Plane

But Plane is stifled by just how ordinary it is, and how closely it hews to the standard tropes of action films with longer, more descriptive -- yet less ridiculous -- titles.

Even by Butler’s B-list standards, this is borderline inept.

It may be big, brawling and somewhat inelegant in approach, but this Gerard Butler vehicle is an aviation fuel-powered good time.

It would be easy to nitpick action-thriller Plane for its plot holes, old-school machismo and paint-roller-broad characterisation of Asian villains. But it’s also an adrenaline-pumping banger, skilfully executed by Jean-François Richet

Plane plays things resolutely old school, from the electronic score zee-yowing away in the background to the script’s pub quiz sprinklings of pilot jargon, and above all the cartoonish brutality of its violent set-pieces.

Gerard Butler is a treat – the runtime seems to fly by.

"Plane" doesn't look like much in its trailers, but the film manages to be a decent popcorn thriller.

Butler + Plane = Awesome

Plane is a straightforward movie with very few twists to offer, but the trick to making it engaging lies in its execution. Richet hasn’t made a ton of features, but he’s been in the game long enough to carry out a firm-handed and well-paced effort.

Nobody’s going to declare Plane a classic, but between Richet’s visual acumen and Butler doing admirable diligence to a character who’s in over his head... it’s an enjoyable, fast-paced and surprisingly engaging diversion.