First we are introduced to the various characters in the airport. The steady stewardess. The couple on their way to be married. The young son of a mobster (who you might recognize as little Timmy of "Lassie" fame). An attractive female who is hoping to find a job at the end of her journey. The copilot, and a pilot of questionable credentials and a large reputation. They are on their way to Boca Grande.
Each has a backstory and they run the gamut. The passenger list is revised at the last second due to major happenings. Then they have a stopover where two more passengers board---a dangerous prisoner (Rod Steiger) and the lawman assigned to watch him. This is a plane filled with big personalities and emotional transitions.
An emergency forces the pilot to land the plane in a remote area. This is a survival situation in which important decisions must be made. Leaders must be chosen, rules must be set, and a social order must be established. Before it all ends, they will have to navigate some tough moral dilemmas.
That's a lot to pack into 1.5 hours. With all the complications of personalities, and the developments that create tough choices and questions of conscience, it may be too much. The result is a somewhat superficial drama that, though engaging, never digs very deep.
All of the casting is interesting. Robert Ryan plays the pilot with a checkered past. Anita Ekberg plays the comely beauty who was sent away to another continent, discarded but desperately hopeful.
The B movie treatment makes this film so much less than it might have been, given the acting talents involved. Watch for Barbara Eden near the beginning.
Each has a backstory and they run the gamut. The passenger list is revised at the last second due to major happenings. Then they have a stopover where two more passengers board---a dangerous prisoner (Rod Steiger) and the lawman assigned to watch him. This is a plane filled with big personalities and emotional transitions.
An emergency forces the pilot to land the plane in a remote area. This is a survival situation in which important decisions must be made. Leaders must be chosen, rules must be set, and a social order must be established. Before it all ends, they will have to navigate some tough moral dilemmas.
That's a lot to pack into 1.5 hours. With all the complications of personalities, and the developments that create tough choices and questions of conscience, it may be too much. The result is a somewhat superficial drama that, though engaging, never digs very deep.
All of the casting is interesting. Robert Ryan plays the pilot with a checkered past. Anita Ekberg plays the comely beauty who was sent away to another continent, discarded but desperately hopeful.
The B movie treatment makes this film so much less than it might have been, given the acting talents involved. Watch for Barbara Eden near the beginning.