Con Air - 1997

"Put... the bunny... back... in the box."
**½ (out of 4 stars)

I can't believe that this isn't a Michael Bay film.  The last 30 minutes or so is just Cage running from explosions while distorted guitars wail.  This sounds good on paper, but it's just not as great as I remember it being when I first saw it.

Here Cage plays Cameron Poe, an Army veteran who returns home to his pregnant wife only to be immediately (and very implausibly) accused of murder.  He kills, in self-defense, an armed man who attacked him along with two others.  He pleads guilty because apparently he has the worst lawyer in the world and he is sent to prison for seven years.

We then fast forward to his release.  The prison transport plane that is about to take him to freedom is hijacked by the prisoners.  Now he must try and regain control of the plane.  Lots of action and explosions ensue.

Steve Buscemi makes an appearance, and the bad guy is played by John Malkovich, continuing the long tradition of actors who are too good to be in Nicolas Cage movies being in Nicolas Cage movies.  Malkovich's character is named Cyrus the Virus, which has got to be one of the least tough sounding villain names ever.  Also, he is supposed to be in his mid-30s which isn't really believable.

But enough about Malkovich... back to Cage!  He uses a really goofy southern accent here.  His accent was great in raising Arizona, but in this film he is a bit too stoic to make it work.  I prefer my Cage hyper and crazy, not brooding and pensive.  Anyway, he's really going for the hunky tough guy look in this one. In some scenes, he almost pulls it off, but in most it just looks really awkward and forced.   Most of the action scenes are pretty standard for a mid-90s flick.  This is a great film by no means, but it is required watching if you like Cage action movies.  It is probably Cage at his most actiony.

craziness:

*½

He's not really crazy here, but some of his acting choices are.

hair implausibility:

* *

It's kind of ridiculous, but pretty plausible at this point in his career.  If he tried this now, it would be a disaster.  If I was rating the majesticness of it, it would obviously be 4 stars.

love interest implausibility:

*½

She's a few years younger than him, but I can almost buy it.  Small town...  limited options...