Con Air-Pure Cinematic Testosterone

Con-air is two hours of pure, unbridled cinematic testosterone. Every aspect of the film gives off an enjoyably pure masculine feeling—the over-the-top explosions, the macho muscly actors, ridiculous one-liners, and a score abundant with ultra-badass guitar riffs. It's a feeling that many action films of its era gave off. But unlike those films, Con-Air seems self-aware of its cheezy, overtly macho tone. 

There's an enjoyable tongue-in-cheek nature to the film, with moments of genuine comedic dialogue, sight gags, and action with so much fire, explosions, and destruction happening on-screen that makes it seem like director Simon West is aware of how ridiculous it all is and relishes in it. There's also bold confidence in the performances, much more than you would expect for such an over-the-top action film. Every actor here is ideally suited to their roles, from John Malkovich's smarmy villain to John Cusack's fast-talking detective. Even Nicholas Cage's bizarre acting choices, from his dopey expressions to his exaggerated Southern accent, work because Cage plays it up so confidently. 

The film's opening act does have a bit of an exposition problem. There are many exposition-heavy scenes of characters giving plot-relevant information or character bios that always start with a line of dialogue like "As you know..." or some variation of that line that feels unnatural and clunky. But once the action begins, it goes from one moment of over-the-top action to the next, all the way up to the film's end, where the action reaches its absolute breaking point regarding how ridiculous it can get. The film does feel dated in many areas, from the overly sedimental love ballad that opens and closes the movie to the character of Sally-Can't Dance, who the film plays up as vaguely homosexual or trans in a way that feels highly dated. 

Con Air is undoubtedly a dated film with some clunky script issues. However, as a piece of pure cinematic testosterone, the film is glorious. It's the rare dumb Hollywood action film that's fully aware that it's dumb, making for a much more entertaining movie, and that some dated elements aside, it holds up remarkably better than I expected.

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