FLIGHTPLAN (Robert Schwentke). 118 minutes. Opens Friday (September 23). For venues and times, see Movie Listings. Rating: NNN Rating: NNN
Flightplan can be filed under Problems, Because The Airline Industry Doesn’t Have Enough. Jodie Foster is Kyle Pratt, a recently widowed and distraught airplane engineer whose daughter disappears en route from Berlin to New York. Kyle stirs up every fear airline passengers might conceivably hold, from loss of cabin pressure to post-9/11 paranoia about dark-skinned, bearded men. Foster’s portrait of tightly controlled terror is spot on, and Peter Sarsgaard is good as an air marshal, but Sean Bean is largely wasted as the plane’s captain. The film boasts a decent twist, but its claim to taut thriller status is marred by a super-cheesy ending.
