Watch Passenger 57 For Free

Simply A Masterpiece

Please don't spend money on this.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Passenger 57 came out at the crux of the "Die Hard on a..." boom in the 90's. Speed, Die Hard 2, Skyscraper, Under Siege and it's sequel, No Contest and Passenger 57; all films that capitalized on the huge success of a single film that literally created a new sub-genre of action film. And though there were countless "terrorist" themed action movies before such as The Delta Force or Invasion USA for example, it really wasn't until Die Hard in 1988 that really turned the action genre on it's head. What soon followed was a barrage of copy-cat's that offered the same premise, just in different locations such as a boat (Under Siege), bus (Speed) and plane (Turbulence, Air Force One) rather than an office building. And then there were the flat-out shameless ripoffs like Skyscraper and No Contest. I have to admit though, I do still love those two quite a bit, but for completely different reasons other than being an action film.While some of these types of films are better than others, Passenger 57 is one of the better ones. It's a serviceable terrorist/action film that takes all the standard tropes associated with this new genre and doesn't bring anything new to the table, but puts it all together rather well and effortlessly. As you can estimate by it's title, Passenger 57 takes place on a plane. Well, about a third of it actually takes place on a plane to be more accurate. But that's okay, because the change of scenery does wonders for the overall structure, in that it never gets boring or feels stale. The constant shift in location (hospital, plane, carnival, landing strip, then plane again) keeps the film visually and narratively interesting while keeping you, the viewer, on your toes.This was Wesley Snipes first starring role in an action picture. While he had been a star in his own right well before this film in comedies, dramas and thrillers, this was the first time he was the main star of any film, let alone an action one. So it's safe to say Passenger 57 kickstarted his long and lustrous action career. Though he would continue to dip into more dramas, thrillers and a few comedies, it was really in the action genre where he flourished, even more so when he took on the role of Blade, the immortal vampire in 1998. But really, what better way to begin your action career than with this fairly by- numbers, yet highly entertaining exercise.What kind of surprised me was how good this ended up being, and how for some reason it never received the type of status or hype as other "Die Hard style" action films did, like Under Siege for example. It has everything you'd want; action, fights, explosions, an excellent English villain, a killer roster of character actors (Tom Sizemore!), and a hip, fun vibe with plenty of style to burn. That's another area I found surprising. Passenger 57 is directed by Kevin Hooks, who up until this point had previously only worked in television, with the exception of the urban comedy Strictly Business the year before, yet did such a fantastic job handling a big budget action film his first time out. In fact, he does a much better job than most current action directors working today, which surprises me that Hooks didn't really make it big as an action director. Sure he did Fled and Black Dog later, but they just didn't seem really up to par with what he could do as a solid director in this genre. Yet at the same time, it seems to be a trend with these directors. They knock it out of the park with a solid film, but then sort of fade into obscurity. It happens to nearly all of them; Jan De Bont, Renny Harlin, Andrew Davis, Dwight H. Little, Geoff Murphy and most certainly Kevin Hooks.You won't find anything groundbreaking in here, but it sure was a helluva good time from start to finish. Wesley Snipes shines, even impressing us with some killer stuntwork, while resident bad guy Bruce Payne again delivers yet another fantastic villain. Seriously, the guy is underrated as hell. For me personally, if I see his name in the credits, it's almost a guarantee I'll have a good time. The films constantly shifting locations keep the film moving along at a breakneck pace, while simultaneously ramping up the tension, suspense and thrills as the film progresses to a satisfying climax. Really, you just can't go wrong with Passenger 57. More people need to be aware of this little gem.For more Cult Cinema fun, please visit www.robotGEEKSCultCinema.com

I'm actually surprised at some of the reviews for Passenger 57 and its relatively low score. This was one of those movies I saw very early in my movie lovers career and it was one of the reasons I fell in love with action. They simply don't make movies like this anymore in a post 9/11 and terrorist fuelled world. If you get the right lead actor it was always fun in the 80's and 90's to watch one hero take on a ridiculous amount of horrible bad guys led by a sadistic leader aka: Die Hard, Con-Air, The Rock, Executive Decision, Air Force One and Passenger 57. All those movies I listed are absolutely top notch in my books. This was Wesley Snipes at his best. He oozes confidence and heroism and just bad-assness (yes that's a word!) Its a little simpler of a concept than some of those other movies and it feels a little cheaper and some on IMDb call it "campy" and I suppose compared to today's big budget splashy action flicks it might be but this is when action was done right in my books. Its intense, its gory, its no holds barred and its fun because you always know the bad guy is gonna get his by the lone hero. Ridiculous and near perfect.Wesley Snipes never seemed to be able to be a huge Hollywood star. Maybe I'm wrong but I always saw him as a B-level actor. Still he absolutely has a leading man air about him. He is great at martial arts, shows proper intensity and you believe he can take on a ton of people all at once. He is perfect as John Cutter in this film. Bruce Payne is perfect as the quintessential action villain. In my books, every great action film needs a viscous bloodthirsty villain and Payne nails it. The best villains are the ones that are almost campy but they're too deranged to be funny. Tom Sizemore has a small role as Cutter's guy on the ground and he fits his role well giving a little comic relief and filling his role properly. Elizabeth Hurley, Michael Horse, Marc Macaulay, Ernie Lively and Alex Datcher have small but significant roles that are worth noting as either terrorists, a small town copy (Lively) or the romantic love interest (Datcher.) Datcher is sparingly used and her romance with Snipes feels a little forced but its necessary for a mainstream movie so it works fine.You just can't hate Passenger 57 for its sheer simplicity. It is nothing more than mindless entertainment. You have to sit back and let go and just have fun. The pace of the film is great, tons of action, decent story and it might be predictable but its good enough that the formulaic plot works. It is a guilty pleasure and while it isn't as strong as some of the bigger films that I mentioned earlier, it is a modern day classic in its own right. Director Kevin Hooks is not new to the scene. He's been in Television for decades including after this going into some of the best action thrillers on TV. He knows how to keep the story moving, he knows what people want to see and he works well with his cast. If you have simplistic expectations you can't help but have fun with this 90's Action must. 8/10

This movie is the absolute worst airplane movie I have ever seen! It's a mix between comedy, Miami Vice, Karate Kid, and black power all condensed into 80 minutes. They use Karate moves WAY too much in unnecessary situations, there is major discrimination towards Southerners and British, and the decisions made by the made character could have been thought up better by a preschooler. Seriously. The acting sucks, it is entirely cheesy and their punchlines sound like a self-centered fifth grader wrote this for his class play. I have no idea what the screenwriters were thinking when they filmed this. Just look at all the goofs for this movie and I can assure you this is longer than a low-budget 90's flunk. Do NOT watch this movie!!!

Wesley Snipes proved himself a highly capable action movie hero with this early vehicle. It's no great shakes when it comes to the script or most of the characters, but director Kevin Hooks and his filmmaking team are good at giving this slick thriller an impressive pace and decent set pieces. One may notice that the running time is very short (84 minutes). So there's not a lot of filler, or fooling around, just a generous dose of escapist entertainment.Snipes plays John Cutter, an airline security specialist who conveniently happens to be on the same flight as a notorious terrorist, Charles Rane (who's played for maximum iciness and creepiness by a steely-eyed Bruce Payne). You guessed it: Rane has compatriots aboard the plane who help him to escape his FBI escorts and take control of the plane. From there, the action doesn't stop, and actually alternates between scenes on the ground and in the air. Cutter doesn't really have many allies, so the story does amount to a fairly typical "Die Hard" type derivation.The charismatic Snipes and the dastardly Payne are well supported by a bunch of familiar faces. Tom Sizemore is quite engaging as Cutters' upbeat, chatty pal Sly Delvecchio. Co-star Robert Hooks, who plays FBI agent Henderson, is the father of the director; also appearing are ever reliable Bruce Greenwood, lovely Elizabeth Hurley, an amusing Ernie Lively as a hayseed police chief, Alex Datcher as the sexy stewardess - excuse me, flight attendant - who verbally spars with Cutter. Michael Horse, Marc Macaulay, and William Edward Roberts play Ranes' various henchmen.With a high energy and funky score by Stanley Clarke as accompaniment, "Passenger 57" is solid entertainment for the undemanding action fan, with a hero you can root for and villains whom you can enjoy hating. Rane does show himself to be thoroughly evil when he murders an innocent passenger. The climactic action is not to be believed; it is ridiculous and over-the-top, but, really, who cares that much when all is said and done? Note that Snipes is at one point reading "The Art of War"; eight years later he'd be starring in a movie by the same name.Seven out of 10.