Below average hostage/hijacking/political thriller.<br /><br />Looking at the cast, one would expect this movie to be worthy of one's time. Harrison Ford, Gary Oldham, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell, Glenn Close - names that should amount to a watch-worthy experience. However, the movie falls short on all accounts.<br /><br />Warning: This comment contains minor spoilers.<br /><br />A poor man's version of the Jack Ryan series. Harrison Ford plays the role of president Marshall, on board the USAF1 which gets hijacked by Kazakh terrorists. Having recently given a speech on his new Just Say No-politics towards terrorists, negotiations appear to be out of the question. Not all of his government and staff agree on this, however.<br /><br />This could have made an interesting movie. The tension in the White House, when faced with the fact that it is the country's leader who is taken hostage, combined with the political intrigues that arise in such a situation, should have been exploited further. Instead, we are treated with the traditional gung-ho blazing guns solutions where one man saves the day. We've seen it a million times before, and a hundred times better.<br /><br />Even the special effects are highly ordinary. A lot of them are clearly computer generated, and it is a let-down when it becomes this visible. Better airplane fighting scenes were filmed 40 years ago.<br /><br />Every cliché appears, even the amazing "fighting inside an airplane with a big hole in its side, without being sucked out into thin air" scene.<br /><br />Some enjoyment can be had from trying to find the most stupid scene. My favorite: Look for the parachuting secretary with a happy smile on her face, 15000 feet above sea level, wearing only a thin blouse.<br /><br />From the acting, it seems that the actors are aware that this is not the movie they will be rememvered by. Particularly disappointing is Gary Oldham on autopilot, as the one-dimensional villain. Ford ditto, as the good guy.<br /><br />While it is reassuring to see that the American president saves the day yet again, not even the casting crew stars can save this film. In the computer world, GIGO means Garbage In, Garbage Out. It applies here as well. Spend more money on the manuscript next time, Mr. Petersen.<br /><br />Avoid: 4/10<br /><br />