The Flight of the Phoenix

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Blu B All Time Classic. This starts out solid enough but once they come up with a plan to build the plane it takes a big jump as the clock starts ticking. Than it jumps again with the character drama which is riveting. The whole cast is phenominal especially Frank, Lew, and Heinrich. This doesn't waste time giving pointless devlopment backstories and throws us right into the action and we learn about the characters along the way through the journey to survive. There is no throw away characters in this and everyone serves a purpose and no one is more powerful than the other. The script is really smart and generates a huge amount of tension despite there being next to no action in this whatsoever. You can feel the stakes keep ticking higher and higher as the casualties mount, resources dwindle, and time runs out in a palpable way. The desert setting is so simple and yet super memorable as we spend the whole movie in one location and it never feels boring. The best parts are the riveting character interactions between Stewart and Heinrich. The music is really good but not exactly catchy on its own. Everything else is exceptionally done. Everyone should give this a try once. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/24 Full Review nick s The cinematography was great and the acting was solid. However I felt that it started to drag... ostensibly because there was no mystery to the movie. Also the plot of making an aerodynamic Frankenstein plane just seemed absurd. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/30/23 Full Review William L My biggest regret watching this film was having picked up the 2004 remake on daytime television years ago, spoiling most of the interesting bits of the original. The Flight of the Phoneix might not be the psychological meat grinder that the premise seems tailor-made for, but the quality of the ensemble cast (substantial enough to pack away notable character actors like Dan Duryea and George Kennedy into niche supporting roles) manage to make the film a solid survival-adventure despite a slow-burning pace and a substantial runtime. There was clear thought put into the character details here, leaving room for personality traits to become evident, evolve, and clash against one another organically, though grittier takes on similar 'fight for your life' storylines make the overall film seem a bit less overtly dangerous than it might have otherwise. While the script seems to hate the idea of making any character do something deliberately antagonistic even under mortal pressure, there's still enough here to make this film watchable decades later. (3/5) Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/08/22 Full Review Peter M Great adventure film. Superb direction and so is the ensemble acting. Try not to confuse it with the downright lame and uninspired remake. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/26/21 Full Review Audience Member OK, it had a cast of well-known actors but the premise is so far-fetched it's ludicrous. Might have been an OK flick to catch Back in the Day when audience expectations were a lot lower, but it just doesn't hold up. Too bad an accomplished stunt pilot's life had to be lost making this PoS. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Slightly implausible premise notwithstanding, this movie tells the story of strangers trying to build a new plane from the wreckage of their old one after it crashed in the desert with all the charm and excitement one could hope for. The stellar cast does a great job at bringing the wide range of very distinct and fun characters to life, and it's a delight merely to see them bounce off each other. Despite the movie almost entirely taking place in one location I was never bored, it does just enough to up the stakes from time to time to keep you interested. Tensions as to who will survive the ordeal and who will make it are kept high, without the need for elaborate action scenes. If there ever was a movie to embody classic survival stories, this is it! Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Flight of the Phoenix

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