the group, he kills National Security Advisor Jack Doherty and Deputy Press Secretary Melanie Mitchell. Marshall unsuccessfully tries to force Korshunov to land by dumping some fuel after rewiring the plane's circuitry.
Marshall devises a plan to trick Korshunov into bringing Air Force One to a lower altitude of 15,000 feet for a mid-air refueling so that the hostages can parachute safely off the plane. As a KC-10 tanker docks with Air Force One, Marshall escorts the hostages to the cargo hold, where the majority parachute to safety. Korshunov and his men discover the deception and catch Marshall, Chief of Staff Lloyd Shepherd, Major Norman Caldwell, and Gibbs. The induced turbulence severs the connection between the tanker and Air Force One, and the fuel leak ignites, destroying the tanker.
With the President and his family now under his control, Korshunov forces Marshall to contact Russian President Stolicha Petrov and arrange for Radek's release. Bennett is urged by Defense Secretary Walter Dean to invoke the 25th Amendment, thus overriding Radek's release, but she refuses. While Korshunov and his men celebrate Radek's release, Marshall breaks free and kills Korshunov and his remaining loyalists. Marshall rescinds his order, and Radek is shot dead while attempting to escape.
Marshall and Caldwell direct the plane back to friendly airspace but are tailed by a second batch of Radek loyalists in MiG-29s. The F-15s rejoin with Air Force One and engage with the enemy aircraft, but Air Force One suffers severe damage to its fuel tanks, engines, and tail controls from the MiG-29's gunfire, and an explosion from an F-15 when its pilot sacrifices himself to intercept a missile.
A standby United States Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130E with the callsign Liberty 24 is called to help, sending parajumpers on tether lines to rescue the survivors. Marshall insists that his family and the wounded Shepherd be transferred first. When there is time for only one more transfer, Gibbs reveals himself as the traitor, killing Caldwell and the parajumper. Marshall attacks Gibbs and attaches himself to the transfer line at the last moment. Air Force One crashes into the Caspian Sea, killing Gibbs while the MC-130E airmen reel Marshall in safety. With Marshall and his family confirmed safe, Liberty 24 is given the callsign Air Force One as it flies to safety.
Cast
First Family
- Harrison Ford as President James Marshall
- Wendy Crewson as First Lady Grace Marshall
- Liesel Matthews as Alice Marshall, the President's daughter
Terrorists
- Gary Oldman as Egor Korshunov, terrorist ringleader and Radek loyalist
- Elya Baskin as Andrei Kolchak, Korshunov's second in-command and pilot
- Levan Uchaneishvili as Sergei Lenski, communications expert
- David Vadim as Igor Nevsky
- Andrew Divoff as Boris Bazylev
- Ilia Volok as Vladimir Krasin, Korshunov's close friend, whom he served with in the Soviet-Afghan War
U.S. Government on Air Force One
- Paul Guilfoyle as White House Chief of Staff Lloyd Shepherd
- William H. Macy as Major Norman Caldwell, United States Air Force, military aide to the President
- Xander Berkeley as Secret Service Special Agent Gibbs, head of the Presidential Protective Division, later revealed as the hijackers' inside man
- Tom Everett as National Security Advisor Jack Doherty
- Donna Bullock as Deputy Press Secretary Melanie Mitchell
- Michael Ray Miller as Colonel Axelrod, United States Air Force, pilot of Air Force One
- Carl Weintraub as Lieutenant Colonel Ingraham, United States Air Force, co-pilot of Air Force One
- Glenn Morshower as United States Secret Service Agent Walters
- David Gianopoulos as United States Secret Service Agent Johnson
U.S. Government in Washington
- Glenn Close as Vice President Kathryn Bennett
- Dean Stockwell as Defense Secretary Walter Dean
- Spencer Garrett as White House aide Thomas Lee
- Bill Smitrovich as General William Northwood, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- J. A. Preston as Major General Samuel Greely, President Marshall's commanding officer during the Vietnam War
- Philip Baker Hall as Attorney General Andrew Ward
- Richard Doyle as Colonel Bob Jackson, United States Air Force, Air Force One Backup Pilot
- Willard Pugh as White House communications officer
- Diana Bellamy as White House switchboard operator Pananides
- Michael Monks as Assistant White House Press Secretary
Miscellaneous
- Alan Woolf as Russian President Petrov
- Jürgen Prochnow as General Ivan Radek, the military dictator of a rogue terrorist regime in Kazakhstan
- Don McManus as Lieutenant Colonel Jack Carlton, F-15 "Halo Flight" leader
- Dan Shor as Notre Dame aide
Production
=Development=
A large part of the crew took a tour of the real Air Force One before filming. They based some of the film's scenes on the touring experience when the terrorists disguised as journalists survey the plane's layout and begin to take their seats. The character of Deputy Press Secretary Melanie Mitchell was based largely on their real-life tour guide, and the crew felt uncomfortable having to film the character's execution by the terrorists.Wolfgang Petersen audio commentary For the exterior scenes, the producers rented a Boeing 747-146 aircraft, N703CK from Kalitta Air and repainted it to replicate the Air Force One livery.{{cite news|last1=Larson|first1=George C.|title=The Making of Air Force One|url=http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/the-making-of-air-force-one-90271282/?no-ist|access-date=November 29, 2015|work=Air & Space|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|date=September 1997|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208065822/http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/the-making-of-air-force-one-90271282/?no-ist|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=http://www.avweb.com/news/reviews/182370-1.html |title=The Making of Air Force One |last=Larson |first=Gary |date=November 1, 1997 |work=AVWeb |publisher=Aviation Publishing Group |access-date=January 11, 2010 |archive-date=December 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091218190210/http://www.avweb.com/news/reviews/182370-1.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/25/movies/just-a-little-turbulence-mr-president.html |title=Just a Little Turbulence, Mr. President |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=July 25, 1997 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=January 16, 2010 |archive-date=August 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810115457/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/25/movies/just-a-little-turbulence-mr-president.html |url-status=live}}
Air Force One is shown as being equipped with a one-person escape pod for emergency use by the President of the United States. It was also done this way in at least three other films, Escape from New York, Bermuda Tentacles and Big Game. The actual Air Force One does not have an escape pod.{{Cite magazine |author-link=Jef McAllister |last=McAllister |first=J.F.O. |date=July 28, 1997 |title=Cinema: On the Real Thing, No Pods and No Parachutes |magazine=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,986775,00.html}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/air-force-one-point-three/385037/ |title=Air Force One-Point-Three – After a quarter-century of service, the aging presidential airplanes are being replaced by a pair of state-of-the-art Boeing 747-8s |magazine=The Atlantic |author=Russell Berman |date=January 31, 2015 |access-date=November 12, 2016 |archive-date=November 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111061539/http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/air-force-one-point-three/385037/ |url-status=live}}
Paul Attanasio was brought in as a script doctor to work on the film prior to shooting.{{cite web |title=Paul Attanasio Bio |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001921/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm |publisher=iMDB}} Scenes explaining Agent Gibbs' motivation for being the mole were cut from the final script.https://www.slashfilm.com/1503887/air-force-one-agent-gibbs-villain-backstory/ According to director Wolfgang Petersen, the scene was considered too long to tell and so it was cut from the film. The director also felt that it was unnecessary to have the scene in the film so it was removed as it was irrelevant to the plot. In the original draft, Gibbs revealed himself as the mole early and joined the terrorists in hijacking the plane. The director felt it was more suspenseful to keep the audience in the know in the final cut and specifically pointed to the scene in which Marshall gives Gibbs a gun before escorting the hostages from the conference room to the parachutes in the cargo hold.
Gary Oldman was hired to play the role as the film's villain after choosing not to accept a role in Speed 2: Cruise Control.{{cite news|date=August 11, 1996|title=Oldman puts the brakes on Speed 2|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Oldman+puts+the+brakes+on+Speed+2.-a061178211|work=Sunday Mirror|access-date=March 17, 2011|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305004147/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Oldman+puts+the+brakes+on+Speed+2.-a061178211|url-status=live}} Petersen later said he called the filming experience "Air Force Fun" because of how comic and genial Oldman would be off-screen. He also said that Oldman would suddenly return to the menacing film persona "like a shot." Oldman used his acting fee for the film to help finance his directorial debut, Nil by Mouth.
Kevin Costner was offered the role of James Marshall but turned it down as he had other commitments, and the script was given to Harrison Ford who accepted it.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-20-ca-14350-story.html|title=The Selling of the President|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 20, 1997 |access-date=January 6, 2022}}
=Filming=
General Radek's palace, seen in the film's opening, was portrayed by two locations in Cleveland, Ohio: the exterior was Severance Hall, and the interior was the Cuyahoga County Courthouse. The Russian prison where Radek was incarcerated was the Ohio State Reformatory, previously seen in The Shawshank Redemption and also used for Godsmack's music video for "Awake" in 2000. Ramstein Air Base, Germany was portrayed by Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio. The diplomatic dinner scene was shot at the Ebell of Los Angeles while a second unit captured scenes in Red Square in Moscow. Scenes featuring Sheremetyevo International Airport, the departure airport of Air Force One in the film, were shot at Los Angeles International Airport.
Ford refused to do a scene in the script where Marshall sits down to gather himself as he felt that he didn't sit down when family is in a crisis.https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/air-force-one-screenwriter-andrew-marlowe-retrospective-interview Marlowe always felt the "Get off my plane!" line was cheesy until Ford performed it to "pitch-perfect".
F-15C Eagle aircraft from the 33rd Operations Group, 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida were used in the film.{{cite news|title=Local crew called on to defend 'Air Force One' (film)|work=Northwest Florida Daily News|date= July 13, 1997|page= 1B}}
=Score=
{{Infobox album
| name = Air Force One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
| type = soundtrack
| artist = Jerry Goldsmith
| cover =
| alt =
| released = July 29, 1997
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Film score
| length = 34:37
| label = Varèse Sarabande
| producer =
| prev_title = Fierce Creatures
| prev_year = 1997
| next_title = L.A. Confidential
| next_year = 1997
}}
Randy Newman was initially hired to write the film score; however, Petersen considered his composition to be almost a parody and commissioned Jerry Goldsmith to write and record a more somber and patriotic score in just twelve days, with assistance from Joel McNeely.{{cite web|url=http://www.moviemusicuk.us/af1rancd.htm |title=Air Force One (rejected score) (review) |access-date=August 21, 2009 |work=Movie Music U.K. |last=Broxton |first=Jonathan |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206072109/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/af1rancd.htm |archive-date=December 6, 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://www.soundtrack-express.com/osts/aforeject.htm|title=Air Force One (rejected score)|access-date=August 21, 2009|work=Soundtrack Express |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020811193529/http://www.soundtrack-express.com/osts/aforeject.htm |archive-date=August 11, 2002}} After the experience, Goldsmith vowed to never again take on such a last-minute task.{{cite web|url=http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/air_force_one.html|first=Christian|last=Clemmensen|title=Air Force One|date=July 28, 1997|access-date=August 21, 2009|publisher=Filmtracks Publications|work=Filmtracks.com|archive-date=March 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319151238/http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/air_force_one.html|url-status=live}}
The music label Varèse Sarabande released a soundtrack album featuring Goldsmith's music. McNeely receives a credit on the back cover for "Additional Music in the Motion Picture", but none of his work is on the CD, although his cues include the material heard when Air Force One is under attack.{{Original research inline|date=December 2015}} On September 27, 2019, a 2-CD release featuring the full score was released.{{Cite web|url=https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/air-force-one-the-deluxe-edition?_pos=3&_sid=4e428e442&_ss=r|title = Air Force One: The Deluxe Edition (CD)}}
The first track of the soundtrack, "The Parachutes", was used by Donald Trump during his campaign for president of the United States in 2016. The track was played in the background at the New York Hilton Midtown{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/11/02/trump-to-spend-election-night-at-hilton-midtown-hotel-in-manhattan/|title=Trump to spend election night at Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 2, 2016|access-date=June 19, 2017|last1=Sullivan|first1=Sean|archive-date=April 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408144647/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/11/02/trump-to-spend-election-night-at-hilton-midtown-hotel-in-manhattan/|url-status=live}} prior to Trump's victory speech, following Hillary Clinton's concession.{{cite news|last=Mullin|first=Gemma|title=Victorious Donald Trump walks out to Air Force One movie soundtrack as he's elected US president|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/victorious-donald-trump-walks-out-9224156|newspaper=Daily Mirror|publisher=MGN|date=November 9, 2016|access-date=January 20, 2017|archive-date=January 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105014428/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/victorious-donald-trump-walks-out-9224156|url-status=live}} The track was used repeatedly at campaign events with the Trump plane as background, leading the film's producer to ask him to stop using it.{{cite news| url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/donald-trump-asked-stop-using-914481| author1= Cassidy, Kevin| title= Donald Trump Asked to Stop Using 'Air Force One' Music for Campaign (Exclusive)| website= The Hollywood Reporter| date= July 25, 2016| access-date= July 26, 2018| archive-date= July 26, 2018| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180726170213/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/donald-trump-asked-stop-using-914481| url-status= live}}
Reception
=Critical response=
On Rotten Tomatoes, Air Force One has an approval rating of 79% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "This late-period Harrison Ford actioner is full of palpable, if not entirely seamless, thrills."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/air_force_one/ |title=Air Force One |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=January 10, 2023 |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209035159/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/air_force_one |url-status=live}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/air-force-one |title=Air Force One reviews |website=Metacritic |access-date=October 16, 2017 |archive-date=October 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024202255/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/air-force-one |url-status=live}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= Cinemascore |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= December 20, 2018 |access-date= August 30, 2019}}
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone awarded the film 3.5/4 stars, describing it as "superior escapism", and concluding, "Air Force One doesn't insult the audience. It is crafted by a film-maker who takes pride in the thrills and sly fun he packs into every frame. Welcome to something rare in a summer of crass commercialism: a class act."Travers, Peter. "[https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/air-force-one-19970725 Air Force One] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017044007/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/air-force-one-19970725 |date=2017-10-17}}". Rolling Stone. July 25, 1997. Retrieved May 12, 2012. Todd McCarthy of Variety described the film as "a preposterously pulpy but quite entertaining suspense meller [melodrama]" that is "spiked by some spectacularly staged and genuinely tense action sequences". He lauded the film's antagonist: "[Gary] Oldman, in his second malevolent lead of the summer, after The Fifth Element, registers strongly as a veteran of the Afghan campaign pushed to desperate lengths to newly ennoble his country."{{cite web |date= July 27, 1997 |last= McCarthy |first= Todd |author-link= Todd McCarthy |title= Air Force One |url= https://variety.com/review/VE1117329619 |website= Variety |access-date= August 30, 2019 |archive-date= September 1, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120901234944/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117329619/ |url-status= live}}
In a mixed review, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4 and found it flawed and cliché-ridden yet "well-served by the quality of the performances ... Air Force One is a fairly competent recycling of familiar ingredients, given an additional interest because of Harrison Ford's personal appeal."{{cite web|first=Roger|last=Ebert|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/air-force-one-1997|title=Air Force One Review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017140115/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/air-force-one-1997|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|archive-date=October 17, 2015|date=July 25, 1997|access-date=May 12, 2012}} Adam Mars-Jones of The Independent was more critical, calling it "so preposterous that it begins to seem like a science-fiction artifact ... the product of a parallel-universe 1990s which somehow by-passed the decades since the 1950s."{{cite news |access-date=October 5, 2010 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/get-me-out-of-here-1238525.html |title=Get me out of here – Air Force One – Review – The Independent |location=London |first=Adam |last=Mars-Jones |date=September 11, 1997 |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104153904/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/get-me-out-of-here-1238525.html |url-status=live}}
President Bill Clinton saw the film twice while in office and gave it good reviews. He noted that certain elements of the film's version of Air Force One, such as the escape pod and the rear parachute ramp, did not reflect features of the actual Air Force One (though since many Air Force One features are highly classified and "need-to-know", these features cannot be completely ruled out).{{cite web |url=http://www.garyoldman.twistedlogic.nl/item5b.html |title=The Dark Side of Gary Oldman. 'Air Force One (1997)' |publisher=Garyoldman.twistedlogic.nl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223202306/http://www.garyoldman.twistedlogic.nl/item5b.html |archive-date=February 23, 2012 |access-date=September 28, 2016 |url-status = dead}} In the audio commentary, Wolfgang Petersen mused that although the real plane did not have those features at the time of the filming, they would probably be added by future governments.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}
During his campaign for the Presidency of the United States in the 2016 presidential election, businessman and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he admired Ford for his role in Air Force One because he "stood up for America". Ford responded by reasoning that "it was just a film" and doubted Trump's presidential bid would be successful.{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/11/entertainment/harrison-ford-donald-trump-air-force-one-feat/|title=Harrison Ford has a fan in Trump|date=December 11, 2015|first=Melonyce|last=McAfee|work=CNN|access-date=June 7, 2017|archive-date=January 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119043533/http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/11/entertainment/harrison-ford-donald-trump-air-force-one-feat/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/harrison-ford-reminds-donald-trump-air-force-one-was-only-t61036|title=Harrison Ford reminds Donald Trump that 'Air Force One' was only a movie|first=Randee|last=Dawn|date=December 11, 2015|work=Today |access-date=June 7, 2017|archive-date=December 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151214025906/http://www.today.com/popculture/harrison-ford-reminds-donald-trump-air-force-one-was-only-t61036|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/us/politics/voters-worried-about-terrorism-look-for-leaders-at-home-on-silver-screen.html|title=Voters, Worried About Terrorism, Look for Leaders at Home on Silver Screen|date=December 2, 2015|last1=Healy|first1=Patrick|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 23, 2017|archive-date=August 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809033212/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/us/politics/voters-worried-about-terrorism-look-for-leaders-at-home-on-silver-screen.html|url-status=live}} In turn, Trump played the theme of Air Force One prior to his introduction speech as President-elect.{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSlWZpZXeOU|title=Donald Trump introduced for the first time as President-elect|date=November 9, 2016|last1=|first1=|work=YouTube|access-date=July 2, 2023}}
A Wall Street Journal poll in 2016 named Harrison Ford's James Marshall as the greatest fictional president.{{cite news |author= |title=44 Fake Presidents From Worst to Best |url=http://graphics.wsj.com/image-grid/44-fake-presidents/ |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=July 24, 2016}}
=Box office=
As one of the most popular action films of the 1990s, Air Force One earned $37.1 million during its opening weekend and ranked number one at the box office, beating Men in Black.{{cite web|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/07/28/air-force-one-flies-to-top-of-list/|title=Air Force One' flies to top of list}} At the time, the film had the fourth-highest opening weekend of that year, behind the latter film, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Batman & Robin.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108633734/presidential-bravery-triumphs-at-box/ |title=Presidential bravery triumphs at box office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902221737/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108633734/presidential-bravery-triumphs-at-box/ |newspaper=The Reporter |page=13 |date=July 28, 1997 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-date=September 2, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=live}} {{Open access}} It scored the highest opening weekend for an R-rated film, surpassing Interview with the Vampire.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108633236/air-force-one-tops-box-office/ |title='Air Force One' tops box office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903171858/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108633236/air-force-one-tops-box-office/ |newspaper=The Commercial Appeal |page=15 |date=July 28, 1997 |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=live}} {{Open access}} The film would hold this record for three years until it was surpassed by Scary Movie in 2000.{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jul-11-ca-50737-story.html|title='Scary Movie' Makes a Gross Statement |work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 11, 2000 }} Additionally, the film achieved the highest opening weekend for a Harrison Ford film, surpassing the former record held by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109139946/hjack-thriller-at-top/ |title=Hjack thriller at top |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907220251/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109139946/hjack-thriller-at-top/ |newspaper=Iowa City Press-Citizen |page=18 |date=July 29, 1997 |access-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=live}} {{Open access}} For a decade, it would go on to hold this record until 2008 when it was taken by Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.{{cite magazine|last=Rich|first=Joshua|title='Indiana Jones 4' digs up big box office|url=https://ew.com/article/2008/05/28/indiana-jones-4-digs-big-box-office/
|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=May 31, 2022|date=May 28, 2008|archive-date=May 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531131431/https://ew.com/article/2008/05/28/indiana-jones-4-digs-big-box-office/|url-status=live}} Air Force One went on to make $172,650,002 (54.9%) domestically and $142,200,000 (45.1%) in other countries, bringing the total gross to $315.2 million.{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=G.I. Jane' Proves Its Mettle in Second Week at Box Office |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 2, 1997 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-02-ca-28038-story.html |access-date=December 27, 2010 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807060440/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-02-ca-28038-story.html |url-status=live}}
=Accolades=
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2001: AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – Nominated{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/thrills400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills Nominees |access-date=August 20, 2016 |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706070532/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/thrills400.pdf |url-status=live}}
Home media
Air Force One was released on VHS, LaserDisc, and DVD on February 10, 1998,{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/121/Air-Force-One.html|title=Air Force One DVD Release Date February 10, 1998|website=DVDs Release Dates|access-date=November 23, 2018|archive-date=November 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124162230/https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/121/Air-Force-One.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=LaserDisc Database - Air Force One: Special Edition [71886]|url=https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/08129/71886/Air-Force-One:-Special-Edition|access-date=July 20, 2020|website=www.lddb.com|archive-date=July 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720055959/https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/08129/71886/Air-Force-One:-Special-Edition|url-status=live}} and on Blu-ray on June 2, 2009.{{Citation|title=Air Force One Blu-ray|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Air-Force-One-Blu-ray/4842/|access-date=November 23, 2018|archive-date=November 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124055224/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Air-Force-One-Blu-ray/4842/|url-status=live}} A 4K UHD Blu-ray followed on November 6, 2018.{{Citation|title=Air Force One 4K Blu-ray|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Air-Force-One-4K-Blu-ray/211420/|access-date=November 23, 2018|archive-date=November 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124055227/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Air-Force-One-4K-Blu-ray/211420/|url-status=live}}
The US LaserDisc release of the film is notorious among LaserDisc collectors as being extremely prone to "Laser rot", a form of optical disc degradation, due to repeat production issues at the Sony DADC facility where the discs were produced.{{Cite web|title=Disc Rot: What Happens When Discs Die|url=https://tedium.co/2017/02/02/disc-rot-phenomenon/|access-date=July 20, 2020|website=Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.|date=February 3, 2017 |archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802163939/https://tedium.co/2017/02/02/disc-rot-phenomenon/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=LaserDisc Database - Laser Rot - Explanation|url=https://www.lddb.com/laserrot.php|access-date=July 20, 2020|website=www.lddb.com|archive-date=June 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630031951/https://www.lddb.com/laserrot.php|url-status=live}}
Novelization
A novelization of the film was published in June 1997 by author Max Allan Collins. Although the book has the same central plot and outcomes as the film, its main storyline has additional scenes and lines not in the film. The book develops characters more than the film. Marshall is described as possessing a smile that is described in the novel as "the most valuable weapon in his public relations arsenal" (p. 11). He promotes an interventionist line on foreign policy and a strong stance against terrorism (met with political opposition from opposition Speaker of the House Franklin Danforth in the novel). He is described as a first-term President, up for re-election later on in the year that the film is set in. Marshall's home state is Iowa. A two-term former governor of Iowa in the novel, he first campaigns in the film for the US House.
He graduated from University of Iowa in the early 1970s in the novel and may also have attended the University of Notre Dame. His senior Staff and Cabinet include Vice President Kathryn Bennett (former congresswoman and trial attorney from New Jersey), Chief of Staff Lloyd Shepherd (an old friend from U of I), National Security Advisor Jack Doherty, Secretary of Defense Walter Dean, Deputy NSA Director Thomas Lee, Deputy Press Secretary Melanie Mitchell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Northwood, and Air Force General Greeley (under whom Marshall served in Vietnam). His Party is Republican in the novel.
Marshall is described in the novel as "a moderate-Republican version of Bill Clinton, minus the womanizing reputation, and without a hint of personal or professional scandal" (p. 99–100). Korshunov's family is expanded upon, and it is revealed that Korshunov is not his real name. Unlike the movie, Gibbs's identity as the traitor is not revealed until the end of the book. It also hints at his motivation: "What he did remember, as he sipped his coffee, was that he knew these men, had worked with these men, and it was a damn shame they had to die so that he could be wealthy." Korshunov later tells Marshall he "paid" him off. It also presents a slightly alternative ending: in the novel, Air Force One crashes in the Russian countryside, whereas in the film, it crashes into the Caspian Sea.{{cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/663082.Air_Force_One|title=Air Force One review|publisher=Goodreads|access-date=November 18, 2015|archive-date=November 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101235747/http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/663082.Air_Force_One|url-status=live}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite web |access-date=September 28, 2011 |url=http://garyoldman.info/Movies/thumbnails.php?album=18 |title=Air Force One Movie Gallery |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208095140/http://www.garyoldman.info/movies/thumbnails.php?album=18 |archive-date=December 8, 2008}}
- {{cite web |access-date=October 5, 2010 |url=http://www.rad.net.nz/index.php?id=843 |title=Air Force One as Political Communication|first=Richard|last=Davis|work=Radiescent}}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.filmscouts.com/scripts/matinee.cfm?Film=air-for&File=productn |work=Film Scouts |author=Film Scouts |title=Air Force One: About The Production |year=1999 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000106101418/http://www.filmscouts.com/scripts/matinee.cfm?Film=air-for&File=productn |archive-date=January 6, 2000}}
External links
{{Wikiquote|Air Force One (film)|Air Force One}}
{{portal|Film}}
- {{AFI film|60488|Air Force One}}
- {{IMDb title|0118571|Air Force One}}
- {{TCMDb title|328888|Air Force One}}
{{Wolfgang Petersen}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Air Force One}}
Category:1997 action thriller films
Category:1990s political thriller films
Category:American action thriller films
Category:American aviation films
Category:American disaster films
Category:American political thriller films
Category:Beacon Pictures films
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Category:1990s English-language films
Category:Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith
Category:Films about aviation accidents or incidents
Category:Films about fictional presidents of the United States
Category:Films about aircraft hijackings
Category:Films about terrorism
Category:Films directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Category:Films set in the Caspian Sea
Category:Films set in Kazakhstan
Category:Films set in the White House
Category:Films set in Washington, D.C.
Category:Films set on airplanes
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Category:Films produced by Gail Katz
Category:Touchstone Pictures films
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Category:Films about the United States Air Force
Category:United States presidential succession in fiction
Category:Films about Air Force One