Con Air (1997)
74%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
7 wins & 11 nominations total
Con Air won’t win any awards for believability – and all involved seem cheerfully aware of it, making some of this blockbuster action outing’s biggest flaws fairly easy to forgive
Con Air is the kind of movie that you watch when you want to turn off your brain and just enjoy some mindless action. It’s got everything you could want in an over-the-top action flick: explosions, cheesy one-liners, and a cast of sweaty, muscular men. Sure, the story is preposterous and the dialogue is sarcastic, but that’s all part of the fun. If you’re looking for a movie that takes itself seriously, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a good time, buckle up and get ready for some gratuitous violence and mind-boggling action sequences.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Working Title Films,
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Ogden Airport – 3909 Airport Road, Ogden, Utah, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence and language
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 6, 1997 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 16, 2006
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, Colm Meaney, Monica Potter, Mykelti Williamson, directed by Simon West, written by Scott Rosenberg, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, action, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Ansen, Carol Buckland, Duane Byrge, Owen Gleiberman, Susan Stark, Todd McCarthy, Stephen Silver, Sebastian Zavala Kahn, Wayne Broadway, Mike Massie, Heather Boerner, MPAA rating R, prison transport flight, criminals, escape plot, U.S Marshall, violent, explosions, destruction, Dolby Digital, SDDS, Surround, DTS, Scope (2.35:1), 35mm
Worldwide gross: $224,012,234
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $417,576,918
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 370
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 45,537,287
US/Canada gross: $101,117,573
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $188,491,333
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 388
US/Canada opening weekend: $24,131,738
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $44,983,511
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 265
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $75,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $139,806,065
Production budget ranking: 245
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $75,285,566
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $202,485,288
ROI to date (est.): 94%
ROI ranking: 964
John Cusack – U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin
John Malkovich – Cyrus ‘The Virus’ Grissom
Steve Buscemi – Garland ‘The Marietta Mangler’ Greene
Ving Rhames – Nathan ‘Diamond Dog’ Jones
Colm Meaney – DEA Agent Duncan Malloy
Director – Simon West
Producer – Jerry Bruckheimer
Writer – Scott Rosenberg
Director(s)
Simon West
Writer(s)
Scott Rosenberg
Producer(s)
Jerry Bruckheimer
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
7 wins & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (68) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (30)
The saving grace of Con Air is its sense of its own absurdity. Rosenberg and director Simon West seem to know just how preposterous their story is.
February 28, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
It’s exhausting rather than exhilarating.
January 5, 2018
Carol Buckland
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
Packed high with explosive action and loaded with high-stakes jeopardy, Con Air charts a generally sound narrative course, although it hits some story turbulence before it hits its climactic jackpot.
June 6, 2017
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
October 18, 2008 | Rating: 2/4
Susan Stark
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
Rosenberg’s sarcastic, tough-guy dialogue is full of lean-and-mean one-liners, and the superbly cast actors know how to milk them for all they’re worth.
September 18, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Some highly ridiculous Jerry Bruckheimer fun (25th anniversary)
June 16, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Stephen Silver
Tilt Magazine
The bad guys are really bad, the good guys are really good (despite having been in jail!), and the action scenes are full of explosions, destruction, and sweaty, muscular men. Full review in Spanish.
June 13, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Sebastian Zavala Kahn
Me gusta el cine
‘Con Air’ exists as a divisive film because it puts as much attention into being cheesy as it does to being sincere without ever letting on which tone it actually aims to achieve.
April 26, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/5
Wayne Broadway
Black Girl Nerds
Gratuitous violence, glorious explosions, and mind-boggling action sequences abound in this maniacal thrill ride.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
A schmaltzy action-adventure at 8,000 feet.
December 18, 2010 | Rating: 2/5
Heather Boerner
Common Sense Media
Resolutely not boring.
July 24, 2009
Rumsey Taylor
Not Coming to a Theater Near You…
Plot
Cameron Poe, a highly decorated Army Ranger, comes home to Alabama to his wife Tricia, only to run into a few drunken regulars at the bar where she works. Cameron accidentally kills one of the drunks, and is sent to a federal penitentiary for involuntary manslaughter for seven years. He becomes eligible for parole and can now go home to his wife and daughter. Unfortunately, Cameron has to share a prison airplane with some of the country’s most dangerous criminals, who take control of the plane and are now planning to escape the country. Cameron has to find a way to stop them while playing along. Meanwhile, United States Marshal Vince Larkin is trying to help Cameron get free and stop the criminals, led by Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t say anything particularly goofy or funny about Con Air, but they do mention the star-studded cast including Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, and John Cusack.
Simon-West.jpg
