Why It Ranks
Air Force One is the best presidential action film ever made. Harrison Ford is completely convincing as a president who fights back, Gary Oldman’s villain is top-tier, and ‘Get off my plane!’ is an all-time one-liner. $315 million worldwide validated Ford’s status as the most bankable action star of the 1990s.
The Film
Air Force One is Die Hard on the President’s plane, and Harrison Ford sells every second of it. Ford plays the President of the United States, a former Medal of Honor recipient who fights back when Russian terrorists hijack Air Force One with his family aboard. Gary Oldman’s villain is menacing and politically motivated, Glenn Close commands authority as the Vice President managing the crisis from the ground, and Ford’s ‘Get off my plane!’ entered the lexicon of great action one-liners. Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, The Fugitive) brings genuine craftsmanship to what could have been a disposable thriller, and the practical effects — including a real 747 fuselage set — give the action weight.
Fun Facts
The White House reportedly loved the film. Bill Clinton screened it and said he wished he was that kind of president.
A full-scale 747 fuselage was built for interior scenes, one of the largest aircraft sets ever constructed.
Gary Oldman took a significant pay cut to play the villain because he admired Wolfgang Petersen’s work on Das Boot.
The parachute escape sequence required a 150-foot freefall rig that Ford insisted on using without a stunt double for close-ups.
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