THE REWATCHABLES · December 18, 2018
A 1997 action / thriller directed by Simon West, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The hosts revisit the absurd opening confrontation that sends Poe to prison and joke about the legal logic.
Opening minutesCusack narrates the prisoner roster and the hosts call it the movie’s best scene.
About 8 minThe coup aboard the Jailbird is praised for its energy, villainy, and comic set-up.
About 16 minThe hosts laugh about the unusual low crouch fight and its close-quarters choreography.
About 16 minThe airfield chaos, fuel tanks, and exploding plane are singled out as a big crowd-pleasing sequence.
About 16 minBuscemi’s extended speech about insanity and work is admired as unexpectedly eloquent and darkly funny.
About 32 minThe final landing is treated as one of the film’s biggest plausibility problems, though the group still enjoys it.
About 32 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsCon Air is Cage’s apex and possibly the best movie ever made.
Chris RyanThe Rock is also in the discussion, but Con Air is Cage’s defining action performance.
Shea SerranoCon Air belongs at the top because it is a perfect flying-prison movie.
Bill SimmonsHe is excellent and the movie benefits from him playing smart against chaos.
Chris RyanHe seems frustrated, like his agent made him do it, and slightly too good for the part.
Bill SimmonsThe Rock is the earlier benchmark but Con Air surpasses it for Cage performance.
Chris RyanCon Air is the more purely Cage-driven movie, while The Rock is a separate benchmark.
Chris RyanPredator belongs on the Mount Rushmore.
Shea SerranoHe is less sure Predator qualifies for Mount Rushmore status.
Bill SimmonsSuggests modern actors like Chris Hemsworth could fill the roles.
Chris RyanProposes Miles Teller or Timothée Chalamet-style casting in a joking reboot scenario.
Opens by calling it the best movie ever made and says he was blown away on rewatch.
Opening minutesArgues the flying-prison premise alone pushes it above canonical prestige films.
Opening minutesSees Malkovich as the key to the movie’s quality because he is both funny and terrifying.
About 8 minTreats the U.S. Marshals briefing sequence as the best rewatchable scene.
About 8 minChooses the convicts’ takeover and the surrounding chaos as his favorite scene cluster.
About 16 minEnjoys the opening self-defense fight as a huge, ridiculous inciting scene.
Opening minutesArgues Con Air is Cage’s defining action role, even while acknowledging The Rock as the earlier rival landmark.
About 48 minLoves when the title gets spoken inside the movie and connects that to Bruckheimer’s style.
About 40 minLikes Cusack as the smart, slightly exasperated guy who can steer a dumb movie.
About 24 minSays the movie works because strong actors fully buy into the ridiculous material.
About 32 minThe movie is loved because it plays ridiculous ideas straight with big energy and polished craft.
Opening minutesThe hosts argue the film works because strong actors commit hard to absurd roles.
About 8 minThey discuss the shift from bodybuilder action stars toward actor-led action movies.
About 24 minThe film repeatedly frames Cameron Poe as good and the others as despicable to justify the violence.
Opening minutesMuch of the enjoyment comes from visual overkill, dialogue, and set-piece escalation.
About 24 minThe film made about $224 million on a $75 million budget.
Opening minutesCon Air received Oscar nominations for Best Original Song and Best Sound.
Opening minutesJerry Bruckheimer produced the film as his first without Don Simpson.
About 8 minThe title is spoken in the movie, which the hosts identify as a Bruckheimer hallmark.
About 40 minThe movie was originally intended to end with the plane crashing into the White House.
About 1:04The crash site was filmed at the Sands Hotel before demolition.
About 1:04A crew member named Phil Schwartz died when a model plane fell on him during filming.
About 1:04Chappelle said on DVD commentary that he improvised most of his lines.
About 1:04 · medium confidenceUsed as a prestige comparison that Con Air supposedly beats because it has an airplane prison.
Opening minutesMentioned alongside The Godfather as a film Con Air supposedly outranks in pure enjoyment.
Opening minutesReferenced as another example of a character being treated as a lethal weapon.
Opening minutes · medium confidenceUsed repeatedly as Cage’s other major 1990s action benchmark.
About 8 minCited as part of Cage’s legendary action run.
About 8 minMentioned as another John Malkovich villain role.
About 24 minReferenced as an example of Cusack playing a smart, talkative character.
About 24 min · medium confidenceReferenced for the line about going to ball games and work-life dissatisfaction.
About 32 minMentioned as another movie where someone picks handcuffs with a pin.
About 16 min · medium confidenceReferenced as a place with another close-quarters fight style, unlike Con Air’s crouch fight.
About 16 min · medium confidenceCited as shorthand for stylish but inadequate legal/police advice and for a kind of DEA swagger.
Opening minutes · medium confidenceMentioned in Liz Kelly’s intro as a parody video on the Ringer YouTube page.
Opening minutes · low confidenceJohn Malkovich is brought up as being in it, with a hesitant thumbs-up from Chris.
About 40 min · medium confidenceReferenced in relation to Kid Rock and Cameron Poe-like imagery.
About 40 min · medium confidenceUsed to identify the actor Rinaldi Santiago as the little guy from that film.
About 48 minThe hosts repeatedly revel in the absurdity of a prison plane and use it to beat prestige cinema comparisons.
Opening minutesThey invoke the show’s recurring casting heuristic and note this film already includes two of the three.
Opening minutesThey joke about Cage writing many letters to his daughter and treat the prison-crying/writing montage as funny.
About 16 minThey marvel at the needle in the hand and handcuff-picking as an easy-movie-logic bit.
About 16 minThe line is treated as the episode’s signature quote and a classic Cage delivery.
About 1:04Bill and Shea repeat the line as a favorite tough-guy quote, with Shea especially enjoying it.
About 1:04“I think this is the best movie ever made.”Opening minutes
“It's an airplane prison. It's a flying jail.”Opening minutes
“put the bunny back in the box”About 1:04
“there's only two men I trust”About 1:04
“What if I told you insane was working”About 32 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Con Air, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Chris RyanThe Rewatchables
Shea SerranoThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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