Monday, 5 June 2023

BITE-SIZED: The Concorde: Airport '79 (David Lowell Rich, 1979)

On its maiden flight across the Atlantic, a new Concorde flight becomes a target when one of its passengers gains information which could bring down a corrupt American arms dealer (Robert Wagner).


Can Captain Joe Patroni (George Kennedy) and his crew save the plane from danger?



Four films in and George Kennedy is finally in the cockpit - after rising through the ranks Joe Patroni is the pilot and main hero.


Following the pattern of escalation of most sequels, this movie features a supersonic plane facing off against fighter jets and missiles - it is like the previous movies, only supersonic!

 

Directed by TV veteran David Lowell Rich, Concorde does not win any points for visual inventiveness but it works for a movie set within the interior of a plane.


The plot is a ridiculous concoction of aerial setpieces and corporate intrigue, but it is watchable. The visual effects show their age, but they are mostly effective.


There is a certain tension to the whole piece, particularly in the third act, when the plane - a massive hole in its guts - tries to make an emergency landing in the Swiss Alps.


It is a silly movie, with an odd sense of anti-climax.


The film ends with the Concorde exploding, before cutting to a shot of another Concorde flying against the horizon as Lalo Schifrin’s triumphant score plays.


An arbitrary end to the franchise, The Concorde was a decent international hit, but the studio decided to cut out before the movies actually started bombing.


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