Air Force One (film) - Plot

Plot

A joint military operation between Russian and U.S. special operations forces ends with the capture of General Ivan Radek (Jürgen Prochnow), the dictator of a rogue terrorist regime in Kazakhstan that had taken possession of an arsenal of former Soviet nuclear weapons. A diplomatic dinner is held in Moscow to celebrate the operation, at which President of the United States James Marshall (Harrison Ford) expresses his remorse that action had not been taken sooner to prevent the suffering that Radek caused and vows that his administration will take a firmer stance against despotism and refuse to negotiate with terrorists.

President Marshall, along with his wife Grace (Wendy Crewson), his daughter Alice (Liesel Matthews), and several of his Cabinet and advisers board Air Force One to return to the United States. A contingent of news reporters are also aboard. U.S. Secret Service agent Gibbs (Xander Berkeley), acting as a mole for a group of six Soviet ultranationalist terrorists led by Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman), sneaks them onto the plane disguised as a Russian news crew. Once in flight, Gibbs kills several secret service agents guarding the plane's armory, allowing Korshunov and his men to take the armory's weapons and equipment and seize control of the plane. The pilots attempt to land the plane at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, but are killed and the terrorists' pilot takes control, diverting the plane towards Kazakhstan. U.S. Secret Service agents take Marshall to an escape pod in the cargo hold, while the rest of the passengers are taken hostage. Believing the President has escaped, the hijackers separate his wife and daughter from the rest of their hostages, planning to use them as leverage.

At the White House Situation Room, Korshunov contacts Vice President of the United States Kathryn Bennett (Glenn Close) threatening to kill a hostage every half hour until Radek is released. Meanwhile, the U.S. military locates the escape pod but finds it empty. Unbeknownst to the hijackers, President Marshall, a retired military aviator, veteran of the Vietnam War, and Medal of Honor recipient, stayed aboard the plane. He contacts the White House via satellite phone, and reminds Bennett not to negotiate with the terrorists. Marshall manages to overwhelm the men guarding the hostages and develops a plan to drain the fuel from the plane, forcing the hijackers to request mid-air refueling, which would drop the plane to a low enough altitude to allow the hostages to parachute out. Though his advisers insist Marshall leave, he refuses to go without his family. When Korshunov discovers the deception, he forces the plane away, causing the fuel to ignite and destroy the fueling plane, he then captures Marshall and a few of his advisors before they can escape.

With Marshall and his family held hostage, Bennett is forced to contact Russian President Petrov to issue Radek's release. Korshunov and his men celebrate as the event is broadcast over the plane's speakers, but Marshall uses the distraction to free himself. While Marshall's advisers deal with the remaining terrorists, Korshunov grabs Grace and disappears to the plane's parachute ramp, followed by Marshall. Grace manages to get away, and Marshall wrestles with Korshunov, eventually forcing his chute, wrapped around Korshunov's neck, to open, pulling him out of the plane and killing him. Marshall races back to the communication room to announce his freedom just as Radek is about to board a waiting helicopter. When the prison guards attempt to recapture him, Radek tries to flee but is shot and killed.

Marshall directs Air Force One back towards friendly airspace, but they are soon followed by Kazakh MiG-29s piloted by Radek loyalists. Escorting U.S. F-15s fend off the attack, including one pilot that sacrifices himself to intercept a missile, but the shrapnel from the explosion and machine gun rounds from the MiG-29s destroys Air Force One's tail controls, making it impossible to safely land the plane. Marshall pilots Air Force One out toward the Caspian Sea to prevent civilian casualties in the now-inevitable crash, and a nearby patrolling U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130E Combat Talon is called in to rescue Marshall and the others via zip-line; Marshall insists his family and advisers are rescued first. Gibbs, who had remained on the plane, reveals his betrayal and kills Major Caldwell, and attempts to save himself on the last zip-line crossing before Air Force One strikes the water. Marshall overpowers him, and grabs and detaches the zip line moments before the plane explosively disintegrates on hitting the water. The MC-130E crew reel in the President, and change their call sign to "Air Force One" as they head back towards friendly airspace, while Marshall is reunited with his family.