Skyjacked (1972)
Directed by John Guillermin
Genres - Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller |
Sub-Genres - Action Thriller |
Release Date - May 24, 1972 (USA) |
Run Time - 100 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - PG
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Sky Terror is the reissue title for Skyjacked, a 1972 MGM all-star adventure based on a novel by David Harper. Charlton Heston mans the controls of a Los Angeles-bound commercial airliner which is hijacked to Russia by an unknown miscreant. Even when the skyjacker, revealed to be passenger James Brolin, is subsequently subdued, the crew must contend with a hidden time bomb. The film is graced with a who's who of MGM contractees past and present, including Yvette Mimieux, Walter Pidgeon and Mike Henry. A flashback sequence contains one of the first examples of an American film coming to grips with how rudely our Vietnam veterans were ignored upon returning home; alas, this compassion quickly degenerates into the odious "crazed Vietnam vet" cliche. Footnote: The first network showing of Skyjacked was boycotted by TV stations owned by the Storer Corporation, which had a hard and fast rule against screening any film concerning a hijacked plane.
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Keywords
airplane, bomb, hijacker, hostage, pilot, veteran [military], pregnancy, Russia, Senator