The Flying Game

Jodie Foster takes so long between films, you'd think that she'd choose a project that allows her to do something more than hide in a reinforced box or frantically search an airplane. But in her most recent efforts ("Panic Room" and "Flightplan", respectively), the award-winning actress has shown an affinity for those indefatigable heroine roles. Thankfully, she's damn good at them. Nobody teeters on the brink of tears quite like Jodie Foster.

"Flightplan's" efficient script, by Peter A. Dowling and Billy Ray, wastes no time getting Kyle Pratt (Ms. Foster) and her daughter Julia aboard their enormous, ill-fated aircraft (as Kyle, a "propulsion engineer" explains, "it's the biggest"). No sooner do they take off than Kyle wakes up from a nap to discover Julia missing.

It's during Kyle's slow journey from worried to frantic to obsessed that Ms. Foster shines. The actress is so good, she actually manages to show more range within the emotion "frantic" then most actresses can in their whole repertoire. She elevates what is a standard B-movie thriller to something more personal and emotional than it has any right to be. The sturdy supporting cast is filled out by Sean Bean, as a pilot anyone would be happy to fly with, and the recently ubiquitous Peter Sarsgaard as the world's most laidback federal marshal. Both actors just seem happy to be sharing the screen with Ms. Foster.

There have been several movies that confine themselves to airplanes ("Passenger 57", "Executive Decision" and "Red Eye" come to mind). The setting poses interesting challenges for any director. Robert Schwentke rises to the task admirably, defining the space, keeping the suspense high and, most importantly, creating that feeling of claustrophobia so vital to this genre. So effective is the atmosphere during "Flight" that I actually had to remind myself I was grounded in a theater at one point.

Of course, a movie like "Flightplan" has to build to some sort of twist. We know Kyle is going to get to the bottom of this mystery because, hey, she's Jodie Foster for crying out loud. But the ending is so preposterous that the film actually flies apart before your very eyes; the plot-holes are so glaring they actually demand that you to ignore them. But it's a testament to Ms. Foster that you forgive the writers their folly. Despite the shaky landing, this "Flight" is a pretty good ride.