Con Air (1997)

Put the bunny back in the box. This week we're boarding the Jailbird for Con Air (1997) — the most gloriously unhinged, completely self-aware, and relentlessly entertaining action blockbuster of the entire 1990s. And yes, we are going to talk about the mullet.Directed by Simon West in his feature directorial debut and produced by the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer, Con Air follows Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage), a former Army Ranger who — freshly paroled for manslaughter — finds himself trapped aboard a federal prison transport plane hijacked by the most dangerous criminals in America. Leading the chaos is John Malkovich as Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, a highly intelligent career criminal and mastermind of the escape plot, backed up by Ving Rhames as Diamond Dog, and the incomparably creepy Steve Buscemi as Garland "The Marietta Mangler" Greene. John Cusack, Dave Chappelle, Danny Trejo, and Colm Meaney round out a cast so stacked it barely seems real.We're breaking down everything: Malkovich chewing every inch of scenery as one of the great 90s movie villains, Buscemi's Hannibal Lecter-esque turn that somehow ends with him sitting on a merry-go-round with a little girl, Nicolas Cage in full peak-mullet action hero mode, that Las Vegas runway crash sequence, and the Trisha Yearwood "How Do I Live" needle drop that absolutely nobody asked for and yet somehow became iconic. The film grossed over $224 million worldwide against a $75 million budget, cementing Bruckheimer's reign as the undisputed king of 90s blockbuster filmmaking — and landing right in the middle of Cage's extraordinary holy trinity alongside The Rock and Face/Off.Is Con Air a good movie? No. Is it one of the most entertaining films ever made? Absolutely, unequivocally, without question yes.Whether you're a Nicolas Cage devotee, a Jerry Bruckheimer action junkie, a 90s blockbuster fanatic, a lover of so-bad-it's-great cinema, or just someone who wants to spend an hour reliving the most ridiculous movie plane crash ever put on screen — this episode is mandatory listening.Topics covered: Con Air 1997 | Nicolas Cage | John Malkovich | Steve Buscemi | Jerry Bruckheimer | Simon West | Ving Rhames | John Cusack | Dave Chappelle | Danny Trejo | Cyrus the Virus | best 90s action movies | Nicolas Cage best films | peak Nicolas Cage | 90s blockbusters | prison movies | action thriller films | guilty pleasure movies | best movie villains | How Do I Live Trisha Yearwood | movie review podcast | film analysis | The Rock Face/Off Con Air trilogy | best ensemble casts | over the top action films | Jerry Bruckheimer films ranked | 90s nostalgia | best movie one-linersSubscribe, rate, and leave us a review — and settle this once and for all: Con Air, The Rock, or Face/Off — which is the greatest Nicolas Cage action film of 1997?Join us as we discuss Con Air and all of the interesting things about this movie.YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@RegularorMentholContact us: [email protected]