Why isn't this movie more well regarded? For my money, it's every bit the classic that say, Die Hard is.

You've got an awesome, heroic main character (and the best movie president of all time), a fantastic villain (Oldman), and a sneaky good supporting cast. (Glenn Close, William H Macy, etc)

The tension is so high throughout. There are some awesome action sequences (like the refueling scene and the dogfight), and one of the most tense climaxes ever.

It's an American classic.

This movie should be talked about more.

Interesting idea on best movie president.
I would have gone with Micheal Douglas in American President but can see your point

Best movie president ever? I think not.

I think it's good, but I wouldn't call it an all time classic.

Good movie. Oldman is the weak link though - was far too much an over-the-top screaming/evil baddie. Seemed very cliche. The daughter served no real purpose, the mole was a little too far-fetched, and while Harrison Ford can play a good accidental action hero (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) - it's tough to buy him as a lone wolf hero that can dispatch 4-5 trained soldiers on his own, even with the "vietnam vet" history.

Now obviously McClane's heroics were far more over the top, I just felt he was far more believable in pulling that kinda stuff off.

And Hans Gruber is an all-time movie villian.

The only reason I put him at #2 is because he is not a main character and is only supporting. His speech alone puts him at #2.

Morgan Freeman in Deep Impact #3.

Its a great film but it feels like the end of that Era of action movies as well as Harrison fords last hurrah before a decade of malaise. Great cast with William h macy, Dean Stockwell and Glenn close in supporting roles and really strong Gary Oldman. But always hated the traitor still trying to kill the president at the end, all the bad guys were dead, it was pointless to not turn back. Plus it is almost literally die hard on a plane.

Die Hard on a plane is a good description and the movie got lost in a bunch of other 90s "Die Hard on a ________. There was Die Hard on a ship, Die Hard on a bus, Die Hard on a mountain, hell, there were two other Die Hards in a plane before Air Force One with Passenger 57 and Executive Decision. Not to mention Con Air, which came out the same year but a month earlier. The movie's legacy suffers from a lack of originality.

None of those "Die Hard on a..." had Harrison Ford.

Best Movie Presidents sounds like a good category for another tournament. Where's Muck?

Great, fun movie. Not Die Hard 1, but next tier.

But the plane crash into the water is the worst FX shot (in a big budget film) of the past 25 years. I cringe every time I watch it.

Mayor West said:

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He should have evacuated the cities when the ships first arrived

Ag 11 said:

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Best Movie Presidents sounds like a good category for another tournament. Where's Muck?

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DONE

The fact that Die Hard is about 10 years older than Air Force One yet has far more cultural significance and relevance today should tell you that they aren't remotely on the same pedestal.

I never said they were. I said they should be. Kind of the point of the thread.

My friends still quote Oldman when we beat one another in sports/video games, etc.

"I know what you're thinking First Lady. You want me dead. It may come to that."

How's your blouse?

Great movie, awesome poll too Muck.

I took a break from working on my horror/scary movie bracket but will get back on it.

Glenn close was awful as vp...saw it once and have never felt the need to see it again...

The book was better than the movie.

The problem with Air Farce One is for those of us who have worked in aerospace, or more specifically 747-400. The techinical inaccuracies make the movie unwatchable.

So are you saying you can't spend two hours shooting a plane up without cabin pressure loss?

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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I never said they were. I said they should be. Kind of the point of the thread.

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On paper, Air Force One should be an all time great, but it just didn't reach its potential. It's not bad, just not that great either.

Its kinda like Gangs of New York, Daniel Day-Lewis and Di Caprio directed by Scorsese? Can't go wrong there, right?

Die Hard redefined what an action movie could be. Look at action movies before die hard and after.
Air Force One was a really good popcorn movie with some holes in it.

MuckRaker96 said:

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Ag 11 said:

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Best Movie Presidents sounds like a good category for another tournament. Where's Muck?

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DONE

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Awesome

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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I never said they were. I said they should be. Kind of the point of the thread.

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Ok Principle Skinner, you're not out of touch, it's the children who are wrong.

wbt5845 said:

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The problem with Air Farce One is for those of us who have worked in aerospace, or more specifically 747-400. The techinical inaccuracies make the movie unwatchable.

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wbt5845 said:

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The problem with Air Farce One is for those of us who have worked in aerospace, or more specifically 747-400. The techinical inaccuracies make the movie unwatchable.

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Wait a minute .... a Hollywood film is inaccurate?

wbt5845 said:

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The problem with Air Farce One is for those of us who have worked in aerospace, or more specifically 747-400. The techinical inaccuracies make the movie unwatchable.

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I bet you guys loved Star Wars, and Star Trek, and ID4, and EVERY MOVIE WITH A FLYING MACHINE EVER

Air Force One is a good movie, but I'd never put it in the same arena with Die Hard. There are 3 movies that I consider the best action movies - Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Die Hard. There are other really good action movies, but those 3, to me, define the genre.

AFO has some good sequences, with one that really stood out to me when AFO was under attack and an F-15 intercepted a missile right before the missile would have blown off the tail end of the 747. The crash at the end of the movie was horribly done.

tjholley16 said:

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wbt5845 said:

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The problem with Air Farce One is for those of us who have worked in aerospace, or more specifically 747-400. The techinical inaccuracies make the movie unwatchable.

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Wait a minute .... a Hollywood film is inaccurate?

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It's like when I see movies about freelance writer/editors, the technical inaccuracies make the movie unwatchable. I'm yelling at the screen.

"OH MY GOD, THAT's ARIAL BOLD 12 NOT HELVETICA 14 NARROW!"
"THAT'S NOT HOW YOU USE A SEMICOLON, MORON!"

It's a fun and very rewatchable movie. Give me Executive Decision for a better plane hijacking movie from that era.

I didn't mind the aircraft realism until the very end when the plane hits the water and bounces around like a rubber raft. I mean, big props for not exploding like a bomb, but it was silly then and still is.

The German airport scene is my favorite.