From Deseret News archives:
Turbulence
Film review
If "The Relic" was really just a variation on "Don't Go in the Basement," then "Turbulence" is "Don't Go in the Coach Section."
Would you believe a cross between "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Airport 1975"? No kidding.
From the former, Ray Liotta is the Hannibal Lecter character though at least he doesn't eat his victims (maybe he prefers airline food). From the latter, Lauren Holly is the Karen Black character, a flight attendant who tries to land a commercial airliner with help from a pilot on the ground.
The plot has Liotta's maniac serial killer being transported by federal marshals from New York to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. But it isn't long before he has apparently killed everyone on board including the pilots and taken control of the 747. That is, he has killed off everyone except flight attendant Lauren Holly.
And since he's headed for death row anyway, Liotta plans to "go out in a blaze of glory" by crashing the plane into a well-populated area of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Holly tries to land the plane, unaware that the military intends to blow it up over the desert.
Most of the film is the usual cat-and-mouse horror cliches. And after exhausting the hiding-place possibilities (at one point someone actually falls out of an overhead compartment), the ante is upped with weather as they enter a "level six storm." "Is that on a scale from one to 10?" Holly asks the tower. Answer: "No from one to six!" (At one point, the airliner actually does a 360-degree spin.)
The film's first third is a tease, suggesting that Liotta's character may be innocent, despite his conviction as a serial killer. But it's really pretty obvious from the earliest scenes that he's the real deal, especially since Liotta plays him as manipulative and charming, with a seething, repressed rage just beneath the surface.
When he finally cuts loose, however, Liotta delivers one of the wackiest over-the-top performances you'll see this year. (And, yes, I know it's January.) Holly just effects her best Linda Hamilton-"Terminator 2" pose.
In the end, the film becomes unintentionally amusing, as Holly tries to land the plane and crashes into a high-rise restaurant and a rooftop parking lot with a truck sticking to the landing gear!
But then, how often do you see an "Airport" movie with its own built-in "Airplane!" spoof?
"Turbulence" is rated R for considerable violence and mayhem (some of it quite brutal and gruesome), as well as constant profanity and vulgarity.
Comments
Cast: Ray Liotta, Lauren Holly, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Cross, Rachel Ticotin, Jeffrey DeMunn, Catherine Hicks, Hector Elizondo.
Find a Movie Theater
- Recount in Atlanta mayoral race 9:54 a.m.
- Jurors defend verdict in Texas 9:52 a.m.
- New York charges don't stick to Gotti 9:51 a.m.
- Provo police seek 5 in robbery 9:50 a.m.
- Blackwater founder cutting ties 9:49 a.m.
- Blood found in Yale suspect's home 9:48 a.m.
- Allen Iverson signs with 76ers again 9:48 a.m.
- FDIC: bank access lacking for poor 9:23 a.m.
- Publishers strengthen 'pay walls' 9:22 a.m.
- General Growth files reorganization 9:20 a.m.
- 2 citations issued at Y.-U. game
- Witness: Mitchell wanted attention
- BYU says Hall incident resolved
- Max Hall: a fixture in rivalry lore
- Why is Y. ignoring spew of hatred?
- Find joy in life, Bishop Burton says
- Unbeaten BYU takes trip to Logan
- McCoy to resign from Utah Senate
- Cougars, Utes on list of MWC honorees
- BCS just keeps dirty laundry on spin
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
907 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
483 - Hall reprimanded by MWC
404 - Max Hall issues apology
388 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
350 - Utes won't respond to Hall
276 - BYU says Hall incident resolved
239 - 2 citations issued at Y.-U. game
164 - BYU is champion of the state
143 - Religion in politics is tiresome
134
Every team is a dangerous foe for utah this year.
My Apology for missing the decimal place. In an earlier comment, I stated...
During most of the "drunk" period, the Fed was run by Allan Greenspan who...
Isn't it amazing that Austin Collie is closer to a Super Bowl ring than Alex...
Mike Lee isn't even in the race (maybe he will) and is only 2% behind a...
We all have our favorite phrases to sum up the TDS - Utah rivalry games....
Then it was also a tie game in 2005.
Re: "Even if the danger is overstated, we need to be better stewards of the...
I suppose all of you that feel his actions are justified because of his...
When someone gets HIV because they had a blood transfusion, or married to...




You can be the first to comment on this story.