The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979)

20% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
21% of users liked it
(924 ratings)

The fourth Airport film may be the silliest of them all, as George Kennedy returns, this time co-piloting with Alain Delon. The plane is on its way to the Moscow Olympics, has a bomb on board, and gets fired upon with missiles that necessitate flying upside-down. A look at the cast list resembles a… More The fourth Airport film may be the silliest of them all, as George Kennedy returns, this time co-piloting with Alain Delon. The plane is on its way to the Moscow Olympics, has a bomb on board, and gets fired upon with missiles that necessitate flying upside-down. A look at the cast list resembles a bad episode of Fantasy Island, but it's always fun to see shameless touches like casting Mercedes McCambridge (Johnny Guitar) as the coach of the Soviet team. If you don't understand the significance of that choice, you may find this film more tedious than laughable, but fans of bad movies will have a field day, as Jimmie Walker, Charo, and -- oddly enough -- Bibi Andersson rub shoulders with high-altitude disaster. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: David Lowell Rich
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Aug 3, 1979 Wide

Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin, New York Times
Aeronautically and otherwise, it's a bumpy trip.
Variety Staff, Variety
Unintentional comedy still seems the Airport series' forte, although excellent special effects work, and some decent dramatics help Concorde take off.
, Time Out
A deafening sonic yawn signs off this desperate finale to Universal's Arthur Hailey-inspired quartet of in-flight entertainments.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The picture's one distinction is that there are more bedroom scenes and suicides than in any other airport movie.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Easily the silliest entry in a series chock-full of silly entries. Not among the very worst disaster flicks, but surely you could find something better.

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Terrible junk that is low rent in every category. Abysmal special effects, a script that is pratically incoherent, and great, good and bad actors all going down with the ship mostly because the characters they play make absolutely no sense. Avoid this if at all possible.
Ross C

An incredible story where a passenger-carrying Concorde is under attack by the French Air Force. This movie has to be seen just to experience the appalling special effects as the Concorde banks to avoid a missile.
alan j

Final installment of the Airport series which had been steadily declining since the original in 1970. The efx are pathetic, but even worse the storyline is poor with plot holes big enough to fly the concorde through. The script is downright awful, with plenty of awkward moments,… More
Final installment of the Airport series which had been steadily declining since the original in 1970. The efx are pathetic, but even worse the storyline is poor with plot holes big enough to fly the concorde through. The script is downright awful, with plenty of awkward moments, although meant to be serious, elicit snickers or belly laughs from the viewer. Poor george Kennedy, minimalized in Airport 1977, has a leading role in this feature but almost seems embarassed by this fiasco. A poor wrap-up to the series. This movie can best be summed with by the "cockpit" remark..poor taste and putrid. The movie seems to suddenly end; I guess the producer ran out of money and decided enough was enough.

Cast

            Alain Delon as Capt. Paul Metrand

            Susan Blakely as Maggie Whelan

            Robert Wagner as Kevin Harrison

            Sylvia Kristel as Isabelle

            George Kennedy as Capt. Joe Patroni

            Eddie Albert as Eli

            Bibi Andersson as Francine

            Charo as Margarita

            John Davidson as Robert Palmer

            Andrea Marcovicci as Alicia

            Martha Raye as Loretta

            Cicely Tyson as Elaine

            Jimmie "J.J." Walker as Boise

            David Warner as O'Neill

            Mercedes McCambridge as Nelli

            Avery Schreiber as Coach Markov

            Sybil Danning as Amy

            Monica Lewis as Gretchen

            Nicolas Coster as Dr. Stone

            Robin Gammell as William Halpern

            Jon Cedar as Froelich

            Selma Archerd as Passenger

            Ed Begley Jr
            
            Sheila DeWindt
            
            Mario Machado
            
            Kathleen Maguire as Mary Parker

            David Matthau
            
            Macon McCalman
            
            Dick McGarvin
            
            George Sawava
            
            Conrad Palmisano
            
            Brian Cutler
            
            Hettie Lynne Hurtes as Reporter #2

            Victoria Woodbeck as Russian Olympic Athlete

            Frank Parker
            
See full cast