156 reviews
A small winner of a film all round.
"Passenger 57" is one of the many films that followed in the wake of the action film that re invented the genre, 1988's "Die Hard" with Bruce Willis in the lead. When I first saw P57, rented on video in the mid nineties, I wasn't expecting a re-run of Die Hard, but i was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable an action flick it was.
Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne spark well off each other as the troubled hero and psychotic villain. They are given competent support by the rest of the cast, although one of my small complaints is how under utilised the other actors are. That said, Ernie Lively does a nice turn as the local police chief and Robert Hooks (father of director Kevin Hooks) is good as an FBI Agent.
Essentially, Passenger 57 is a solid little action movie which is well paced and has enough intriguing characters and good action scenes to keep you interested right through to the finale. The story is perhaps a little thin and the script could have used a bit more depth to develop the characters, but it's very enjoyable none the less.
Don't view this expecting a great movie, but if you have an hour and a half to kill this film is well worth a watch.
Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne spark well off each other as the troubled hero and psychotic villain. They are given competent support by the rest of the cast, although one of my small complaints is how under utilised the other actors are. That said, Ernie Lively does a nice turn as the local police chief and Robert Hooks (father of director Kevin Hooks) is good as an FBI Agent.
Essentially, Passenger 57 is a solid little action movie which is well paced and has enough intriguing characters and good action scenes to keep you interested right through to the finale. The story is perhaps a little thin and the script could have used a bit more depth to develop the characters, but it's very enjoyable none the less.
Don't view this expecting a great movie, but if you have an hour and a half to kill this film is well worth a watch.
- RedRoadster
- Oct 27, 2008
- Permalink
Standard action-packed movie with the usual two-fisted hero acting in a hijacking
John Cutter (Wesley Snipes) is an expert security agent who's still mourning the death his wife . He embarks a large plane , L1011-500 "Tristar , assisted by beautiful air hostesses (two gorgeous flight attendants : Alex Datcher and Elizabeth Hurley , one of the earliest film roles). Then , he finds himself accidentally trapped into the middle of an airline Jumbo hijacking executed by an arch-villain terrorist (Bruce Payne) who previously committed numerous terrorists acts . He hijacks the crew and seizes control of it . Cutter must take action confronting the nasty criminal , developing a battle of wits between two charismatic opponents . Meanwhile , Cutter contacts with his airline chiefs (Tom Sizemore and Bruce Greenwood) who want to hide the events .
The film packs nonstop action , suspense , tension , lots of violence when the murders and fighting happen , being quite entertaining . It's a run-of-the-mill action film in which from the beginning to the ending the thriller and emotion is continuous . This film Passenger 57 (1992) was scheduled to air on a Starz Entertainment Group channel the night of 9/11 , what with the themes of terrorism on an airplane, the broadcast was obviously cancelled . Wesley Snipes is top-notch as an action hero , turning into tough action man in films of big budget , just like ¨Murder at 1600¨ , ¨Money train¨ , ¨US Marshall¨ and ¨Blade¨ trilogy ; however , nowadays , he only makes low/medium budget films as ¨Unstoppable¨ , ¨The detonator¨, ¨7 seconds¨ , ¨Chaos¨, ¨The marksman¨ , among others . While on the plane Wesley Snipes reads the book 'The Art of War' ; Snipes later starred in the film ¨The art of war¨ (2000) that was loosely based on the book . Bruce Payne is excellent as the ruthless and extremely intelligent villainous , he plays -as always- magnificently a megalomaniac nasty .
Spectacular musical score by Stanley Clarke , being appropriately adjusted to action . The motion picture was well directed by Kevin Hooks -an usual TV movies director- . Robert Hooks, who plays FBI agent Dwight Henderson in the film , is the father of director Kevin Hooks . The film will appeal to action genre enthusiasts . It's a must see for Wesley Snipes fans .
The film packs nonstop action , suspense , tension , lots of violence when the murders and fighting happen , being quite entertaining . It's a run-of-the-mill action film in which from the beginning to the ending the thriller and emotion is continuous . This film Passenger 57 (1992) was scheduled to air on a Starz Entertainment Group channel the night of 9/11 , what with the themes of terrorism on an airplane, the broadcast was obviously cancelled . Wesley Snipes is top-notch as an action hero , turning into tough action man in films of big budget , just like ¨Murder at 1600¨ , ¨Money train¨ , ¨US Marshall¨ and ¨Blade¨ trilogy ; however , nowadays , he only makes low/medium budget films as ¨Unstoppable¨ , ¨The detonator¨, ¨7 seconds¨ , ¨Chaos¨, ¨The marksman¨ , among others . While on the plane Wesley Snipes reads the book 'The Art of War' ; Snipes later starred in the film ¨The art of war¨ (2000) that was loosely based on the book . Bruce Payne is excellent as the ruthless and extremely intelligent villainous , he plays -as always- magnificently a megalomaniac nasty .
Spectacular musical score by Stanley Clarke , being appropriately adjusted to action . The motion picture was well directed by Kevin Hooks -an usual TV movies director- . Robert Hooks, who plays FBI agent Dwight Henderson in the film , is the father of director Kevin Hooks . The film will appeal to action genre enthusiasts . It's a must see for Wesley Snipes fans .
Forgettable action film
Starts out good but....
Wesley Snipes is about the only thing that's good in this movie. The movie starts out good with interesting situation going on inside the plane. Then the setting moves to the ground, and we see local law enforcement agency and the FBI getting involved, things gets dumb and dumber.
Why they had to abandon the airplane and go into the boring ground scene, I have no idea. They lost all the plot right there and then. The guy who escaped was absolute nobody, so it wasn't interesting even if he did escape. Movie gets worse as it progresses as even the fight scene including Wesley Snipes gets worse.
The stunt at the end was ridiculous. How can a police car catch up with a jet plane that's about to reach take off velocity ?
The fault was with the writer. The movie could have been 100% better if Wesley Snipes was allowed to sleuth around the airplane inflicting damages to the bad guys. Then it would have been a budget version of Die-hard, or maybe better, and the movie surely would have been a classic with sequels.
Too bad that they blew their opportunity, because of poor script writing.
Why they had to abandon the airplane and go into the boring ground scene, I have no idea. They lost all the plot right there and then. The guy who escaped was absolute nobody, so it wasn't interesting even if he did escape. Movie gets worse as it progresses as even the fight scene including Wesley Snipes gets worse.
The stunt at the end was ridiculous. How can a police car catch up with a jet plane that's about to reach take off velocity ?
The fault was with the writer. The movie could have been 100% better if Wesley Snipes was allowed to sleuth around the airplane inflicting damages to the bad guys. Then it would have been a budget version of Die-hard, or maybe better, and the movie surely would have been a classic with sequels.
Too bad that they blew their opportunity, because of poor script writing.
Passenger 57
- Scarecrow-88
- Nov 9, 2009
- Permalink
"I have a feeling it's going to be a very interesting flight"
The tag; "Die Hard" on a plane is pretty much true when describing this uninspired Wesley Snipes action vehicle of the early nineties. A captive terrorist being transported on an aircraft by the FBI is violently freed by his associates and they take the plane hostage. However on board happens to be an airline security specialist who goes about making their life's hell. Durable direction along with Mark Irwin's crisp photography and exhilarating stunt-work (the opening chase sequence). While it might be systematic in its execution (exciting combat where characters get caught, escape, get caught and escape again), but a confident Snipes makes light work of the slight and clichéd material (where we get the usual character/s with a brooding past) to deliver cracking blows taking out the terrorists one-by-one and sharp-one liners ("Always bet on black"). Around this time Snipes had become somewhat of a household name and a Hollywood banker with movie fans. Churning out films like "White Men Can't Jump", "Boiling Point", "Rising Sun", "Demolition Man" and "Drop Zone". This entry might not make much of the dent in Snipes' portfolio, but for the undemanding just wanting some simple action moving at a brisk pace with some venomously psychotic villain performances (led by the exceptional Bruce Payne and an early part for Elizabeth Hurley) and fine support (Tom Sizemore and Ernie Lively). You can't go wrong with the consistently entertaining "Passenger 57".
"I never live in the past"
"I never live in the past"
- lost-in-limbo
- Mar 12, 2012
- Permalink
"Charles Rane is not insane"................
- ianlouisiana
- Feb 12, 2010
- Permalink
Fly Hard with a Vengeance
When terrorists take over a passenger plane while he is in the bathroom, it is up to an airline security specialist to thwart them in this action thriller clearly modeled on 'Die Hard'. Given the familiarity of the basic scenario, 'Passenger 57' is a surprisingly entertaining affair with Bruce Payne making for a memorable charismatic chief villain, plus there are several well coordinated action scenes that take into account the inherent claustrophobia of being in a plane. With this in mind, it seems quite uncanny how much of the action takes place outside the plane with several minutes spent on a chase through a fairground before the characters find themselves in the air once again. The dialogue is also hardly first rate with the film sorely missing the wit that Bruce Willis brought to the 'Die Hard' movies. Something interesting though is that the film is set up to be a redemption movie with protagonist Wesley Snipes haunted by the death of his wife at the hands of a criminal, and yet the film avoids setting up a near-identical scene to give him a chance to act differently, with Snipes instead having to find an alternative path to redemption. The ending feels more than a little rushed though with limited time spent on Snipes and Payne going head to head. This is an extraordinary short movie too, clocking in at just over 80 minutes, but at least it never outstays its welcome.
Wesley Snipes vs The Rane Of Terror. Or should that be our Pain at the Terror?
Of all the Die Hard clones there have been, and there have been many! Passenger 57 may just be the worst. The story follows Wesley Snipes' airline security expert John Cutter, who whilst undertaking a flight to L.A. gets embroiled in a hostage takeover led by evil bad man with a troubled childhood, Charles Rane. Cue quips, kicks and death defying tricks as Cutter strikes one for the good guys. Kevin Hooks' film works well enough on a very basic actioner level, due in the main to Snipes. Snipes was six years away from his signature role in Blade, and for sure he is a bona fide action star. As evidenced here, he has the charisma and body motions to carry the film thru its turgid script. It's a script that smacks of the writers sitting round a table and suggesting they put Snipes in a number of tricky situations and used that as an excuse for him to beat the crappola out of everyone. Oh and lets not forget the forced love story waiting to happen as well.
Ultimately it's just a lazy film that is the cash in that many realised it was upon its release. Bruce Payne manfully tries to make the unbalanced Charles Rane truly evil, but doesn't succeed. Liz Hurley, goddess of womanhood that she is, looks uncomfortable holding a gun, while leading lady Alex Datcher is hopelessly out of her depth. While the youthful looking Tom Sizemore and Bruce Greenwood also appear - but both are throwaway characters that you end up wishing we had had more of. Stanley Clarke's score is abysmal, it's the sort of score one expects to hear in a soft core porno movie - you know the kind where the protagonists are making love but they still have their underwear on! Yes that kind. Poor plotting, poor scripting and just about poor in technical execution. I don't ask much of the action genre, I really don't, but at least give the film some soul from which to entertain the popcorn masses. 3/10 for Snipes' fighting and Liz Hurley's legs.
Ultimately it's just a lazy film that is the cash in that many realised it was upon its release. Bruce Payne manfully tries to make the unbalanced Charles Rane truly evil, but doesn't succeed. Liz Hurley, goddess of womanhood that she is, looks uncomfortable holding a gun, while leading lady Alex Datcher is hopelessly out of her depth. While the youthful looking Tom Sizemore and Bruce Greenwood also appear - but both are throwaway characters that you end up wishing we had had more of. Stanley Clarke's score is abysmal, it's the sort of score one expects to hear in a soft core porno movie - you know the kind where the protagonists are making love but they still have their underwear on! Yes that kind. Poor plotting, poor scripting and just about poor in technical execution. I don't ask much of the action genre, I really don't, but at least give the film some soul from which to entertain the popcorn masses. 3/10 for Snipes' fighting and Liz Hurley's legs.
- hitchcockthelegend
- Oct 8, 2009
- Permalink
Fun 90s action thriller
Charles Rane (Bruce Payne) is a ruthless terrorist. The FBI manages to capture him right before he is able to get plastic surgery. Former secret service agent John Cutter (Wesley Snipes) is still haunted by his dead wife. His old friend Sly Delvecchio (Tom Sizemore) gets him an airline security job. Marti Slayton is the brash flight attendant. They are flying out to L.A. Also on the plane, Rane is being transported accompanied two FBI agents. The problem is that Rane's people are also on board and they're armed. Cutter forces the plane to land.
This is simply a fun action thriller. The script has a lot of action and the . It doesn't necessarily take it too seriously. Wesley Snipes delivers the action and Schwarzenegger-worthy one liners. "Always bet on Black!" There is enough wild action. Bruce Payne is terrific. He milks every insane Bond villain move. It is a lot of fun especially if you don't try to dissect everything.
This is simply a fun action thriller. The script has a lot of action and the . It doesn't necessarily take it too seriously. Wesley Snipes delivers the action and Schwarzenegger-worthy one liners. "Always bet on Black!" There is enough wild action. Bruce Payne is terrific. He milks every insane Bond villain move. It is a lot of fun especially if you don't try to dissect everything.
- SnoopyStyle
- Apr 16, 2015
- Permalink
Just Pass It......
I wanna start by saying that I absolutely love "Die Hard", it's one of my favorite films of all time and its the film that changed the action genre forever. In the years following its release, many of the action flicks have borrowed the basic premise of "Die Hard", making it film about a cop or someone along those lines fighting the bad guys in a limited location, whether its on a bus (Speed), a battleship (Under Siege), a hockey stadium (Sudden Death). But now what we get here is "Die Hard on a plane" which goes by the name "Passenger 57".
It's not that good. I really didn't find myself caring about about the cop whose wife was killed in a holdup all because Snipes just doesn't give a lot of emotional depth in here. And its too bad that he wasn't given good material to work with since his lines seem so forced and awkward when he says them. In "Die Hard", it was totally different because Bruce Willis blended into the role of John McClane perfectly, he just soothed out his lines with heart, soul and personality. Snipes just does the opposite.
Also, the main villain Charles Rane didn't interest me that much, 'cause Bruce Payne's performance was somewhat wooden and dry. But I'll admit that the part when the little kid on the plane pretended to shoot him and Rane responded by pretending to shoot him back was somewhat amusing.
The martial arts action was another low-point for me, the sequences seemed to be very stilted and stiff. Every action flick has at least GOT to have good action, there's no denying that. But when I see the kind of action this film has to offer, it doesn't make me feel like I wanna do it in real life to someone I hate.
One thing that wasn't too shabby was the soundtrack and the composers skill to at least save the action scenes from falling apart completely.
I wouldn't call this "boring" to watch, but it's just a little bland and uninteresting, in fact its got a less than 90 minute runtime, so you could watch it if you REALLY, REALLY don't have anything to do.
It's not that good. I really didn't find myself caring about about the cop whose wife was killed in a holdup all because Snipes just doesn't give a lot of emotional depth in here. And its too bad that he wasn't given good material to work with since his lines seem so forced and awkward when he says them. In "Die Hard", it was totally different because Bruce Willis blended into the role of John McClane perfectly, he just soothed out his lines with heart, soul and personality. Snipes just does the opposite.
Also, the main villain Charles Rane didn't interest me that much, 'cause Bruce Payne's performance was somewhat wooden and dry. But I'll admit that the part when the little kid on the plane pretended to shoot him and Rane responded by pretending to shoot him back was somewhat amusing.
The martial arts action was another low-point for me, the sequences seemed to be very stilted and stiff. Every action flick has at least GOT to have good action, there's no denying that. But when I see the kind of action this film has to offer, it doesn't make me feel like I wanna do it in real life to someone I hate.
One thing that wasn't too shabby was the soundtrack and the composers skill to at least save the action scenes from falling apart completely.
I wouldn't call this "boring" to watch, but it's just a little bland and uninteresting, in fact its got a less than 90 minute runtime, so you could watch it if you REALLY, REALLY don't have anything to do.
- shortround8391
- Apr 8, 2009
- Permalink
Good solid action flick. A must for Snipes fans.
Passenger 57 is an enjoyable and rather underrated action film. Although there is not too much of a storyline, the slick action scenes combined with some very good performances from Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne kept me entertained from start to finish.
While Passenger 57 offers nothing really new to the action genre, it does offer plenty of fast paced chaos and explosions and combined with some entertaining hand-to-hand combat skills by Snipes, it is certainly better than a lot of other standard action fares out there.
Snipes gives a very good performance as the lead and Bruce Payne is brilliant as the mentally unstable villain. The other cast are somewhat overshadowed by Snipes and Payne, but do an adequate enough job.
Overall I was very pleased by Passenger 57, so much so that it proudly belongs in my DVD collection. A very good choice for action fans and a must for Snipes fans. 8/10.
And don't forget...."Always bet on black!"
While Passenger 57 offers nothing really new to the action genre, it does offer plenty of fast paced chaos and explosions and combined with some entertaining hand-to-hand combat skills by Snipes, it is certainly better than a lot of other standard action fares out there.
Snipes gives a very good performance as the lead and Bruce Payne is brilliant as the mentally unstable villain. The other cast are somewhat overshadowed by Snipes and Payne, but do an adequate enough job.
Overall I was very pleased by Passenger 57, so much so that it proudly belongs in my DVD collection. A very good choice for action fans and a must for Snipes fans. 8/10.
And don't forget...."Always bet on black!"
- Conan_The_Barbarian
- Sep 1, 2004
- Permalink
Great action, decent acting, paper-thin plot
I tried to watch this movie without thinking at all and to just relax but it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do.
A few things made this movie really great: Wesley Snipes, the music, some of the lines, the action.
Other than those, the movie could have been much better.
Wesley Snipes plays John Cutter, a former airline security expert who is flying on a plane when terrorists happen to take over. Bruce Payne plays Charles Rane AKA "Rane of Terror", a terrorist who leads the attack on the plane. Tom Sizemore plays Sly Delvecchio, Cutter's buddy. Thats all I care to mention actor-wise.
I think Snipes could have used a lot more screen-time or at least more back-story. I barely got to know him.
The movie was in ten places at once, which made it extremely difficult to follow along. However, I still enjoyed the film.
Not a bad mindless movie, but try not to think too much.
6/10.
A few things made this movie really great: Wesley Snipes, the music, some of the lines, the action.
Other than those, the movie could have been much better.
Wesley Snipes plays John Cutter, a former airline security expert who is flying on a plane when terrorists happen to take over. Bruce Payne plays Charles Rane AKA "Rane of Terror", a terrorist who leads the attack on the plane. Tom Sizemore plays Sly Delvecchio, Cutter's buddy. Thats all I care to mention actor-wise.
I think Snipes could have used a lot more screen-time or at least more back-story. I barely got to know him.
The movie was in ten places at once, which made it extremely difficult to follow along. However, I still enjoyed the film.
Not a bad mindless movie, but try not to think too much.
6/10.
- emperor_bender
- Jun 2, 2009
- Permalink
"Always bet on black." Average 90's action flick.
- poolandrews
- Sep 23, 2007
- Permalink
Silly but Entertaining
Passenger 57 (1992)
*** (out of 4)
An airline security adviser (Wesley Snipes) finds himself on board a plane that gets taken over by a notorious hijacker (Bruce Payne). PASSENGER 57 isn't going to go down in history as one of the greatest action movies ever made but I think it has a limited charm to it. There's no question that this thing shouldn't be confused for an "A" picture but if you go into this expecting a little "B" movie then you might find yourself entertained. This is the type of action film that really dumbs everything down because everything that happens just comes across so easy that you'd think being able to hijack a plane, jump off a plane and then get back on it would be something that anyone could do. If you put too much thought into this picture then you're going to see countless flaws and we won't even go into detail about how the terrorist, no matter what's going on, always gets the final say in what happens. The performances certainly help keep the film moving with Snipes perfectly being able to handle the action scenes, the laid back nature of his character as well as the silly one-liners that all action movies have. Snipes makes for a good lead who works well with the supporting cast around him. This includes Tom Sizemore in his small role, which the actor at least brings some laughs with. Elizabeth Hurley is also extremely good in her limited part as is Alex Datcher. Payne easily steals the picture as the sadistic bad guy who eats up every scene that he's in. You can tell the actor is having a good time playing this villain and we in return have fun watching and rooting against him. Again, if you're looking for a big-budget, lots of stunts action film then you're going to be letdown. This is a pretty small movie but I think for what it is the film works well.
*** (out of 4)
An airline security adviser (Wesley Snipes) finds himself on board a plane that gets taken over by a notorious hijacker (Bruce Payne). PASSENGER 57 isn't going to go down in history as one of the greatest action movies ever made but I think it has a limited charm to it. There's no question that this thing shouldn't be confused for an "A" picture but if you go into this expecting a little "B" movie then you might find yourself entertained. This is the type of action film that really dumbs everything down because everything that happens just comes across so easy that you'd think being able to hijack a plane, jump off a plane and then get back on it would be something that anyone could do. If you put too much thought into this picture then you're going to see countless flaws and we won't even go into detail about how the terrorist, no matter what's going on, always gets the final say in what happens. The performances certainly help keep the film moving with Snipes perfectly being able to handle the action scenes, the laid back nature of his character as well as the silly one-liners that all action movies have. Snipes makes for a good lead who works well with the supporting cast around him. This includes Tom Sizemore in his small role, which the actor at least brings some laughs with. Elizabeth Hurley is also extremely good in her limited part as is Alex Datcher. Payne easily steals the picture as the sadistic bad guy who eats up every scene that he's in. You can tell the actor is having a good time playing this villain and we in return have fun watching and rooting against him. Again, if you're looking for a big-budget, lots of stunts action film then you're going to be letdown. This is a pretty small movie but I think for what it is the film works well.
- Michael_Elliott
- Sep 5, 2012
- Permalink
Oh no, Marti. I'm going to kill you during.
OK, I do not recommend this movie unless you have 90 minutes to waste and just want some mindless action in the background while you are doing something else.
I like Jean Claude Van Damme, Sylvester Stalone, Steven Seagal, and Wesley Snipes when I want vicarious thrills, loud noise, and furious action. No plots, little dialog to ponder, just action. They all do a good job.
Snipes was his usual self, Bruce Payne made a good terrorist, and Elizabeth Hurley was easy on the eyes.
'Nuff said.
I like Jean Claude Van Damme, Sylvester Stalone, Steven Seagal, and Wesley Snipes when I want vicarious thrills, loud noise, and furious action. No plots, little dialog to ponder, just action. They all do a good job.
Snipes was his usual self, Bruce Payne made a good terrorist, and Elizabeth Hurley was easy on the eyes.
'Nuff said.
- lastliberal
- May 31, 2007
- Permalink
One of Snipes best movies
This movie is awesome! Wesley Snipes is one of the best action stars in America and this is one of his best movies. Snipes stars as John Cutter, a special security agent who's flying to his new job in Las Angeles. Little does he know he just got on the wrong plane. Bruce Payne plays Charles Rane, a British Terrorist who's being flown to LA to stand trial. While in the air, Rane's henchmen kill the FBI agents who were guarding him and take control of the aircraft. Only one man escapes detection: Cutter. their, that's the basic plot. Wesley Snipes breaks out some of the most lethal moves ever and the action and stunts are cool as hell. I highly recommend this to anybody looking for a good action movie.
Bathroom break saves the airplane
Playing the title role in Passenger 57 is airline security expert Wesley Snipes who is on board a flight where known terrorist Bruce Payne is being transported to face justice. Only Payne has other ideas. A whole flock of his confederates are on the flight including one of the stewardesses Elizabeth Hurley. She's a pretty deadly all on her own.
Payne has some scheme afoot and needs the plane for more than just escape. He has to have the plane landed to refuel.
My sheer dumb luck as Snipes is heeding nature's call Payne and his crew miss him. At this point it becomes a deadly cat and mouse game between Payne and Snipes with each exchanging the role of cat and mouse at different points of the film.
Action fans will have no cause for complaint from Passenger 57. The tension is at times overwhelming. It always is in airline films where passengers are helpless thousands of feet above the ground and have no choice but to trust the professionals. This is inherent in every film about an airline flight going back to The High And The Mighty and much further than that.
Snipes and Payne are an evenly matched set of adversaries. Passenger 57 is a tension filled movie right up the end.
Payne has some scheme afoot and needs the plane for more than just escape. He has to have the plane landed to refuel.
My sheer dumb luck as Snipes is heeding nature's call Payne and his crew miss him. At this point it becomes a deadly cat and mouse game between Payne and Snipes with each exchanging the role of cat and mouse at different points of the film.
Action fans will have no cause for complaint from Passenger 57. The tension is at times overwhelming. It always is in airline films where passengers are helpless thousands of feet above the ground and have no choice but to trust the professionals. This is inherent in every film about an airline flight going back to The High And The Mighty and much further than that.
Snipes and Payne are an evenly matched set of adversaries. Passenger 57 is a tension filled movie right up the end.
- bkoganbing
- Nov 28, 2016
- Permalink
Cheesy, campy return to the 'Doomed Flight' genre...
Wesley Snipes is the only fun there is about this movie and he really isn't that fun in this movie! He stars as former air security rep. John Cutter, Cutter lost in wife in a tragic holdup and he blames himself wholly because of it. Virtual Unknown at the time Elizabeth Hurley plays a crooked stewardess, the villain Rane is cool, a little too mysterious but cool. Everything in this movie is rushed along in a quick hour and twenty minutes pretty well so there really is no time to go to the bathroom or get popcorn while its going (not that you'll miss much). Overall not a horrible movie but still is cheesy and campy in some spots (almost like this movie should have been on TV instead). The ending is silly and a lot of the action in this film depends on your ability to disassociate yourself with reality and let the campiness do its work.
- legendaryunderdog
- Aug 28, 2008
- Permalink
Super generic
This film doesn't even work as a "typical" or "average" action movie. It is too dumb and cheesy even by 90s action movie standards. It takes all the cliches of the genre but adds nothing thrilling or memorable. The only entertainment value I got was spotting all the airport related moments that could not happen nowadays.
- briancham1994
- Jun 1, 2020
- Permalink
Passengers
This was a fun, if slightly forgettable experience. Wesley Snipes was a delight back in the day and seeing him chasing down some classic European and brilliant bad guy was terribly amusing. Beyond that this was a pretty by the numbers movie though, it doesn't really venture anything new or break ground in any way. The biggest surprise was really how little time is spent on the plane. A movie called Passenger 57 would have me thinking it predominantly took place aboard a plane and that's not really how it went, to my recollection. Still, it was fun and a solid enough experience. Can't say it's a must watch for anyone but if it happens to be on it's worth checking out.
- questl-18592
- Jan 29, 2021
- Permalink
A Silly "Shoot It Up, Punch 'Em Out" Movie
If the only thing you're interested in when you watch an action movie is guns blazing and fight scenes, then this will satisfy. There's a lot of gunfighting in this one, and Wesley Snipes definitely proves that he knows something about the martial arts. His fight scenes are well done for the most part. In general, though, the movie repeatedly insists on descending into silliness, with a story that makes very little sense, even as actions movies go.
Snipes plays John Cutter, a security expert who's just been hired to be chief of security for Atlantic International Airlines. He boards a flight for Los Angeles not knowing that the FBI is transporting a vicious terrorist on the same flight. The opening scenes involving terrorist Charles Rane (Bruce Payne) and his attempt to escape the FBI by fleeing a plastic surgeon's office, where he was apparently going to have his appearance changed, was pretty dramatic and established the nature of that character reasonably well. Unfortunately, the extended opening development of Cutter seemed unnecessary and overlong. The real problem here though (and where the movie lost all credibility with me), has to do with Rane's plan for hijacking the flight. Sly Delvecchio (Tom Sizemore) - who's one of the bigwigs with the airline - keeps complaining that the FBI didn't tell the airline that they'd use that flight to transport a dangerous criminal. But that makes sense to me. Why tip anybody off? So even the airline doesn't know that he's going to be on the plane. How, then, did Rane manage to get not just one but two of his people on board the plane - not as passengers but as crew? Either he got them hired by the airline specifically for this operation or he recruited two employees. Either way, they'd have to have known in advance that he was going to be on this particular flight and arranged to work this particular flight by bidding on it in advance, because these things are arranged by seniority. Sure, there could have been an FBI mole who tipped him off, but I doubt this decision was made weeks in advance in order to facilitate all these arrangements, and there's still the problem of getting the flight attendant and baggage handler scheduled to work this flight. A rather silly and overly convenient plot device, if you ask me.
Once this is over, there's very little of note and nothing much you remember about it. It's an action flick among action flicks - but even sillier than most, and adding nothing original to the genre. However, I did enjoy Cutter's comment to Rane - "always bet on black!" 2/10
Snipes plays John Cutter, a security expert who's just been hired to be chief of security for Atlantic International Airlines. He boards a flight for Los Angeles not knowing that the FBI is transporting a vicious terrorist on the same flight. The opening scenes involving terrorist Charles Rane (Bruce Payne) and his attempt to escape the FBI by fleeing a plastic surgeon's office, where he was apparently going to have his appearance changed, was pretty dramatic and established the nature of that character reasonably well. Unfortunately, the extended opening development of Cutter seemed unnecessary and overlong. The real problem here though (and where the movie lost all credibility with me), has to do with Rane's plan for hijacking the flight. Sly Delvecchio (Tom Sizemore) - who's one of the bigwigs with the airline - keeps complaining that the FBI didn't tell the airline that they'd use that flight to transport a dangerous criminal. But that makes sense to me. Why tip anybody off? So even the airline doesn't know that he's going to be on the plane. How, then, did Rane manage to get not just one but two of his people on board the plane - not as passengers but as crew? Either he got them hired by the airline specifically for this operation or he recruited two employees. Either way, they'd have to have known in advance that he was going to be on this particular flight and arranged to work this particular flight by bidding on it in advance, because these things are arranged by seniority. Sure, there could have been an FBI mole who tipped him off, but I doubt this decision was made weeks in advance in order to facilitate all these arrangements, and there's still the problem of getting the flight attendant and baggage handler scheduled to work this flight. A rather silly and overly convenient plot device, if you ask me.
Once this is over, there's very little of note and nothing much you remember about it. It's an action flick among action flicks - but even sillier than most, and adding nothing original to the genre. However, I did enjoy Cutter's comment to Rane - "always bet on black!" 2/10
Solid action flick
I personally can not shut this flick off when it is on. From the great one liners, all star cast, and non stop action , it has it all in my opinion.
Fairly mediocre airplane high-jacking flick.
This movie is acceptable as 85 minutes of light entertainment but it really never rises above mediocrity. The plot is unimaginative with all the usual elements. Terrorist is transported by FBI on commercial flight, terrorist escapes with the help of an insider on the plane, our hero gets arrested by bungling cops who mistakes him for a bad guy and of course the obligatory jump off or on the plane while it is moving scenes. Yawn! Wesley Snipes performance is as good as one can expect of Wesley Snipes which of course does not help elevate the movie above mediocrity. The one character which stands above the rest is the master terrorist played by Bruce Payne. I quite liked his cool, insane style of portraying his character.
There are a few semi-decent action scenes splattered around the movie which helps keeping the interest just above the I'll-read-a-book-instead level. Otherwise the movie is an easily forgettable one. It is quite acceptable as 85 minutes of light entertainment but I would say that its relatively short length is one of its positive traits.
There are a few semi-decent action scenes splattered around the movie which helps keeping the interest just above the I'll-read-a-book-instead level. Otherwise the movie is an easily forgettable one. It is quite acceptable as 85 minutes of light entertainment but I would say that its relatively short length is one of its positive traits.
Passenger 57
- jboothmillard
- Dec 6, 2009
- Permalink