Turbulence

Directed by Robert Butler, Turbulence details the mayhem that ensues aboard a commercial flight after a notorious serial killer (Ray Liotta’s Ryan Weaver) manages to break free from his police-officer escorts – with the fate of the plane and its passengers ultimately left in the hands of a plucky flight attendant (Lauren Holly’s Teri Halloran). It’s an agreeably larger-than-life premise that’s employed to initially middling (yet eventually compelling) effect by Butler, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by Jonathan Brett, delivers an erratic opening stretch that’s hardly as engaging or attention-grabbing as one might’ve hoped – with the arms-length atmosphere compounded by Butler’s curiously sedate approach to the salacious material. There’s little doubt, then, that Turbulence improves considerably as it progresses into an increasingly (and gleefully) over-the-top second half, as the movie slowly-but-surely transforms into a logic-and-plausibility-free enterprise that’s been littered with a whole host of agreeably absurd plot developments and happenings – with the unapologetically less-than-subtle vibe enhanced and perpetuated by Liotta’s unhinged, insanely broad performance. By the time the predictably ludicrous climax rolls around, which follows Holly’s character as she attempts to land the plane by herself, clipping several buildings (and a car!) in the process, Turbulence has cemented its place as better-than-expected piece of work that benefits from Butler’s progressively preposterous approach to the salacious material.

*** out of ****