Air Force One is finally free to stream

Streaming free on Pluto TV as of June, Air Force One remains one of the defining action thrillers of the decade. Harrison Ford plays President James Marshall, who fights back after terrorists hijack his plane, and his charisma makes every punch, speech and impossible escape feel believable.

Released in 1997, the film arrived during a specific 1990s moment: a stacked summer with Men in Black, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Face/Off, and the year after Independence Day. It imagines an idealized president — principled, tough and devoted to both country and family — at a time when public perceptions of the office were shifting during Bill Clinton's second term.

A sharp script from Andrew W. Marlowe and steady direction from Wolfgang Petersen help the premise land, and Ford radiates competence from his first scene. Marshall is a Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient who refuses to leave while his wife and daughter are still on board when Secret Service agents escort him toward an escape pod.

United States

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