Top 10 Airplane Movies
Finding genuinely good aviation films has gotten complicated with all the generic action movies that happen to include aircraft flying around. As someone who’s watched way too many airplane movies — good, bad, and cringe-worthy — I learned which ones are actually worth your time. Today, I will share the ones that deliver.
1. Air Force One (1997)
Harrison Ford as the President fighting terrorists who’ve hijacked his aircraft. Wolfgang Petersen directed this one, and the intensity holds up. The premise is implausible, but Ford sells it. Probably should have led with this, honestly: this is the movie that defined the “President-as-action-hero” genre.
2. Top Gun (1986)
Tom Cruise, Tony Scott directing, and aerial sequences that influenced action cinematography for decades. The naval aviator training program story works, but the flying is what people remember. There’s a reason they made a sequel 36 years later — the original captured something specific about aviation that resonates.
3. Die Hard 2 (1990)
John McClane at an airport. Terrorists take over, Bruce Willis improvises. The stakes feel higher than the original because of the scale. Renny Harlin kept the pacing tight, and the airport setting adds claustrophobia despite being outdoors.
4. Sully (2016)
Clint Eastwood directing Tom Hanks as Chesley Sullenberger. The Hudson River landing is the centerpiece, but the investigation aftermath provides the drama. Based on real events, which adds weight. That’s what makes this film endearing to us aviation enthusiasts — it shows what professionalism under pressure actually looks like.
5. Red Eye (2005)
Wes Craven put Rachel McAdams against Cillian Murphy on a flight from Dallas to Miami. Contained thriller at 30,000 feet. Murphy plays menacing without overacting, and the confined setting builds tension naturally. Not flashy, but effective.
6. The Aviator (2004)
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio explore Howard Hughes from the late 1920s through the mid-1940s. This is aviation history combined with character study. Hughes’s contributions to aviation were real, and the film doesn’t oversimplify his mental health struggles.
7. Flight (2012)
Denzel Washington plays an airline pilot who saves lives during a mechanical failure — then faces investigation revealing his alcohol problem. Robert Zemeckis directed. The crash sequence is harrowing, but the human story afterward carries the film.
8. Con Air (1997)
Nicolas Cage on a prison transport plane hijacked by inmates. Simon West directed this blend of action and dark humor. It knows exactly what kind of movie it is and commits fully. Pure entertainment, no pretense.
9. Airport (1970)
Based on Arthur Hailey’s novel, this one launched an entire genre of disaster films. George Seaton directed a story about an airport manager, a suicide bomber, and interconnected subplots. It’s dated now, but historically significant for understanding where these movies came from.
10. Executive Decision (1996)
Kurt Russell and Steven Seagal in a hijacking scenario involving a nerve gas bomb. Stuart Baird directed, and the mid-flight rescue attempt provides genuine tension. High-stakes scenario executed competently.
