Worldwide gross: $224,012,234
For being such a forgettable blockbuster, “Con Air” actually has an impressive cast: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Dave Chappelle, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, as well as plenty of other faces you may recognize from other films and TV shows.
“Con Air” tells the story of Cameron Poe (Cage), a highly decorated Army Ranger sergeant, who’s just been honorably discharged and returns to his family to live the quiet life with them. However, he accidentally kills someone for drunkenly attacking his wife, and is then sentenced to prison for ten years. Fast-forward eight years: Poe is about to be released with parole and is looking forward to finally realizing his dream of being with his wife and child.
All he has to do is share a prison airplane filled with some of the most sadistic and dangerous men ever captured, and then he’s home free. Nothing can go wrong, right? As expected, Poe’s plans are ruined when the other prisoners take over the plane and kill the prison staff, all as part of their plan to escape their prison sentences and leave the country. What follows is plenty of audience-pleasing explosions, shootouts, and over-the-top death scenes.
But apparently, audiences weren’t pleased enough to keep the film in their memories. It’s certainly a cheesy-yet-fun ’90s action flick, and the solid cast is obviously having a blast with the material. Yet there aren’t too many people who would consider “Con Air” a classic today.