The Illusion of Flight is a 2005 film directed by Robert Schwentke. How successful was this work? What reviews does Flight Illusion receive from viewers and critics? About all this and not only - information in the article.
Story work on the plot
Starting work on the film “The Illusion of Flight” (2005), director Robert Schwentke decided to use the plot of Alfred Hitchcock’s novel “The Disappearance of a Lady”. A creative approach to work and a new vision of an already familiar story, projected through the prism of his own life values, helped him create a high-quality and exciting thriller. The content of Flight Illusions impressed even the most sophisticated audience. Thanks to the filming team of professionals throughout the tape, viewers can watch the upheavals in the lives of the main characters taking place in an enclosed space. Cameraman Florian Ballhouse had to work very hard to concentrate the attention of the public not on external factors or special effects, but on the depth of emotions and anxieties of ostentatious characters. Therefore, the degree of tension in the picture turned out to be really high and worthy of all praise.
Story lines
The main character of the film Kylie Pratt had to go through a difficult period in her life after the death of her husband. Together with her young daughter Julia, she was forced to go to another city to pick up her husband's body. And when the unfortunate widow allowed herself to lose a little vigilance and fall asleep, her daughter mysteriously disappeared. But it turned out that Kylie had to spend a lot of energy to find her. All crew members refused to acknowledge the presence of the baby on board. It turned out that no one had seen Julia, moreover, many felt that her mother simply went crazy after the loss of her beloved.
All attempts to find the girl on board the aircraft did not bring results. Even the captain, who believed in a desperate mother, began to doubt her adequacy. His doubts were especially acute after the request made to the flight center received an unexpected result. From it it was possible to conclude that the girl died with her father, and all attempts to prove the opposite on the part of the mother looked like the consequences of a psychological breakdown.
Realizing more clearly that no one would help her in the search for a child, Kylie decided to search the whole plane herself. She remembered that the girl was constantly near her, and she herself would never have left without permission far from her mother. It was especially difficult for the heroine to conduct searches against the background of interference from team members convinced of the inadequacy of Mrs. Pratt. But for the sake of the baby, she was ready to go against everyone, clearly understanding that, except for her daughter, she did not have anyone close to her in this life.
"The Illusion of Flight": actors
The role of the main character in a complex psychological thriller went to Judy Foster. After the film was released on the screen, many critics noticed its organic and expressive nature in recreating the image of an unhappy woman. She showed all emotions so sharply and frankly that Kylie began to sympathize with the most frank skeptics and cynics.
Judy's partner - Sean Binn, managed to make the image of a captain a brave hero and a sympathetic man. Strong, courageous and beautiful, he played so convincingly that many fans of his work almost forgot about the many negative roles played by the actor until this moment.
And the main villain (according to the scenario his role was played by Peter Saarsgard) fell in love with a large number of spectators, despite the ambiguity of the character.
The Illusion of Flight (2005). Reviews Positive points
Especially sharply and positively, the audience accepted the emotional color of the film. Throughout history, the intensity of passions has been growing, attracting the attention of the public to the screen. Even some roughness of the plot and the lack of special effects did not spoil the movie. And even after it seemed to the audience that the finale was a foregone conclusion, the director was able to surprise everyone. Shortly before the end of the story, he managed to create a phantasmagoria of events, turns and inexplicable collisions. In general, the “Illusion of Flight” reviews are mostly positive. A good plot, excellent work of the actors, and a responsible approach to the work of the entire crew were noted.
Doubtful moments
But still, not all reviews of Flight Illusions (2005 film) are enthusiastic. For many critics, the reliability of the situation has become doubtful if we consider it in relation to real life. All passengers on the plane are shown indifferent cynics, worrying primarily about their own comfort. And even at the end of the story, they do not have the long-awaited revaluation of values. US intelligence agents are shown as superheroes who can save the world with one click of their fingers. Therefore, it is Judy Foster who draws most of the attention. This actress absolutely smooths out the shortcomings of the film, pushing viewers to return to watching it more than once.
Thriller related moments
The “Illusion of Flight" also receives positive reviews for the musical arrangement that accompanies the film from the very beginning to the final credits. For many fans of the genre of action-packed stories, she became a real gift. Professionals could not get past the work of cameramen, lighting and other technical crew members. Thanks to their skill, the emotional colors of the actors' play were clearly conveyed. Possible inaccuracies and flaws that arose as a result of the need to constantly work in a confined space were not visible to the audience. Therefore, they could enjoy the intricate plot without interference, without being distracted by the little things.
Errors in the movie
But with all the skill of the crew, avoiding annoying mistakes did not work. These include an episode in which a disconsolate mother gets a cut on her cheek after a fight with a terrorist. Although in the next frame there is no wound. The same situation occurred in the scene when Kylie knocked on the cockpit with a boarding pass in her hand. After opening the door, the woman was no longer holding anything.
Technical inaccuracies also occurred, although they were noticed only by careful critics and real experts in the field of aviation. For example, in some shots the aircraft is shown as twin-engine, and then it suddenly becomes the owner of four engines. And the scene during which the vessel was in the turbulence zone caused doubts because the passengers were without oxygen masks. Moreover, they freely moved about their business, which in reality is strictly prohibited.
But even for particularly biased critics, one can note the fact that, according to the plot, the plane in the final lands at the airport in Berlin. But there are two airports in this city, and the complete absence of emblems and company names has cast doubt on the reality of the fact that the aircraft arrived in the capital of Germany.
Interesting Facts
The process of working on the film has become a storehouse of interesting and unusual facts that are unknown to the general public. It was originally planned that the main character of the story will be a man. He was supposed to be called Kyle, and the role was planned to be given to Sean Penn. And only by coincidence of strange circumstances, adjustments were made to the project.
The Aviation Association has opposed the “Flight Illusions” demonstration to the general public. Its participants were outraged by the image of stewardesses, who in the story are cynical, indifferent and ruthless people with dubious professional capabilities.
The plane, which became the place where the events of the film took place, actually does not exist. Therefore, the team of decorators had to work hard to create a dashboard. The Airbus A380 was taken as an example. And the aircraft landing scenes were shot in Leipzig, although according to the scenario everything happens in Berlin.
The performer of one of the main roles, Sean Bean, is panicky afraid of everything related to aviation. Therefore, for the sake of filming, he had to conduct an internal struggle with his phobias and numerous fears. But precisely because all the puzzles were successfully combined into one picture, the audience got the opportunity to enjoy such a sharp, dynamic and unpredictable story.