Movie Review: Flight 7500

You have a choice. You can open the cockpit door and admit the terrorists who hold a knife to the throat of your loved one, or you can keep the door locked to secure the safety of the plane thereby putting the passengers at risk. Which would you choose? The plane is just reaching cruising altitude on a routine flight from Berlin to Paris when this question arises.

Earlier in the evening, the first to arrive in the plane is co-pilot Tobais Ellis (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who begins performing the pre-departure procedures. Shortly afterward the pilot Captain Michael Lutzmann (Carlo Litzinger) enters the cockpit–the two men exchange pleasantries.

Next to arrive are the flight attendants who begin their pre-flight preparations. Part of their routine is to take meal orders from the pilots. Michael orders a sandwich and water, Tobias orders only water. Last to enter the plane are the passengers to find their seats and stow their carryons. Three of the passengers are terrorists: one in a suit, one wearing jeans and a tee shirt and the third, young Vedat (Omir Meniar) in kakis and a collared shirt.

A knock on the door alerts the pilots to check the monitor showing the area just outside the cockpit. It’s a flight attendant holding a tray with refreshments, so they release the lock. As the flight attendant enters, the three terrorists, who were concealed behind the curtain to the main cabin, knock the attendant to the floor and attempt to enter the cockpit. Only the man in the suit succeeds.

After a struggle, the other two are pushed away and the door is relocked. Michael suffers multiple stab wounds from a piece of jagged glass wrapped in duct tape the terrorist had fashioned as a weapon able to pass through security.

Tobais is also stabbed, but manages to knock the first terrorists unconscious with a fire extinguisher. He then announces 7500 (the Emergency Transponder Code for unlawful interference) into his microphone. Checking the monitor again, Tobais sees the remaining terrorists pounding on the door demanding entrance. They also have a glass-knife at the throat of a flight attendant – Tobais’s loved one.

Another struggle ensues when the first terrorists regains consciousness and manages to slip out of his constraints. He renders Tobais unconscious long enough to open the door to admit the third terrorist – Vedat. The second one having been subdued by the passengers.

The new flight plan initiated by the first terrorists is to crash the jet into the nearest large city. He is thrilled at the idea, his dream come true, while Vedat begins to have second thoughts about dying at his young age for a cause he begins to question. The international flight controller is continuing his request that the plane land for refueling in Hanover, Germany. Will the plane land safely in Hanover, a city of over a half million residents, or will it crash into it?

Directed by Patrick Vollrath (Credits: Alles wird gut, Die Jacke) and running 93 minutes, 7500 is a “must see” for a thrilling story, intelligently told with insight into the procedures for flying a commercial jet plane.

johan@beachcomber.news