Cabin Pressure (2002) starring Craig Sheffer, Rachel Hayward, Winston Rekert, Françoise Yip, Michael Kopsa, Alexandria Mitchell, John Pyper-Ferguson directed by Alan Simmonds Movie Review

Cabin Pressure (2002)   1/51/51/51/51/5


Craig Sheffer in Cabin Pressure (2002)

Be the Plane

I like Craig Sheffer as an actor but he has certainly appeared in some bad movies over the years, bad movies like "Cabin Pressure". Now "Cabin Pressure" isn't so much a movie but a collection of movie cliches surrounding a troubled plane, in this case a completely computer operated plane. As such we have a former pilot with a drinking problem, a disgruntled former employee looking for revenge, of course a troubled plane but on top of that so much cheese that "Cabin Pressure" is one of those movies which becomes entertaining for what is bad.

After a test flight of a computer controlled plane goes wrong, computer whiz kid Gabriel Wingfield (John Pyper-Ferguson) is fired by Ty Corbett (Winston Rekert) and 6 months later he is looking for revenge. With Ty Corbett announcing that he will be a passenger on the first flight of their new computer controlled plane Gabriel goes into action to hack the system to take control. Meanwhile troubled pilot Peter 'Bird Dog' Dewmont (Craig Sheffer) is trying to get on top of his drinking and get his life back together which leads him back to his former wife Reece Robbins (Rachel Hayward). With Reece on the plane which Gabriel has remotely hijacked Pete and an old army friend must try and find a way to rescue them.

John Pyper-Ferguson in Cabin Pressure (2002)

As a defender of TV movies I sometimes have to admit defeat and that is what I admitting with "Cabin Pressure" which is also known as "Hijack'd". I just can't find anything to defend when it comes to the movie because everything about it is cliche and corny, from Pete being known as 'Bird Dog' to his drinking problems to Gabriel being an over the top nut job. Seriously I don't know what actor John Pyper-Ferguson was told but his characterisation of Gabriel being a madman it horrendously over the top.

I can't even defend the whole idea of a plane being remotely hijacked because it is all so far fetched, from the equipment which Gabriel uses to the actual systems on the plane which at one point looks like they had glued a facia from a car stereo to a piece of wood. And I could go on ripping this movie to shreds because for around 80 minutes it is dire, dull and overly contrived especially how it gets to Pete ending up the hero. But then there is one moment where it hits the point of being entertaining and that is because we hear Pete tell Reece "Be the Plane", it is laughable and for that reason only I found myself entertained.

What this all boils down to is that "Cabin Pressure" is a bad movie even by made for TV standards and there is nothing about it which I can defend. Even the generally entertaining Craig Sheffer plays a dull, inconsistent joke of a character and at times looks like he is desperately trying not to laugh.


LATEST REVIEWS