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Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The airport is a fascinating place. When you think about it, there is all sorts of craziness and entertainment going on when you’re a passenger. First, getting to the ticket counter can be a hectic experience with the long lines and waiting to get your bag checked. Now they do the kiosk, which can be a pain in the ass. Lord, help you if you travel during the holiday season. After that part, you have to go through security. People try to get everything passed. I once saw someone trying to get five pounds of cottage cheese through. If you don’t have TSA Pre-check or Global entry, you will be stripping naked with TSA. Lord, help you if you are selected for a “random” search. Once you are inside the airport, you can have some major entertainment. Have you ever seen people late for their flight or trying to make a connecting flight? People run through the airport like Usain Bolt. If the airport is large enough, you might have a train or bus system, which is crazy. Some airports that are wild to visit are Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is the busiest airport in the world, and Los Angeles International Airport, aka LAX, which is a certified danger zone.
I bring this up because I recently watched the 1970 film Airport. I honestly thought this film would be a complete waste of time because who would want to make a film about an airport. There are other exciting things to watch than a film about an airport. Hell, was I wrong. First, this film has an ensemble cast starring legends Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin. The film details the day-to-day operations of an airport and airline operations. The main plot centers on a snowstorm that is practically causing a blizzard and the attempt of a bomb on one of the planes. Shit goes down as quick decisions must be made by everyone, from the crew to staff and management. I’m telling you that palms will get sweaty, and butt cheeks will be clinching.
Let’s get on this plane and explore what this thrilling film is about. The story takes place during a long, snowy night at Lincoln International Airport (loosely based on O’Hare) based in Chicago. The central story concerns the airport’s general manager, Mel Bakersfeld (Lancaster). Mel is dealing with some shit today. Mel is devoted more to his job than his family and marriage. His wife Cindy (Wynter) hates his ass because of his job and knows he is using it to stay away from the family as she wants to be a socialite. His problems are compounded as he has heart-shaped eyes for passenger relations manager and divorcee Tanya Livingston (Seberg), who even I must say is FINE!
Mel’s day increasingly worsens as the airport struggles to stay operational during a snowstorm. His primary problem, which is a major pain in his ass, is the unexpected closure of primary runway 29. The runway closed down when a landing airplane made a sharp turn, getting stuck in the snow and blocking the runway. Mel makes an emergency decision and calls Joe Patroni (Kennedy), the tough, cigar-chewing head of maintenance operations for Trans World Airlines at Lincoln. Mel orders Joe to move the plane a fast as she can. Joe spends the whole movie arguing with pilots and staff about moving the aircraft with its own power.
Mel also has another headache regarding his brother-in-law, Vern Demerest (Martin). Vern is a charming senior pilot for Trans Global Airlines who butts heads with Mel over many issues. Vern is having an affair with Gwen Meighen (Bisset), a chief stewardess, on his routine flights and is straight up beyond BEAUTIFUL!! Homegirl is so FINE that even I would stop everything for her. Gwen is pissed about the affair and drops a major bomb on Vern.
Mel is under pressure from the owner and mayor to close down the airport, but he refuses. Adding to the chaos of the night is an elderly lady named Mrs. Ada Quonsett (Hayes), who has a habit of getting on flights without a ticket. She is caught this time but scams her way onto another flight. Mrs. Quonsett is by far the most entertaining part of the film. She displays this poor little old lady look but straight-up schemes in any way she can.
The thrilling part of the film comes with D.O. Guerrero (Heflin). D.O. is messed up in the head and comes up with a plan to set a bomb off in the plane as his family is going through financial problems. D.O. builds the bomb as he used to work in the army as a bomb expert. He hides the bomb in a briefcase and boards the plane in hopes that his wife can cash in on an insurance policy. D.O. manages to board a plane and sits next to Mrs. Quonsett.
I will be the first to admit that I was a little bored with this film as the pieces were falling into place. It dragged on a bit, and I thought the main story was about moving the plane out of the snow. When the film introduced the bomb, that is when the film really picked up. You had one scene where a customs person said he could spot anyone who was trying to bring in anything wrong. This scene is telling as D.O. walks right past him. He looks and gets a funny feeling, but since the person is going on a plane, he lets it go.
When the crew learns about D.O., that is when things get real, and the film becomes intense in a good way. First, Gwen comes and gets Mrs. Quonsett to speak with Vern. Vern fills Mrs. Quonsett in on the situation, and when Gwen walks her back, they cause a scene, but as Gwen grabs the briefcase, a passenger who should’ve minded his own damn business screws everything up, and D.O. goes into the bathroom and blows the back part of the plane. That shit was crazy to watch as it was scary and intense. The film keeps that intensity up with the plane returning and trying to make a landing on the closed airstrip.
I can’t single out any performances because they were ALL excellent. Lancaster was entertaining. Dean Marting was charming but intense. I could go on and on about everyone, but that would make this a long-ass review. I want to give a shout-out to Helen Hayes as she won the Academy Award for her role. She was a sassy woman and carried her scenes with humor and sarcasm.
Airport is one of those films that starts off slowly but really picks up and sticks the landing at the end. The story was great during the second half, with the intensity and situation that the airport was in. The cast did their job of making this film run smoothly. Next time you are in the airport, look at everyone and wonder what they are running off to.
