---
title: "Air Force One"
year: 1997
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/air-force-one"
fi1m_id: "air-force-one"
imdb_id: "tt0118571"
tmdb_id: 9772
wikidata_id: "Q407184"
fi1m_score: 72
critics_score: 73
critics_reviews: 8
published: "2026-10-05T00:36:23.984421+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T00:36:47.659231+00:00"
region: "IL"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Air Force One (1997)

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen · 2h 04m · Action, Thriller

## Identity

Air Force One

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/air-force-one
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** air-force-one
- **IMDb ID:** tt0118571
- **TMDB ID:** 9772
- **Wikidata ID:** Q407184
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118571/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9772, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q407184

**Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 73 from 8 reviews

*In a sentence:* Gary Oldman hijacks the plane, the President hides in the hold, and America gets a very loud hug

> Wolfgang Petersen locks a president and a terrorist inside a 747 and lets them fight for the plane. It is fast, brutal and well built, with a fine Gary Oldman; the flag-waving and the digital flying have dated, the fights have not.

## Synopsis

A joint American and Russian strike team drops into Kazakhstan by night and seizes General Alexander Radek (Jürgen Prochnow), the dictator who has been threatening the region. Weeks later, at a state dinner in Moscow, President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) throws away his prepared speech and promises that the United States will never again negotiate with terrorists. Hours later, aboard Air Force One with his wife Grace (Wendy Crewson) and daughter Alice (Liesel Pritzker Simmons), a party of Russian journalists turns out to be Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) and his gunmen, who take the plane and demand Radek’s release. The Secret Service hurry Marshall towards the escape pod. In Washington, Vice President Kathryn Bennett (Glenn Close) takes the call and waits to find out whether he got in.

## Review

Wolfgang Petersen made his name sealing men inside a submarine in [*Das Boot*](https://film.one/film/das-boot) (1981), and here he does it again with a larger vessel and a smaller crew. Russian ultranationalists seize the presidential aircraft, the president declines to leave it, and for most of 124 minutes the film is a fight for a plane conducted from the baggage hold upwards. It is a brisk, hard, well-made thriller with a first-rate villain and a star doing exactly what he is for. It is also loud about its flag, and some of its flying has aged poorly. We had a good time.

Harrison Ford plays President James Marshall as a decorated veteran who has just told a Moscow banquet that his country will no longer negotiate with terrorists, and the film spends two hours testing whether he meant it. Ford does not do swagger; he does worry, and the sight of him crouched among the luggage, bleeding, trying to make a mobile phone work, is the most persuasive thing here. Gary Oldman’s Ivan Korshunov is the other reason to watch. He plays the hijacker as a believer rather than a thug, a man who weeps for his homeland while holding a pistol to someone’s temple, and he gives every threat a courtesy that makes it worse.

William Sandell’s set is the film’s best idea. The aircraft is built as a stack of rooms, conference room and press cabin above, galley and baggage hold below, with ducts and a rear ramp between, so we always know where everyone is and what is overhead. Michael Ballhaus lights the upper deck in the beige of a good hotel and the hold in hard blue work-light, and he keeps the camera low, under the ceilings, so the fights are elbows and headrests rather than choreography. When a body goes through the cabin it hits things.

Jerry Goldsmith’s score is brass and snare drum, a march that announces itself as patriotic before anyone has spoken, and it is laid on thick. We will own this: when it swelled under the president’s speech near the start we felt the lump in the throat the film wanted, and then felt sheepish, because the speech itself is a greeting card. Richard Francis-Bruce cuts between the plane, the White House situation room and the fighter escort, and he is good at the plane and dutiful about the rest. The Washington scenes give Glenn Close, as Vice President Kathryn Bennett, a table of men to stare down, and Dean Stockwell as the one who thinks her chair should be his. Close is good at saying no quietly, and the script gives her little else to say.

Petersen is good at the dreadful business of waiting. The scenes in which Korshunov telephones Washington with a hostage in front of him and a deadline in his voice had us properly tense, because Oldman never raises his voice and Petersen does not cut away from the faces. The trouble arrives when the film leaves the cabin. The exterior shots of the aircraft and the mid-air set pieces late on are digital work that has not survived the years; the plane banks like a model and the sky behind it looks painted. Andrew W. Marlowe’s script also likes to stop for a sermon, so that nobody fires a shot without first explaining what America stands for.

Wendy Crewson and Liesel Pritzker Simmons, as the First Lady and the president’s daughter, are given a hostage’s job and do it with dignity. William H. Macy’s Major Caldwell is the one soldier aboard who behaves like one. Jürgen Prochnow, Petersen’s submarine captain from *Das Boot*, appears as the jailed general whose freedom the hijackers demand, mostly in a cell, and it is good to see him. Against Petersen’s own record this is sturdier than [*In the Line of Fire*](https://film.one/film/in-the-line-of-fire) (1993) as a machine and far shallower than *Das Boot* as a film. It does not have a thought in its head beyond the next door.

See it for the hold, for Oldman, and for Ford looking frightened and carrying on anyway. Watch it with the sound a notch down, since Goldsmith does not need the help. It runs 124 minutes and carries a 15; the violence is close and nasty, and the film is better for not pretending otherwise.

*Fi1m score 72, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Air Force One, and none dislike it. Five of the eight reviews are positive and the other three are mixed, which puts the consensus in the recommending range. The praise gathers in two places. Harrison Ford’s president is called charismatic and commanding throughout, and Petersen’s direction is credited with building and holding tension inside the confined space of the aircraft. The stunt-filled midair sequences come up repeatedly as the film’s main pleasure.

The reservations are about familiarity rather than failure. The New York Times finds the relentless action offers few surprises, and Total Film thinks the film leans too hard on clichés and on flag-waving American patriotism, though both still find it entertaining. The spread is narrow: even the cooler notices land around the middle, and nobody argues the film does not work on its own terms. The Hollywood Reporter is the most enthusiastic, treating it as political drama as well as thriller.

## Straight answers

**Is Air Force One worth watching?**

*Air Force One* is worth watching for anyone who wants a hard, well-built action thriller, and we scored it 72. Harrison Ford frightened in the baggage hold and Gary Oldman's courteous, weeping hijacker are the reasons to see it; the flag-waving speeches and the late digital flying have aged badly, the fights in the cabin have not.

**How long is Air Force One, and what is it rated?**

*Air Force One* runs 2h 04m. It is an action and thriller film.

**Where can I watch Air Force One in Israel?**

*Air Force One* is not on any streaming or rental service in Israel at the moment. It is available in 45 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Air Force One, and is it suitable for children?**

*Air Force One* carries a 15 certificate in the UK and an R in the US, and the violence is close and nasty rather than cartoonish. Hostages are shot in front of the camera, the fights are elbows and headrests under low ceilings, and the hijacker's telephone deadlines are properly tense. It is not for children; older teenagers used to hard action thrillers should manage it.

**How does Air Force One compare to Das Boot?**

*Air Force One* is the sturdier machine and [*Das Boot*](https://film.one/film/das-boot) is by far the better film. Both are Wolfgang Petersen locking men inside a vessel and letting the pressure build, but the submarine film is humane, far better written and in German, while the hijack thriller has no thought in its head beyond the next door. Choose *Air Force One* for a loud evening, *Das Boot* for something that stays with you.

**What should I watch after Air Force One?**

After *Air Force One*, try [*Das Boot*](https://film.one/film/das-boot) (1981, Fi1m 89): Petersen’s submarine film: the same locked room, far better written, and in German. Then [*Die Hard*](https://film.one/film/die-hard) (1988, Fi1m 89): The building, the terrorist, the one man in a vest; the template this follows; and [*The Raid*](https://film.one/film/the-raid) (2011, Fi1m 83): Floors, doors and fists in an Indonesian tower block instead of a plane, and no speeches.

### Reviews we read (8)

- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Duane Byrge (90/100, inferred): Byrge gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, praising its taut, high-energy action and forceful political drama. He especially singles out Harrison Ford’s charismatic, convincing performance as president. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/air-force-one-review-movie-1997-1221852/)
- **Empire**, Ian Freer (85/100, inferred): Freer calls it a supremely entertaining crowd-pleaser and says its old-fashioned action expertise makes it hard not to cheer. He especially praises Petersen’s taut, masterfully escalating tension in the confined setting. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/air-force-one-review/)
- **Radio Times**, Sue Robinson (4/5): Robinson presents it as a relentlessly entertaining action thriller. She singles out the stunt-filled midair action and its nasty villain for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-t6ip21/air-force-one/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (3/4): Ebert finds it an effective, entertaining action thriller. He praises its confident pacing and Harrison Ford’s commanding presence. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/air-force-one-1997)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (70/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the film pulpy but entertaining, with enough tension to overcome its excesses. He particularly praises the spectacularly staged action sequences and Petersen’s vigorous direction. [Read](https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/air-force-one-1117329619/)
- **Time Out**, TJ (64/100, inferred): The accessible page identifies this as a review but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. No praise or complaint from the review is available in the text provided. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/air-force-one)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (60/100, inferred): Maslin finds the film an enjoyable, vigorously directed thriller, though its relentless action offers little surprise. She especially praises Harrison Ford’s warmly charismatic portrayal of the president. [Read](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/force-film-review.html)
- **Total Film**, Total Film (3/5): The review finds the film entertaining and spectacular, though weighed down by clichés and over-the-top American patriotism. It singles out Harrison Ford’s charisma and the dazzling action set pieces as what make the familiar hijack thriller work. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/air-force-one-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Wolfgang Petersen
- **Director:** Wolfgang Petersen
- **Screenplay:** Andrew W. Marlowe
- **Cinematography:** Michael Ballhaus
- **Editor:** Richard Francis-Bruce
- **Music:** Jerry Goldsmith
- **Production design:** William Sandell
- **Producer:** Armyan Bernstein, Gail Katz, Wolfgang Petersen
- **Cast:** Harrison Ford as James Marshall; Gary Oldman as Ivan Korshunov; Glenn Close as Kathryn Bennett; Wendy Crewson as Grace Marshall; Liesel Pritzker Simmons as Alice Marshall; Paul Guilfoyle as Lloyd Shepherd; Xander Berkeley as Agent Gibbs; William H. Macy as Major Caldwell
- **Runtime:** 2h 04m
- **First release (the US):** 21 July 1997
- **Genres:** Action, Thriller
- **Budget:** $85 million
- **Box office:** $315 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FItgZOuaPVY

## Where to watch in Israel

Not streaming, renting or buying in Israel at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1998: Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Sound (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Das Boot* (1981), Fi1m 89: Petersen’s submarine film: the same locked room, far better written, and in German. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/das-boot.md)
- *Die Hard* (1988), Fi1m 89: The building, the terrorist, the one man in a vest; the template this follows. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/die-hard.md)
- *Executive Decision* (1996): A hijacked airliner approached from underneath, patiently, with Kurt Russell doing the worrying.
- *Seven Days in May* (1964): Washington rooms and men deciding the nation’s fate, with the shouting kept down.
- *The Raid* (2011), Fi1m 83: Floors, doors and fists in an Indonesian tower block instead of a plane, and no speeches. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-raid.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/air-force-one