 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Air Force One
- Review Date: June 29, 2008
- R
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 1997
Common Sense Media says
Ford makes farfetched action-hero-prez electable.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that violence in the film includes close-range shootings of innocent hostages, and death threats to women and an adolescent girl. There is also scattered profanity, but in general the R-rating is pretty surprising; seems the MPAA has slapped PG-13s on nastier films than this.
What's the story?
Shortly after the fall of Soviet communism, a U.S. commando team, with Kremlin cooperation, captures an upstart warlord general from his palace in Kazakhstan (this movie was made long before Borat turned poor Kazakhstan into a big joke). In appreciation, U.S. President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) flies with his wife and daughter to Moscow to thank the new Russian government. On the return flight aboard Air Force One, however, ruthless communist gunmen loyal to the deposed general violently hijack the plane, intending to use the First Family to bargain for their leader's release. At first both the marauders and the panicking U.S. authorities believe Marshall ejected in an escape pod -- but the Chief Executive, a Vietnam War hero, has secretly stayed behind on the imperiled plane, where he risks his life fighting back against the terrorists from within.
Is it any good?
Not even a politician would argue lumping AIR FORCE ONE in with the many, many imitators of Die Hard -- "It's Die Hard on a plane with the president!" is probably how the script pitch went -- but it's a well-made cinematic roller-coaster, even when stunts and dangers get over-the-top absurd. The thrill-machine goes on at a jet-fueled pace that doesn't let up.
What keeps the picture from crashing are good actors taking this popcorn stuff with utmost seriousness, reminding the viewer it's not just any CIA-Shaolin Temple muscleman-kickboxer-Green Beret-Navy SEAL up there, it's the president. Kudos to Harrison Ford, as not many actors could manage to make James Marshall believable as, all at once, an action hero, caring dad, virile husband, and a righteous and thoughtful Commander-in-Chief -- imagine Rambo) mixed with Josiah Bartlett . But Ford pulls it off. Largely thanks to him, this mayhem actually restores some of old-style Hollywood reverence and awe for the Oval Office, a quality so many films tore down since the 1960s and the Watergate scandal.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the actions undertaken by President Marshall. Should a U.S. president perform lone-wolf heroics like that? You can educate kids about the post-Cold War time period. Going further back, cite presidents who were war heroes and whether that translated into good leadership or not (compare George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant, for example). What did kids think of all the Cabinet bickering about authority and command protocol while President Marshall was in jeopardy?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
One of the best action flicks I've seen!
I really enjoyed this film a lot. It had action, suspense, tense moments. I love it. It has some strong violence( but nothing graphic) and some language issues, but for an R rated movie, neither the language nor violence is over the top. This is probably one of the tamest R's I've seen, but some teens, probably shouldn't see it yet. 15 seems about the right age.
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AGE
extremely suspenseful; great movie
awesome movie! Very violent. A little scary too. violence and language is the only thing to watch out for.
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Kid, 12 years old
December 15, 2009
AGE
Iffy for preteens.
I like this movie. I rated it for violence because there is a lot of gun points on hostages. I rated it for language because someone dous say the F- Bomb.
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AGE
Soft-R Action Movie that's Worth Watching
Air Force One is a very good movie for the action genre. The acting is well done and the premise holds up and it kept me interested throughout the film. 80's action movie fans will be pleasantly surprised and entertained. Parents should know that Air Force One is a soft-R. The language is that of a strong PG-13 (a couple of s**ts, 1 f**k, and other lesser words) and there is no sex, not even innuendo, in this film. The action is mostly gun violence aboard a plane, with bloody shoot outs, executions, betrayals, and a neck-snapping. The action is some-what strong, but not over-the-top, or extreme. If a parent is concerned about their kid watching this film, I suggest they watch it with them. Both you and your kid will have a fun time.
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AGE
R-rating is questionable: Excellent Movie for Teens and Adults!
As old as this movie is, it is my new favorite! There is a lot of gory violence, so I would definitely not recommend it for sensitive teens. It is very suspenseful, even after you've already seen it several times. Harrison Ford is a wonderful actor and a great role model as President. If all Presidents had that much courage, our country would be very grateful. I think although this storyline is very unlikely to occur, it does reflect some of the issues in our world today, which is what makes it entertaining. Obviously, I would not recommend terrorists as great role models, but I must mention that Gary Oldman does an amazing Russian accent. There is also a lot of strong language, but overall I do not think this should be rated R.
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AGE
e.g. Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens
i love this movie but this movie contains things that kids or some adolescents should not see especially the violence and some bad words like they say the f word 2 times (gary oldman) when he says "get the f**k in the air" and "stop with your f***kin lies" (to harrison ford)
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AGE
Good movie about a plane hijacking. Older teens will enjoy the suspense.
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| Studio: | Columbia Tristar |
| Director: | Wolfgang Petersen |
| Cast: | Glenn Close, Harrison Ford, Wendy Crewson |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 125 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | July 25, 1997 |
| DVD release date: | February 10, 1998 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | violence. |
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