Turbulence (1997) Reviews

• Hokum-and hugely entertaining

  zippgun2004-06-25

  Many people are very critical of this movie-but it does have some fans,including me!Okay,the whole thing is full of absurdities-but so what!Butler takes the old "stewardess flies the plane" cliche,runs with it,and delivers an enormously entertaining slice of hokum.The formula is paired down to basics,as mad serial killer Weaver(Ray Liotta),creates havoc aboard the plane,determined it will crash into L.A.-so he can go out in a blaze of vengeful glory.All that stands in his way is plucky flight attendant Teri(Lauren Holly).The stage is set for a frantic live action "Tom and Jerry" wing ding between monstrous male psycho predator,and winsome female "prey". Liotta really seems to be enjoying himself here,and is given lots of goofy "psycho speak" to deliver with relish.Weaver has a sense of humor too!"I'm never flying this airline again!",he shouts to himself,after being tumbled backwards down some stairs,a leg painfully crushed in a door. Then there's Terri-cute,willowy and Bambi eyed-I found myself pretty upset seeing what poor Teri goes through in this movie!But despite insults,threats,punches,assaults,smoke attacks and all,she has the moxie to keep going.Battered,bruised and bloodied she still looks stunning!And at the beginning,we are told some guy just broke off his engagement to THIS girl!HE must've been crazier than Weaver!

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• Lots of Fun, But Check Your Brains At The Door

  ccthemovieman-12005-12-09

  Here's one of those films that wears you out. By the end, you're exhausted. I really liked this the first two times but three viewings were enough. By then, the absurdity of the whole thing had fried what few brain cells I have left. Ray Liotta is excellent as the psycho serial killer who puts on a charming Ted Bundy-like appearance for a short while before publicly showing his insanity. He's fascinating, start to finish here, even providing some very humorous lines. I wish I could say I enjoyed the other people in here but, except for Ben Cross, I couldn't. Lauren Holly, the female star of the film, is decent for much of the "ride" but becomes annoying and totally non-believable in the final phase of the film, becoming out-of-character profane and nasty herself. (Of course, her flight did turn out to be a tiny bit stressful which might have affected her patience. ha ha) Of course, with a film like this, there are going to be some severe questions with credibility, but when did that ever stop filmmakers? Other reviewers in here have already detailed some of the non--sensible parts, so no need to dwell on that. This is not brainfood: it's just escapist entertainment for a night, something to show your girlfriend so she'll hold onto you during all the suspense! Anyway, I enjoyed the special effects, especially with the plane smashing a few buildings, and the sound was awesome, at least on the DVD. For much of the flight, they are flying through a storm and the rumbles form the shaking airliner, was dramatic.

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• highly entertaining mindless action movie

  chilla-black2014-05-11

  Action/disaster movies involving planes are good and enjoyable (Die Hard 2, Snakes On A Plane, Con-Air, Air Force One, Executive Decision etc). Same goes for action movies where the bad guy is a total lunatic. So this personal favourite of mine has the best of both world's - a wisecracking total lunatic in charge of a 747 he intends to crash. Ray Liotta is absolutely excellent as a sarcastic lunatic in this movie! I love indulging in Turbulence every now and then. Just to watch Ray Liotta's character 'giving it large' to his nemesis - some cop who framed him - on a plane that he intends to crash, just for him (the cop) - to make him famous cos he was hopeless at catching Liotta and had to plant a teddy bear in his car to get a conviction (Liotta's character supposedly strangles women after giving them a teddy bear for Christmas btw). Anyway, the dialogue on the plane between the cast in the early stages is quite good. Especially the drinks and dinner menu scenes. Once the movie becomes cat and mouse between Liotta and the air stewardess, some of the dialogue is very good and quite amusing if you view it from the point that Liotta's character is a crazed psycho with nothing to lose but wants to have a bit of fun along the way. Some of the scenes involving the landing of the plane are quite good as well especially when it almost collides with a hotel restaurant and you get a POV on it. Forget that it is a stupid idea where a stewardess gets a crash course from the ground crew (pun intended) to land a 747. Plane movies are always spectacular when they involve some kind of crash idea or a novice attempting to land one. So Ray Liotta as a crazed psycho with a grudge against a cop and on a hijacked empty 747, a guy who is destined for the chair and with nothing to lose is pretty good idea for a movie....in my opinion. The premise may be mindless, but who cares - it's a wonderful life. LOL

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• "Buffalo Gals, won't you come out tonight . . . . "

  icfarm2007-07-16

  An implausible but intense thrill ride with a more than competent cast. As the film opens, it is Christmas Eve, and we get our introduction to our Bad Guy, Ryan Weaver (Ray Liotta, doing the kind of character he does best). He's a good-looking, charming-on-the-surface killer who has come to be known as the "Lonely Hearts Strangler" because his M.O. is apparently to target a single woman, romance her for a time, and then . . . well, they do call him "Strangler". After leaving a toy store with a cute stuffed animal and arriving at his new girlfriend (next intended victim's) place, he is arrested and kicked in the stomach by the detective (Hector Elizondo) who has been after him for years and even framed him by planting evidence (although it's okay in this case because HE DONE IT! Who cares what they had to do to get him?) In a clever bit of opening misdirection, we see shots of Bad Guy on his way to his latest target's place intercut with shots of our Heroine (waifish but not anorexic, blonde-haired-big-blue-eyed Lauren Holly) in her own place in such a way as to make us think that she is his new "girlfriend", when in fact she is not. The two do meet, however, since our Heroine is a flight attendant assigned to the Christmas Eve flight on which Bad Guy is being transported to prison to await his execution. Along with Bad Guy is another con (Brendan Gleeson, in a Glee-ful performance) who's first words are his reply to our Heroine's question, "What would you like?", referring to drinks. His response? "I'd like to nail you, baby,", in the slimiest-sounding Cornpone accent you've ever heard. Is this guy really British?! Anyway, our charming con goes on to ask to be taken to the plane's bathroom, uses the soap-thingy as a weapon to kill the officer who is guarding him, and proceeds to make like Jeff Foxworthy if Foxy was a BAD-ASS Redneck. He ends up holding our Heroine hostage with a gun to her pretty blonde head, and who talks him into letting her go? None other than our Bad Guy, who at this point is still making like an unjustly accused and convicted Good Guy. In another dust-up, the other con and several others are shot. (The pilots have, in the midst of all this, been killed). Our Heroine is told by our Bad Guy that the pilot hit his head but is all right and is going to land. He begins to win her sympathy, asking her if she believes in capital punishment, to which she answers "No". Our Heroine is sharp, however, and notices that the plane does not appear to be descending. She decides to go to the cockpit herself to check things out and finds the pilot and his co-pilot dead. She manages to make contact with the ground, however, and they patch her through to a pilot (Ben Cross, who brings his presence and accent to the role)who instructs her on how to communicate with the people on the ground and how to operate the plane(to LAND it, of course). Our Bad Guy, however, is determined that they will crash and, he hopes, take as many other people with them as possible. He shows his true colors, and it is at this point that it becomes almost impossible not to enjoy watching Mr. Liotta; he simply seems to be having so much FUN playing this particular wack-pot. As the plane tosses them to-and-fro (did I mention that they're headed into a six-on-a-scale-of-one-to-six thunderstorm?) our Heroine must defend herself after being coaxed out of the cockpit by our Bad Guy. While not trying to come across as the Xena of flight attendants, Ms. Holly is determined and tough mentally and also physically when forced to fight for her life. Yes, at one point, she uses sex - or at least the promise of sex - to get our Bad Guy to let his guard down for a moment, but, hey, it's one of the few "weapons" she has at her disposal, along with the fire extinguisher she clobbers him with shortly after the bogus come-on. (Why, under these circumstances, does our psycho-but-sharp Bad Guy believe for a MOMENT that the woman he's terrorizing would have sex with him, even to save herself and the few other people on board the plane he hasn't killed? Because it's a movie, children!) Anyway, after kicking a little Bad Guy butt and ultimately getting ahold of a Marshall's gun and killing him, our Heroine manages to land the plane. Merry Christmas! If you just want to shut down your higher brain functions and watch a good psycho-killer-chiller, and especially if you like it when said chiller supposedly takes place on Christmas, this is highly recommended for you. Cheers.

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• How's this for rationalizing?

  =G=2002-12-01

  There's a bizarre human appetite for that which is awful. From lookie-looing at traffic accidents to Man Show mooks to Lettreman's stupid pet tricks to worst home videos, etc., people like to watch people being stupid, outrageous, and ridiculous. Therein lies the appeal of "Turbulence", a not-to-be-taken-seriously white knuckle ride into the realm of the ridiculous with Holly as the "Stew" who's got to save a 747 jumbo jet with a handful of passengers against all odds including one very whacked out serial killer (Liotta). Ok, ok...this movie is stupid. However, for those who can get to that place in their heads where they don't intellectualize, just go with it, and enjoy the humor-tinged hair raising suspense and silliness, 100 minutes of entertainment awaits. (C)

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