Plane is finally streaming on Netflix, and if you’re judging it by its title alone, you’re seriously underestimating Gerard Butler’s latest action beatdown. What sounds like a clearance-bin flick about aviation chaos turns out to be a gritty, high-stakes survival ride with just the right amount of punch, grit, and absurd charm. This is one of those rare thrillers that actually delivers more than it promises.

The setup is familiar: Butler plays Brodie Torrance, a commercial pilot who’s forced to land his storm-hit plane on a dangerous island crawling with rebels. But don’t let the stripped-down premise fool you, what follows is an intense, well-oiled genre machine that feels like a throwback to the golden age of ’90s action, minus the cringe.

Enter Mike Colter, who brings some serious muscle as Louis Gaspare, a convict being transported on the flight who turns out to be Torrance’s unexpected partner in crime-fighting. It’s classic odd-couple action cinema, but with better pacing and way more emotional weight than expected. Colter and Butler have solid chemistry, and when the bullets start flying, they’re downright magnetic on screen.

Sure, it’s built on a well-worn formula: reluctant allies, desperate mission, ticking clock, but Plane knows what it is. It embraces absurdity without becoming a parody. That balance is what elevates it from bargain bin to binge-worthy.

Director Jean-François Richet (Blood Father) keeps the tone grounded, even as the body count rises. There’s a rawness to the action, no CGI overkill, no choreographed flash for flash’s sake. He even ropes in real-life Navy SEALs to tighten up the realism. So when punches land and guns fire, it feels like it hurts.

Still, Plane isn’t afraid to lean into its pulpy side. There’s one particular villain takedown that hits that perfect blend of brutal and hilarious, and if you’re a Butler fan, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear.

Butler has quietly carved out a throne in the mid-budget action game. From Den of Thieves to Kandahar, he’s kept the genre alive while Hollywood chases superheroes. But Plane might be his most self-aware and streamlined effort yet. It’s fast. It’s brutal. It’s smarter than it looks. So, yeah, the title could’ve used a second draft. But the film? It flies. And now that it’s landed on Netflix, there’s no excuse not to buckle up. You came for chaos in the skies, you’ll stay for the carnage on the ground.

Plane Trailer

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