Jodie Foster stars as Kyle Pratt, a grieving widow whose husband
was killed when he fell off the roof of their home in Berlin, Germany. An
airplane designer, Kyle books a flight with her young daughter Julie (Marlene
Lawston) on one of the very same passenger airliners that she helped design, the
massive Aalto E-474, a double-decker monster that is even larger than the 747.
They plan on bringing Kyle’s husband back home to New York City for burial, as
well as relocate there. Little Julie, still mourning the loss of her father, is
understandably nervous about making this trans-Atlantic flight. Kyle eases her
fears by taking her to the back of the plane, where the empty seats allow them
to stretch out across the rows and relax.
When Kyle awakens after a brief nap, she finds Julie is gone. She searches the
massive plane, asking several of the flight attendants if they seen her
daughter. When Julie can not be found, Kyle asks the Captain (Sean Bean) to have
the flight crew do a more thorough search. As a plane designer, Kyle knows there
are many nooks and crannies that a little girl can find, and she wants to be
damn sure the entire plane is properly searched. The captain orders his cadre of
flight attendants to search the plane from one end to the other, and yet they
still can’t find any sign of the little girl. What’s worse is the fact that
several of the flight attendants don’t recall even seeing Kyle with a little
girl, and Kyle soon begins to doubt her own sanity as the evidence mounts that
Julie may never even had existed in the first place.
Although it’s somewhat reminiscent of Foster’s last film, Panic Room, in how it
takes place in the confines of an enclosed area (in this case an airplane),
Flightplan is still an extremely enjoyable thriller in its own right. Director
Robert Schwentke expertly uses claustrophobia and paranoia to great effect as
Kyle ultimately battles the passengers and crew of the entire plane--as well as
her own lingering self-doubt--in a frantic effort to find her daughter. Foster
is once again superb, delivering a performance that is pure constant intensity
mixed with adrenaline. The only problem is that there are some plot holes here
and there, yet you easily get caught up in the goings-on, thanks to Foster and a
solid cast. The special features include a commentary by Schwentke, plus
a slew of ‘making of’ documentaries. "The In-Flight Movie: The Making Of
Flightplan" is a series of mini-features that looks at the story, the director,
the casting, post-production and visual effects. "Cabin Pressure: Designing The
Aalto E-474" examines the impressive sets that were built for the production.
The double-decker airplane seen in the film is imaginary, yet the first class
production values made me believe we were aboard a real airplane all along.
--SF
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