Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
Movie Review for BeTurtle by Matt Gould

  The Deserted Island Effect - Group Dynamics in Isolation

As in its 1965 predecessor, The Flight of the Phoenix, Flight of the Phoenix (don’t be confused by the titles) follows the events up to and following an airplane crash in the desert, although the original was based in the Sahara. In the opening scene we are treated to a flight over a mountain range and Mongolian civilians below while listening to the famous Johnny Cash tune, “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man.”. The tranquility of the landscape is broken by an abrupt landing at what can only be a corporate oil drilling rig, which turns out to be the property of the fictional company Amacore.

The cigarette-wielding pilot, Captain Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid), shows us early signs of his alpha status (that border chauvinism) by ordering the leader of the expedition to round up her people and board his plane in the first few lines of the movie. They are obviously in too much of a hurry and lack the teamwork necessary to perform a proper clean up, as they simply cap the well and go. According to protocol, crews closing an oil well are supposed to remove all tubing from the well and fill sections of well-bore with cement to isolate gas zones, water zones, and the surface. These events will setup a perfect deserted island situation, making this movie a good candidate for something like a character study on group dynamics and leadership roles.

  Trouble in the Gobi

Freakish sandstorms are the reason the plane is forced to perform a crash landing (the visual highlight of the film), and weather continues to be a convenient antagonist Director John Moore (“Behind Enemy Lines”) uses repeatedly throughout the film. A battle of “who is right?” that later turns into “who is the boss?” is introduced before the crash as Quaid’s character decides to attempt to climb over the storm despite the mysterious Elliot (Giovanni Ribisi, who is sufficiently smart, but creepy in this role) informing him that the plane is too heavy.

After suffering their first casualties in the crash, the team, which includes an oh-so-charming technology-and-caffeine-addicted executive version of Hugh Laurie (“House”), soon realizes they are in dire straits with limited water and no plan. Water is the source of many fights and much distrust, highlighting how important the most bare necessities are when demand outweighs supply.

In another sequence, nature again plays the role of adversary when an electrical storm threatens to blow up the airplane, full of their last remaining fuel. The team will eventually encounter other problems, such as members wandering off and local smugglers, but most of the interesting struggle comes from within the group.

   O, The Humanity

At its core, “Flight” is an exploration of humans cooperating with humans when faced with a life or death situation. The fabricated social elements of job rank, salary, and authority that are so important at the beginning of the movie seem to fade away as time passes and people begin to die. “Flight” also offers an exploration of brain versus brawn, albeit somewhat camouflaged by Ribisi’s naturally odious behavior and Quaid’s charm. “Let’s get one thing straight, I’m not taking orders from you,” Towns says, slightly giving in to Elliot’s ideas. Ribisi really does do a terrific job portraying Elliot with his overconfident stance and nasally-voice, but it isn’t enough to save the movie as a whole.

The plot feels noncurrent with the smugglers, or nomads, or whatever they are, and the weather providing all of the necessary twists and turns. The casting directors accomplished their goal of collecting a diverse crowd with performers such as Tyrese Gibson, Miranda Otto, Tony Curran, and Sticky Fingaz (of music group Onyx). Additionally, the landscape visuals of the Gobi Desert and mountainous areas surrounding it are nothing short of stunning and earned the film a few cinematography nominations. Overall, however, “Flight” is a great one for fans of survival-type movies like “Alive” or “Touching the Void,”, or for your project on group studies--, but not pure entertainment.