Netflix just added a fast-paced action thriller — and it's my favorite Gerard Butler movie

Tom's Guide

a day ago

"Plane" is my favorite movie new on Netflix this week. It might even be my favorite movie coming to Netflix this month. It's definitely my favorite Gerard Butler movie — well, at least for live action.
Now, I'll fully admit I have a soft spot for the Scottish actor. I've written about how "Gamer" is my favorite "bad movie," and I'll gladly hit play on "Den of Thieves," "300" or even "The Ugly Truth."
I could go on and on, but honestly, if I could recommend just one Gerard Butler movie — setting aside "How to Train Your Dragon" — it'd be "Plane."
This movie delivers what it promises. It's not overly convoluted and the action sequences are great, even if they're not on par with something you'd get from a "John Wick" movie. So sit down, grab some popcorn, and set the phone aside for this fast-paced 107-minute-long action thriller. Here's why "Plane" is the movie you need to be streaming right now on Netflix.
In "Plane," Butler stars as commercial airline pilot Brodie Torrance. He's looking to join his daughter for some quality time, and the only thing standing in his way is completing Trailblazer Airlines Flight 119.
This looks set to be an uneventful flight, with just 14 passengers heading from Hawaii to Japan. Even the addition of a fugitive being extradited by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police seems unlikely to send things into chaos.
But Torrance is forced to go through a storm, during which a lightning strike fries the plane's avionics. He manages to land the plane safely — only to discover he's in the pirate-controlled Jolo Islands.
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Now, Brodie, a former RAF pilot, and the fugitive Louis (Mike Colter), a former French Foreign Legionnaire, have to use their military training to keep the surviving passengers and crew alive until they can finally be rescued — or find another way off the island.
In retrospect, "Plane" came at just the right time for me. Too many movies, including more than a few disappointing Marvel movies, were convoluted, filled with bad CGI and just too often ... well, boring.
Not "Plane" though. This movie harkens back to the era of 2000s action movies that were slick but not campy, with just the right level of production value and a simple premise.
This movie also does get one little thing right, which many action movies struggle with. Butler is the star of this movie, and he gets in some great fights during it.
But he's supposed to be an aging, perhaps even washed-up, former RAF pilot. The movie leans into this, letting Butler get beat up more than once, and it's clear as you watch it that Louis, who is a former French Legionnaire (it seems likely he was involved in some special or black ops while in the service) and still in peak shape, is the better killer of the two.
Which he should be, based on what we know about the characters. Many action movies would force Butler to be the one to always get the glory and come away looking the best, but "Plane" allows Butler to perform the way we'd expect his character to perform.
Most importantly, though, the action in this movie is fun. There's a scene where Colter's Louis takes out some bad guys with a sledgehammer, and that's never a bad time.
Don't just take my word for it, though. If you head over to Rotten Tomatoes, you'll see this has a 79% rating from critics (not bad) but a 94% rating from audience viewers.
After looking through the reviews, it's clear the audience got this one right, because they view a "standard" action thriller as a good thing, not a failure to be something greater.
To be clear, "standard" is pretty apt for describing "Plane," but that's exactly why it works so well. It's all killer, no filler, giving you exactly what you want from a fast-paced extraction action movie.
I promise you that there are better action movies out there. But, I also promise you that you'll have a great time watching "Plane." I know I did.
Stream 'Plane' now on Netflix
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.
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