Let’s go down the list of things that the 2005 thriller, Flightplan, directed by German-born filmmaker Robert Schwentke, has going for it: Jodie Foster and Peter Sarsgaard are both on point as the two leads, the film takes place on a massive plane at 37,000 feet, and the story is wonderfully and carefully paced, delivering plenty of thrills and spills over a 98-minute runtime. And this is all while Schwentke maintains a well-crafted and tightly shot film. So, we tend to agree with legendary critic Roger Ebert, who called this psychological movie “airtight.”
So why in the world are there abysmal Rotten Tomatoes scores to go along with a lukewarm audience reception to what is by all accounts a novel idea executed very well? We’re going to take another look at this Flightplan that, for our money, is a better film than a similar Jodie Foster picture called Panic Room, directed by David Fincher, no less. Ebert also saw these similarities and made it a point to draw the parallels, writing, “In both films, a woman uses courage and intelligence to defend her child against enemies who hold all the cards. The problem she faces in “Flightplan” is more baffling: Who are her enemies? Why would they kidnap her daughter? How is it possible on an airplane?”
What Is ‘Flightplan’ About?
Foster plays Kyle Pratt, an aviation engineer and rocket scientist who is flying back from Berlin to New York following the unexpected death of her husband, David (John Benjamin Hickey). She is accompanied by her six-year-old daughter, Julia (Marlene Lawston). When Julia turns up missing, Kyle quickly goes into a panic, unable to find her. But it’s just a plane, right? She has to be on board somewhere. As Ebert put it in his 2005 review, “It’s like a classic locked room murder, in which the killer could not possibly enter or leave, but the victim is nevertheless dead.”
Alas, Kyle can’t find her daughter anywhere and enlists the help of the crew, Captain Marcus Rich (Sean Bean), and the friendly air marshal, Carson (Sarsgaard), to help her find her lost child. One thing they have working against them is that this plane isn’t your typical Spirit 727 tin can with 150 seats; it is a trans-Atlantic two-level behemoth with a lot of ground to cover. But again, how far can Julia have gone? Surely she’s on the plane somewhere…right?
Jodie Foster Encounters Terrorists She Isn’t Expecting in ‘Fightplan’
Some of Jodie Foster’s best roles have been when she is playing a mother or guardian of a young child. Flightplan, Panic Room, Little Man Tate, and Nim’s Island all have her heavy with a maternal, mama bear instinct to protect the children in her charge. Foster is so good that she pulls the audience in and compels the viewer to feel her horror and angst over losing her daughter. Her chemistry with Sarsgaard is one of the best elements of the movie, and as Carson, you could easily make the argument that he steals the show.
Watching Sarsgaard essentially play two characters in Flightplan is a testament to his broad versatility and dynamism as a performer. For the first half of the film, you are convinced that he is a Good Samaritan willing to do whatever it takes to help Kyle find Julia. But in the second act, he pivots 180 degrees and becomes a formidable villain who is dead set on using Julia as a bargaining chip to pull off a massive heist. Everything is accentuated by the inherent isolation and despair of being so far removed from help inside a plane mid-flight. As each second ticks by, the audience is left wondering who among the crew she can trust and who is in on the twisted plot. The ambient sense of claustrophobia starts to press in on the viewer, as Kyle’s options to find Julia dwindle with every minute.
‘Flightplan’ Was a Box Office Success, But Still Got Hammered By Critics
Flightplan was a big hit at the box office, grossing $214 million worldwide against a budget of $55 million. And with the support of a major film mogul like critic Roger Ebert, it makes the aggregate Rotten Tomatoes score of 37% that much more puzzling. Ebert said of Schwentke’s American directorial debut, “The movie’s excellence comes from Foster’s performance as a resourceful and brave woman; from Bean, Sarsgaard and the members of the cabin crew, all with varying degrees of doubt; from the screenplay by Peter A. Dowling and Billy Ray.”
The movie is currently experiencing a resurgence on streaming outlets. According to FlixPatrol, Flightplan was the fourth-biggest movie on Netflix worldwide on July 29, topped by the newly released Happy Gilmore 2. Looks like the world is yearning a little more Jodie Foster in it.
Flightplan
- Release Date
-
September 22, 2005
- Runtime
-
93 minutes
