Poor Lauren Holly. She's aboard a plane that's destined to crash, surrounded by dead bodies, and she has a psychotic killer stalking her. I think it's safe to say that she's having a pretty bad day.
Holly plays flight attendant Teri Halloran, who is working a Christmas Eve flight from New York to Los Angeles, in director Robert Butler's "Turbulence."
Along with the handful of last-minute travelers on board are two convicted criminals, heavily guarded by federal marshals. One is a serial killer / rapist, Ryan Weaver (Ray Liotta), whose charm and good looks hide a deeper psychosis. The other is Stubbs, a ruthless bank robber, played by Brendan Gleeson.
When Stubbs pulls a daring escape that leaves him, the pilots and all of the marshals dead, Weaver is left in charge - with nothing but evil intentions in mind.
Weaver, who was on his way back to death row, plans to go out in a blaze of glory by crashing the plane. But first, he wants to have a little fun by stalking the pretty flight attendant, Teri Halloran.
With the rest of the crew and passengers locked up, Halloran must find a way to survive Weaver's deadly cat-and-mouse game, as the turbulent storm tosses the plane around haphazardly.
The suspense in "Turbulence" is caused by both the danger of the killer on board and the threat of the violent storm outside. If the people on board manage to survive the killer, can they get on the ground with no one flying the plane?
In reality, it would take a miracle. But in Hollywood, it just takes one woman with streak-proof mascara and a pair of durable high heels.
"Turbulence" is not the most realistic movie, but it is definitely a lot of fun. The dim lighting and erratic manner in which it was shot and edited create a feeling of chaos, not to mention claustrophobia.
Chills run like electricity through the veins of audience members, as Halloran eludes Weaver while trying simultaneously to fly the plane and save the many passengers.
At times, the gripping suspense of "Turbulence" is interrupted by pure silliness. In one scene, Halloran discovers Weaver's madness, when she finds a morbid display for her in the first-class section. Scared out of her wits, she frantically runs away, but not before honoring her stewardess duties. She picks up a fallen blanket from the aisle and places it in a storage compartment.
The occasional ridiculousness, however, won't be the only reason that people will laugh during this film. The writer, Jonathan Brett, should get some credit, as the movie's dialogue can be unintentionally funny at times.
So much of the excitement and tension is due to Ray Liotta's outstanding performance. Liotta's Weaver is scary enough to cause even hardened criminals to lose complete bladder control. He is charming and eloquent at first, as he claims his innocence in the crimes of which he is accused.
Without warning, though, he transforms into a raving, yet calculating lunatic, whose brilliant blue eyes hide a haunting evil that is beyond description.Liotta pulls off this complicated character perfectly, as if he were born to play this role. He is so eerily convincing that people will probably think twice about approaching him if they ever saw him on the street.
Equally impressive are the special effects; they allow the movie to look as if it were taking place aboard a Boeing 747 in the middle of a level six (out of six) storm. It took a talented team of specialists and a great deal of time to create these effects, but the final results are amazing.
Holly, who most people remember from "Dumb and Dumber," is very good in her role as Teri Halloran. It is unfortunate that Halloran is written up as another helpless female movie character, but at least she is prone to moments where she will have a flash of intelligence and strength.
"Turbulence" feels like just about every other suspense thriller known to man (lots of action, a smidgen of plot), but at least it is a decent one. It serves to excite the audience without making it think too much. By the time people leave the theater, much of it will be forgotten.
Ray Liotta, a serial killer, enjoys terrorizing flight attendant Lauren Holly in his spare time.
Lightning strikes in the suspense-thriller, "Turbulence."