There was a brief window in the 1990s when Hollywood could ask audiences to believe the President of the United States was also the biggest action hero on the planet — and everyone happily went along with it. At the time, we associated the presidency with a sense of dignity, grace, and bravery that has since evaporated into thin air. (Also, back then it wasn’t unusual for the president to be younger than 70 years old.)
Released in 1997, Air Force One is the purest expression of that fantasy in film. Harrison Ford stars as President James Marshall, a commander-in-chief who fights back after terrorists hijack his plane. It’s an outrageous premise, but Ford’s charisma somehow makes every punch, speech, and impossible escape feel believable.
Streaming free on Pluto TV as of June, Air Force One remains one of the defining action thrillers of the decade. Here’s why you should watch it, and what you need to know before you do.
Air Force One was originally released during a very specific moment in American culture. It hit theaters in a stacked summer, competing with Men in Black, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Face/Off, and touched down just one year after President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) sacrificed his life to repel an alien invasion in Independence Day. This was during Bill Clinton’s second term, not long before the Monica Lewinsky scandal forever changed the public perception of the presidency.
Air Force One imagines an idealized POTUS. Marshall is principled without being preachy, tough without being cruel, and utterly devoted to both country and family. He’s also a Vietnam War veteran who received the Medal of Honor. When Secret Service agents escort him to the escape pod, he refuses to leave while his wife and daughter are still on board.
In lesser hands, that kind of character might come across as over-the-top and unrealistic. Yet an exciting script from Castle creator Andrew W. Marlowe, strong direction from Wolfgang Petersen (The NeverEnding Story, The Perfect Storm, Troy), and Ford’s charming but respectful swagger make it all work.
Ford radiates competence from the moment he appears onscreen. He deftly navigates a delicate political situation to prevent nuclear war, and then delivers a forceful speech in Moscow condemning state-sponsored terrorism — even speaking a little bit of Russian. Once he boards Air Force One for his trip home, he jokes with his flight crew, sneaks away to catch a few minutes of “The Game” (he roots for Michigan in a match-up against Notre Dame), gently teases his daughter, and shamelessly flirts with his wife. Before the hijacking even begins, Ford has us convinced this guy is someone worth rooting for.
Does Marshall have a meaningful flaw? Not really, and that’s entirely the point.
By 1997, Ford was nearing the end of one of Hollywood’s greatest blockbuster runs. Between Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Jack Ryan, audiences had spent nearly two decades watching him play reluctant heroes whose decency was just as important as their toughness. Air Force One simply asks viewers to believe that the same man could also run the United States.
Ford even drew on some real-world presidential connections. At a birthday party for President Bill Clinton, he found himself sitting next to both Clinton and Glenn Close. Ford asked Close if she’d play Vice President Kathryn Bennett — a role written specifically for a woman — and then turned to the president with another request: a tour of the real Air Force One for the filmmakers. According to Ford, Clinton happily obliged. Clinton reportedly went on to become a big fan of the movie.
Fresh off his delightfully over-the-top performance as Zorg in The Fifth Element, Gary Oldman delivered another memorable villain just weeks later as Russian ultranationalist Ivan Korshunov. Where Zorg is flamboyant, Korshunov is chillingly disciplined. He’s a soldier, veteran, and a patriot. He’s also an out-of-control zealot willing to sacrifice anything to glorify his nation. That makes him a perfect foil for Ford’s calm confidence.
The movie also owes a clear debt to Die Hard. Much like Nakatomi Plaza, Air Force One itself becomes the star of the show. Once the hijacking begins, the plane becomes a floating pressure cooker. The narrow corridors, cargo hold, and hidden compartments create an atmosphere of mounting paranoia. The whole enterprise does feel very “Die Hard but on a plane,” scaled down in scope. It’s Ford versus six armed terrorists — and one of them is a total nerd who can barely hold a gun. (“Never tell me the odds!”)
These days, movies always seem to deconstruct heroes and/or explore the gray areas of morality, but more complicated doesn’t always mean better. Air Force One has no interest in any of that. We get the perfect father, husband, man, and president fighting some terrorists. We get a fax machine playing a crucial role in saving the day. We get Harrison Ford looking a man in the eye before growling “Get off my plane!” and then proceeding to yeet him into the skies.
Sometimes, that’s all you need for a good time at the movies.
