Film Snail

The Flight of the Phoenix
The Flight of the Phoenix

7.2

The Flight of the Phoenix

NR·1965·142m

Summary

A cargo aircraft crashes in a sandstorm in the Sahara with less than a dozen men on board. One of the passengers is an airplane designer who comes up with the idea of ripping off the undamaged wing and using it as the basis for a replacement aircraft they need to build before their food and water run out.

Crew

Director

Robert Aldrich

Novel

Trevor Dudley-Smith

Screenplay

Lukas Heller

Reviews

John Chard

John Chard

August 28, 2014

8

Absorbing character piece that's acted accordingly.

A transport aeroplane carrying an assortment of men crash lands in the Sahara desert, these men must group together in spite of their varying indifference's and build another plane out of the wreckage.

It perhaps, on the surface, doesn't sound much does it? We as viewers are asked to spend over two hours watching these men interact with each other with differing results. The location stays the same, it is just sand, sun, and men awaiting death. Yet the film is one of the best exponents of the character piece because the characters each have their own personal hang ups. Be it carrying scars from the war, or a class difference of upbringing, or that demon addiction to alcohol, these men have to overcome themselves before they can overcome the biggest hurdle in front of them.

Boasting what reads as a who's who of great character actors, The Flight Of The Phoenix becomes a riveting watch because we feel the stifled nature of their plight, because we are blessed to have these wonderful actors fully realising the great writing from Lukas Heller. It is absorbing, it is very sharp, and fittingly we get a twist that makes the ending even more rewarding.

Highly Recommended. 8/10

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$5,355,000.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Keywords

thirst
pilot
sahara desert
crew
disaster
airplane crash
desert
alcoholic