Passenger 57 movie storyline. International psychopath terrorist Charles Rane (Bruce Payne), known as “The Rane of Terror”, is caught by the FBI and local authorities just as he is about to receive plastic surgery to alter his features to evade the law. The FBI make plans to return Rane to Los Angeles aboard a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar passenger aircraft, for him to stand trial.
John Cutter (Wesley Snipes) is a retired police officer who is trying to recover from the haunting memories of his wife’s death in a convenience-store robbery, and has taken to training flight attendants in self defense, including Marti Slayton (Alex Datcher). After one class, Cutter is approached by an old friend, Sly Delvecchio (Tom Sizemore), who offers Cutter the vice presidency of a new antiterrorism unit for his company, Atlantic International Airlines. Cutter is reluctant, but Delvecchio and the company’s president, Stuart Ramsey (Bruce Greenwood), convince him to accept the offer.
Cutter boards as the 57th passenger on an Atlantic International flight to Los Angeles, where Marti is one of the flight attendants. Rane and his two FBI escorts are also aboard. After the flight takes off, several men in Rane’s employ, posing as flight attendants and passengers, kill the FBI agents, release Rane, and secure the plane by also shooting the captain. Cutter, in the lavatory at the time, manages to use the plane’s on-board phone to warn Delvecchio of the situation, but Cutter is soon discovered by one of Rane’s agents.
Cutter overpowers the agent and takes his weapon; he then uses the agent as a shield to confront Rane. Rane is indifferent and shows his ruthlessness by taking a passenger hostage and then killing him without mercy. Rane also shoots his own agent in a further show of force. Cutter realizes he is outmatched and escapes with Marti to the plane’s cargo hold, dispatching another of Rane’s men, Vincent, who is disguised as a caterer.
Cutter dumps the plane’s fuel, forcing Rane to order the surviving pilots to land at a small Louisiana airfield. Cutter jumps from the plane as it lands, but Marti is caught by Rane and kept aboard. The local sheriff, Chief Leonard Biggs (Ernie Lively), arrests Cutter, thinking he is a terrorist, and takes him to the airport building.
Rane contacts the field’s tower and demands refueling, for which he promises half the passengers will be freed. For every five minutes of resistance or indecision, Rane will order one passenger executed. Rane also asserts that Cutter is one of his own men turned against him.
Biggs gives the go-ahead for refueling, and as the passengers are freed, Rane and his men escape from the plane, having given orders to those still on board to kill the rest of the hostages if their plans are interfered with. Cutter recognizes the passenger release as a diversion, escapes from the sheriff, and chases Rane and his men into a local county fair. FBI agents arrive and confirm Cutter’s true identity to Biggs. Cutter is able to kill one of Rane’s men and gets into a fight with Rane before police arrive and capture him.
Passenger 57 is a 1992 American action film directed by Kevin Hooks. The film stars Wesley Snipes, Bruce Payne, Tom Sizemore, Alex Datcher, Elizabeth Hurley, Bruce Greenwood, Robert Hooks, Marc Macaulay, Jane McPherson and Duchess Tomasello. Its success made Snipes a popular action hero icon. It also introduced Snipes’ famous line: “Always bet on black.”
Passenger 57 (1992)
Directed by: Kevin Hooks
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Bruce Payne, Tom Sizemore, Alex Datcher, Elizabeth Hurley, Bruce Greenwood, Robert Hooks, Marc Macaulay, Jane McPherson, Duchess Tomasello
Screenplay by: David Loughery, Dan Gordon
Production Design by: Jaymes Hinkle
Cinematography by: Mark Irwin
Film Editing by: Richard Nord
Costume Design by: Brad R. Loman
Set Decoration by: Don K. Ivey
Art Direction by: Alan E. Muraoka
Music by: Stanley Clarke
MPAA Rating: R for terrorist violence and language.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: November 6, 1992
Hits: 400
