- Actors: Dolph Lundgren, Denise Richards, Greer Grammer, Chuck Liddell
- Director: Alex Merkin
- Disc Format: AC-3, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
- Region: Region A/1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: R
- Studio: LIONSGATE
- Release Date: June 20, 2017
- Run Time: 88 minutes
Bad low budget action movies starring Dolph
Lundgren have become increasingly common, as we rarely see the chemical
engineer turned actor on the big screen (outside of The Expendables franchise) anymore. Those prepared to be disappointed
by another project obviously done for the paycheck are going to be let down
even more by the fact that Lundgren isn’t even the leading actor or the hero.
Instead, Lundgren is demoted to the role of generic bad guy, while Denise
Richards inexplicably attempts to fill the role of hero. Those who were baffled
by Richards’ attempt at playing a nuclear physicist in the James Bond franchise
(coincidentally the same franchise that gave Lundgren his start in the film
industry) will be just as baffled by her casting as an FBI hostage negotiator,
who single-handedly thwarts a plane hijacking in Altitude.
The film begins
with an unbelievable hostage negotiation which will set the tone for the rest
of the film. Rather than allowing a sniper to take out the man holding people
hostage, or doing her job in talking him down, FBI agent Gretchen Blair
inexplicably rushes into the hostage situation undetected (while still talking
to the suspect on the phone) and tackles him instead. This would be an
unbelievable scene with a more convincing actor, but with Richards it becomes a
complete farce. Reprimanded for her insubordination, Blair is sent back to Washington D.C.
when the plane she is taking coincidentally gets hijacked.
The plane is
being taken over by a group of criminals who were robbed by a fellow thief
(Jordi Vilasuso), who also happens to be seated right next to Blair. This thief
offers Blair a large sum of money to protect him from the hijackers, and
somehow this Playboy model is able to single-handedly take down all of the bad
guys. What follows is a generic onboard action movie with very little
convincing action, and even less believable acting. It is everything you might
expect of a plot description such as this, only worse.
The casting of Richards was a
horrible choice, but it aligns with the obvious intentions of the filmmaker:
get as many name actors in the cast as possible, regardless of how poorly
suited they may be for the roles. On top of Richards being a tough negotiator
who fights her way out of the situation, the cast also includes grown child
actor Jonathan Lipnicki (Jerry Maguire) in a strange role as a flamboyant
flight attendant and UFC fighter Chuck Liddell as a walking prop. Liddell may
look the part of a criminal who hijacks a plane, but he is basically just a
glorified extra in this film. But the worst crime of all is the casting of
Lundgren only to keep him confined to the cockpit flying the plane for nearly
the entire film.
I could go on, but anyone who has
read this far and still chooses to endure Altitude
will be getting what they deserve. The Blu-ray includes a Digital HD copy of
the film, but no special features on the disc.
Entertainment Value:
4/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 3.5/10
Historical
Significance: 1/10
Special Features: 0/10
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