Moviefone Editorial

Tag: jean-francois-richet

Gerard Butler Thriller ‘Plane’ Spawns ‘Ship’ Sequel
Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.

There’s simplicity in storytelling and then there’s the quick, easy-to-understand but also easy-to-joke-about nature of this year’s Gerard Butler-starring action thriller ‘Plane’.

The internet naturally had a lot of fun when ‘Plane’ was announced, becoming the latest movie in which Butler has trouble in the air (or, in this case, the real trouble started when the plane crashed).

‘Plane’, which landed in theaters last month starred Butler alongside Mike Colter, Tony Goldwyn, Daniella Pineda, Lilly Krug and Paul Ben-Victor.

Jean-François Richet called the shots, working from a script by writers Charles Cumming and J.P. Davis. With a $25 million budget, the indie release has so far earned more than $43 million worldwide. So of course, a sequel is now on the way. The title this time? ‘Ship’!

According to Variety, ‘Ship’ will pick up where the original left off but focus on Colter’s character.
s76Z6PI9uD4e73giwOoFC5
What was the story of ‘Plane’?

For those who have yet to sample the testosterone-driven delights of ‘Plane’, here’s a basic briefing.

Pilot Brodie Torrance (Butler) saves his passengers on Trailblazer Flight 119 from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island––only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning.

When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare’s help, and will learn there’s more to Gaspare than meets the eye…

(L to R) Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare and Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.

Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Plane’

What will ‘Ship’ be about?

It might not have either writers or a director officially aboard yet, but ‘Ship’ has a concept…

Following a high-octane showdown with the local militia on Jolo’s shores, Gaspare manages to commandeer a fishing boat and escape the Philippines. But he’s not out of the woods yet: the media circus surrounding Flight 119 has elevated his public profile, making him the subject of an international manhunt.

Hoping to stay under the radar and get far away from his last known location, Gaspare hops aboard a cargo ship in East Asia that’s bound for South Africa. But as he settles in for a long voyage, the stowaway discovers that the ocean vessel is transporting more than goods—it’s also being used as a ferry for a human trafficking ring.

A strong moral code won’t allow Gaspare to simply stand by, so he once again puts his own freedom on hold. Together with the ship’s second mate, a last-minute addition to the crew who was unaware of its illicit activities, and a passenger with military experience and a bone to pick, Gaspare embarks on a mission to take down the ship’s corrupt captain, keep its innocent passengers safe, and liberate its captives.

The big question is whether Butler’s pilot character who––spoiler alert––also survives the first movie will show up to help out.

We can’t help but think the producers missed a trick not calling this next film ‘Train’, with ‘Automobile’ waiting in the wings, but we suppose that a train wasn’t the best mode of transport off the island…

(L to R) Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance and Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare in “Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.
sbXbuzkj
Other Movies Similar to ‘Plane:’
- ‘Flightplan‘ (2005)
- ‘Snakes on a Plane‘ (2006)
- ‘Flight‘ (2012)
- ‘Olympus Has Fallen‘ (2013)
- ‘London Has Fallen‘ (2016)
- ‘Sully‘ (2016)
- ‘Angel Has Fallen‘ (2019)
Buy Tickets: ‘Plane’ Movie Showtimes

Buy ‘Plane’ On Amazon

‘Plane’ was written by Charles Cumming and J.P. Davis, directed by Jean-Francois Richet, and stars Gerard Butler, Mike Colter and Tony Goldwyn. The movie was produced by Di Bonaventura Pictures, G-BASE, and Lionsgate, and was released in theaters on January 13th, 2023.
February 13, 2023
Movie Review: ‘Plane’

(L to R) Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare and Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.

‘Plane,’ the new action-thriller from director Jean-François Richet (‘Assault on Precinct 13’), is scheduled to crash-land into theaters on January 13th.

Gerard Butler stars as commercial pilot Brodie Torrance, who is traveling on New Year’s Eve with a plane full of passengers, including FBI transport and accused murderer Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter).

But when the plane is forced to make an emergency landing, Torrance saves his passengers by landing on a remote island, only to find that it is inhabited by a dangerous group of rebels. When the passengers are taken hostage, Torrance and Gaspare must learn to trust each other and work together in order to rescue them and survive.

The result is a fun and entertaining action-adventure that has elements of ‘Con Air,’ ‘The Grey,’ ‘Speed,’ and even ‘Sully,’ and features a great onscreen duo in Butler and Colter.

Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.

In some ways, Gerard Butler is one of the most reliable movie stars working today. He created a strong action franchise with the ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ trilogy, and had such success with one-off movies like ‘Law Abiding Citizen’ and ‘Den of Thieves’ that sequels are in the works for each. He’s also appeared in a string of successful action movies like ‘Geostorm,’ ‘Copshop,’ and ‘Greenland.’

With ‘Plane’ Butler adds another entertaining action movie to his resume and also continues to create believable “everyman” characters for the audience to relate to. In a world that is dominated by superhero movies, it’s nice to see a fillm about an “ordinary man in an extraordinary situation” that audiences can actually relate to. Butler has wisely shed the superhero persona that made him a household name with ‘300,’ for an “everyman” persona that he has played well in films like ‘Greenland’ and now ‘Plane.’

Mike Colter, who should be a much bigger star than he is, is probably best known for his work as the title character on Netflix’s Marvel series ‘Luke Cage,’ as well as the CBS series ‘Evil.’ Colter gives a strong performance as convict Louis Gaspare, and is a great partner for Butler. The two actors have a strong chemistry together, and I enjoyed the fact that they left Gaspare’s backstory a mystery, as it was not necessary and adds to the mystic of his character.

Director Jean-François Richet really packs the movie with incredible action sequences, including the crash landing that begins the film. But the action doesn’t stop there, as that is only the beginning and the movie features some great shoot-outs and fight scenes with both Butler and Colter. However, the film also features several quieter moments that allow the audience a better chance to understand these character’s emotions, thanks to a fairly smart script from screenwriters Charles Cumming and J.P. Davis.

Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.

Veteran character actors Paul Ben-Victor and Tony Goldwyn make welcomed additions to the cast as the airline owner and his crisis manager, respectively. While Butler and Colter are obviously the leads, it certainly helped the integrity of the project to sprinkle in such talented and respected actors in supporting roles.

Actress Daniella Pineda, who plays flight attendant Bonnie, is fine in her role, but has limited screen time and could have been given more to do. The weakest point in the cast is probably the rebels. They do the most with what is given, but ultimately the villains were tragically underwritten. It works for a while, having the rebel forces’ true motivations a mystery to both the audience and the other characters, but once they are revealed, little is done to humanize them or make their point of view clear.

In the end, director Jean-François Richet delivers a fun and entertaining action movie that combines elements we’ve seen before but does it in a new and fresh way. Gerard Butler continues his success at turning otherwise “B-Movies” into entertaining theatrical experiences, with some help from Mike Colter’s strong performance and the two actors great onscreen chemistry together.

‘Plane’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

(L to R) Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance and Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare in “Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.
s76Z6PI9uD4e73giwOoFC5 Qr9kooE8

January 13, 2023
‘Plane’ Exclusive Interview: Gerard Butler and Mike Colter

sbXbuzkj
Opening in theaters on January 13th is the new action-thriller ‘Plane,’ which was directed by Jean-François Richet (‘Assault on Precinct 13’).

The film stars Gerard Butler (‘300,’ ‘Olympus Has Fallen,’ ‘Den of Thieves‘) as commercial pilot Brodie Torrance, who saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island, only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning.

When the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (‘Luke Cage’s Mike Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. Now, Torrance and Gaspare must learn to trust each other and work together in order to rescue the passengers and survive.

In addition to Butler and Colter, the movie also features Yoson An, Daniella Pineda, Kelly Gale, Paul Ben-Victor, and Tony Goldwyn.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gerard Butler and Mike Colter about their work on ‘Plane,’ what audiences can expect from the new movie, why Butler wanted to play this role, and the bond that is formed between his and Colter’s characters.

(L to R) Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance and Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare in “Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Gerard Butler and Mike Colter about ‘Plane.’

Moviefone: To begin with, what would you both say to audiences getting ready to watch this movie to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?

Mike Colter: Listen, ‘Plane’ is a movie that is for everybody. Everybody is going to enjoy this film because this film, it checks all the boxes. It’s a thriller, it’s passionate, and it’s action. It’s a character-driven plot that you can’t get away from because we basically connect and we’re from opposite sides of the spectrum. What people are going to respond to are things that they’ve experienced in their life, but it’s a thrill ride and you just got to watch it from beginning to end, and it’s going to be fast so enjoy.

Gerard Butler: I feel like we have the survival, we have the drama, and we have the thriller. It really has so much going on. You’re dealing with characters that aren’t superheroes, they’re characters that you can get behind. They’re the underdogs.

One, we have what I think is one of the most thrilling action sequences on the plane as we go through this storm, that we are not letting anybody off the hook. You’re in it till the end and it’s terrifying. It’s just white knuckle, and then that’s the start of the movie. Once we land, we’re in a whole new world of Hell. But it’s such a fascinating dynamic between the passengers, how do you control them?

Then me as a captain who’s pretty square, big heart, but I have to rely on essentially an accused murderer, who I know is far better in this environment than I am. It leads to a really, I think, memorable relationship in an action movie between these two guys.

(L to R) Daniella Pineda as Bonnie Lane, Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance, and Yoson An as Samuel Dele in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.

MF: Gerard, Brodie Torrance is an ordinary guy thrown into an extraordinary circumstance. Can you talk about that and the challenges of playing a character like that?

GB: For me, it was a chance for me to play a character who’s, in a lot of ways, more like me as a person. He’s an everyman. This morning that he wakes up, he’s kind of a sad guy. He lost his wife, and he’s trying to bond with his daughter. He thinks he’s flying on New Year’s Eve, and he’s going to get some precious time because things haven’t been going very well in his career. He is flying for an economy airline on the other side of the world. A few hours later he realizes that he’s in a position where these next few hours will define his whole life, and he didn’t even know what it was going to pull out of him.

How far does a sense of duty take you that you owe to your passengers or the people around you? He clearly takes that to the extreme, but as I say, there’s no perfection in these characters. Is he taking them down the wrong path? Am I going to get them all killed? A lot of the time, I’m gung-ho and this man here’s like, “Yeah, that’s cool, but there’s other ways to go about this.” That’s another fascinating thing about our dynamic.

Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.

MF: Finally, Mike, Louis Gaspare seems uniquely qualified for the situation he finds himself in. Can you talk about that and the partnership that he forms with Brodie?

MC: It’s really interesting because we never really lay out exactly all of his skills, or anything like that. But it’s interesting because within the context of the two characters, Brodie is more gung-ho, as Gerard said. I’m kind of pulling him back. He’s got all the heart, and he’s got all the determination. I’m sort of assessing things, trying to figure out how to survive and how to make sure we don’t do too much and keep us alive. We’re trying to live to fight another day.

So, I think his character inspires my character to do things that he normally wouldn’t do for other people because he’s never had to. In this situation, he’s an accused murderer. If anything, he’s about self-preservation. But I think he just sees the passion and the humanity in Brodie. That rubs off on him and that creates this bond between the two of them. Somehow you just see them joined at the hip for a bit and it’s a great thing to see.

(L to R) Gerard Butler and Mike Colter star in “Plane.’
s76Z6PI9uD4e73giwOoFC5

January 10, 2023