Reviews

Great flick -- the only minor flaw might be the casting of Glenn Ford as the lead (Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of his) -- I just have a little problem with him physically asserting himself (Like he does in Blackboard Jungle with the young toughs), especially when put next to ultimate heel Lee Marvin. Greatly talented cast and a tight story line, although a tad predictable; but normal for the era (the good guys always win!). Gloria Grahame is the perfect femme fatale of dubious loyalty (prototype for Bond women?) -- the kind of girl you probably don't take home to mother but boy will you take her everywhere else. Best line (perhaps not original) -- "I've been rich and poor and believe me, rich is better!"

Jean-Claude Van Damme as a Pittsburgh fireman -- Puh--leeze!! I guess to the Left Coast one accent sounds much like another. But, producer Howard Baldwin (noted snake-oil salesman) was part-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins at that time and he should have known better. Much like the "Die-Hard" series, you must check your sense of believability at the theater door, although I do applaud the creativity of crashing a helicopter inside the Civic (now Mellon) Arena in Pittsburgh. As a Pittsburgh resident, I liked the location footage and was particularly impressed by Powers Boothe (a vastly underrated performer) as the sinister terrorist.

Doomsday Flight, written by the master dramatist Rod Serling, is one of the three best movies ever made involving an airplane flight (Fate is the Hunter and Airport are the others). Very well acted by a non-big name cast including lots of familiar faces.