John Malkovich just isn’t getting the scripts he used to get, but what do you expect after “Portrait of a Lady” and “Mary Reilly”?
Our boy, Nic Cage is Cameron Poe, a former Army Ranger and current parolee who just wants to get home for the birthday of the daughter he’s never met. He makes the mistake of hitching a ride on a prison transport plane that’s carting a group of high-profile felons to a new maximum security prison in Poe’s home state of Alabama. The criminals are played by a “Poseidon Adventure”-like cast of expensive character actors. Hilarity and bedlam ensue.
This is a big, silly film. Is it full of explosions and one-liners? Of course. Is it entertaining? Of course. Two days before I saw this film I sat through most of Peter Greenaway’s short films. Don’t get me wrong, I love Greenaway, but after an experience like that, I need a good hunk of mindless entertainment to prevent me from slitting my wrist. (If any of you have seen “Vertical Features Remake” and enjoyed it, seek help. NOW.) I was entertained and it didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth.
