Turbulence (1997 film)
Turbulence | |
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Directed by | Robert Butler |
Written by | Jonathan Brett |
Produced by | |
Starring |
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Cinematography | MGM Distribution Co. |
Release date |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $55 million[1] |
Box office | $11.5 million[1] |
Turbulence is a 1997 American
Plot
Ryan Weaver, an accused serial killer and rapist, is arrested in New York City despite his claims of innocence. Even though police lieutenant Aldo Hines (who has been pursuing Weaver's case for years) broke protocol during the arrest by assaulting him (which later enraged Weaver) the authorities have enough hard evidence to have him extradited to
During the flight, Stubbs breaks free while using the bathroom and begins a shootout with the marshals. A stray bullet punches a hole in the fuselage causing
Weaver appears to be horrified by the ordeal, increasing the passengers' trust in him. With the flight crew lost, Teri Halloran, a flight attendant, makes her way into the cockpit and learns she is the only one left capable of keeping the 747 from crashing. To make matters worse, the plane is heading into a storm which threatens severe turbulence.
Weaver's behavior becomes increasingly erratic as he is paranoid of being sentenced to death upon landing and suffers nervous breakdowns. He then locks the passengers in the crew's cabin then attacks and strangles Maggie, one of the other flight attendants, to death. Weaver then calls Hines at the
After the plane survives severe storm turbulence, Teri must be instructed by radio from Captain Bowen how to reprogram the autopilot to land at LAX, but her task is complicated by Weaver's obscene and constant interruptions. Weaver then breaks into the
Teri begs the authorities not to have her shot down, insisting she can land the plane. Weaver breaks into the cockpit with an axe and tries to kill her, but the F-14 destroys the truck instead, shaking the 747 and giving Teri a chance to attack. Teri retrieves a .38 revolver (that one of the marshals turned over to the captain upon boarding), and, in the midst of Weaver's assault, manages to load a bullet and shoots Weaver through the head, killing him. Teri returns to the pilot's seat and with Bowen's radio assistance, safely lands the 747 using the autopilot. Despite Weaver's claims that he killed them all, the other crew and passengers are found alive.
Cast
- Ray Liotta as Ryan Weaver
- Lauren Holly as Teri Halloran
- Catherine Hicks as Maggie
- Héctor Elizondo as Lieutenant Aldo Hines
- Rachel Ticotin as Rachel Taper
- Brendan Gleeson as Stubbs
- Ben Cross as Captain Samuel Bowen
- Jeffrey DeMunn as Brooks
- John Finn as FBI Special Agent Frank Sinclair
- Heidi Kling as Betty
- Gordy Owens as Carl
- Michael Harney as Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Marty Douglas
- Grand Bushas Deputy U.S. Marshal Al Arquette
- Richard Hoyt-Miller as Deputy U.S. Marshal Riordan
- Michael Francis Kelly as Deputy U.S. Marshal Green
- J. Kenneth Campbell as Captain Matt Powell
- James MacDonald as 1st Officer Ted Kary
- George Cheung as The Party Guest (uncredited)
Production
The spec script was purchased by Rysher Entertainment for $1 million.[2] The film was announced to be in development in May 1995.[3] Filming began in spring 1996 and ended in Autumn 1996. The film was part of a four picture distribution deal between Rysher and MGM.[3]
Reception
Box office
Turbulence grossed $11 million domestically on a $55 million budget.[1]
Critical reception
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, gave it an approval rating of 19% with four positive and 17 negative out of 21 reviews; the average rating was 4 out of 10.[4] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[5]
Both Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli rated the film one star out of four, denouncing the implausible storyline as well as the casting of Lauren Holly as an action heroine.[6][7] G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Examiner called the film "an absolute bore".[8]
Lauren Holly's performance in the film earned her a
Sequels
Despite its box office failure, the film did well enough on home video to become a trilogy with two new direct-to-video sequels. They are Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying and Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal, each with a different cast.
References
- ^ a b c "Turbulence". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2016-01-14. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
- ^ "Mendelsohn buys his way into 'White House'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "MGM, Rysher jump into multipic pact". Variety. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ "Turbulence Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
- ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1997-01-10). "Turbulence". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
- ReelViews. Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-19. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
- ^ Johnson, G. Allen (1997-01-10). "Turbulence' can't shake gremlins". San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
- E! Online. Archivedfrom the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
- ^ "The Stinkers 1997 Ballot". Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 18 August 2000.
External links
- Turbulence at IMDb
- Turbulence at Box Office Mojo
- Turbulence at Rotten Tomatoes