Air Force One (1997) Air Force One
An action thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by Andrew W. Marlowe, starring Harrison Ford as President James Marshall, who must retake the presidential aircraft after it is hijacked by a group of Russian ultranationalist terrorists led by Egor Korshunov (Gary Oldman)1. The film grossed over $315 million worldwide and became one of the defining action spectacles of the 1990s.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Director | Wolfgang Petersen |
| Writer | Andrew W. Marlowe |
| Stars | Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell |
| Composer | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematographer | Michael Ballhaus |
| Editor | Richard Francis-Bruce |
| Production Designer | William Sandell |
| Production Company | Beacon Communications, Radiant Productions |
| Distributor | Columbia Pictures |
| Budget | ~$85 million |
| Box Office | ~$315 million (worldwide) |
| Release Date | July 25, 1997 |
| Running Time | 124 minutes |
Key Pages
- Plot Summary (Air Force One)
- Cast and Characters (Air Force One)
- Production History (Air Force One)
- Themes and Analysis (Air Force One)
- Critical Reception and Legacy (Air Force One)
- Physical Media Releases (Air Force One)
- Backbeats (Air Force One)
- Structure Graphics (Air Force One)
People
- Wolfgang Petersen (Air Force One)
- Harrison Ford (Air Force One)
- Gary Oldman (Air Force One)
- Glenn Close (Air Force One)
- Andrew W. Marlowe (Air Force One)
- Michael Ballhaus (Air Force One)
- Jerry Goldsmith (Air Force One)
Key Sequences
- The Hijacking (Air Force One)
- The Parachute Escape (Air Force One)
- The Midair Rescue (Air Force One)
Analysis
- The President as Action Hero
- Post-Cold War Russia (Air Force One)
- Die Hard on a Plane
- The Real Air Force One
Tagline
"Harrison Ford is the President of the United States."
-
NEEDS DELETION — flagged by /cite-to-backbeats on 2026-05-09. Original prose called the villain "Ivan Korshunov." "Ivan" is Radek's first name in the SRT (line 74); Korshunov's first name is not given in dialogue. Wikipedia and the Backbeats page consistently use "Egor Korshunov." Corrected in place. Surrounding sentence: "led by Egor Korshunov (Gary Oldman)." ↩