Flightplan (2005)

Director: Robert Schwentke

Starring: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean

A bereaved woman and her daughter are flying home from Berlin to America. At 30,000 feet, the child vanishes, and nobody will admit she was ever on the plane.

‘Flightplan’ is a mystery thriller set entirely within the confines of an aircraft.

Jodie Foster stars as Kyle Pratt, who – together with her 6-year old daughter, Julia – boards an aircraft to take her husband’s body back to New York. Soon after take-off, Julia disappears. The crew insist Kyle boarded the plane alone, and they haven’t seen her daughter.

And so the mystery starts, and intensifies as the film develops – so much so that one later don’t know who to believe anymore. No spoilers here, so you’ll have to find out for yourself. With Kyle having designed the very plane they’re on, she is familiar with every inch of the plane, and this significantly adds to the credibility of the story.

Jodie Foster is excellent as Kyle. There’s plenty of twists, so you’re in for an exciting ride – or should that be flight! ‘Flightplan’ has a good script that is interesting from the beginning to that fabulous twist climax.

‘Flightplan’ was a huge box office success, raking in $223.4 million on a $55 million budget. Jodie Foster received a Best Actress nomination while ‘Flightplan’ was nominated for Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film.

Would I watch it again? Many mystery thrillers are only effective the first time around, but even knowing the big reveal, I still enjoy ‘Flightplan’ with every subsequent viewing.