I tuned into FALCON DOWN looking for some hot supersonic action, but what I got was a very talkative and very little action STV picture about a guy (familiar TV face Dale Midkiff) who at the government's urging helps to steal a new stealth-type bomber, only to find himself double- and triple-crossed when some bad guys plan to sell the thing to the Chinese. Jennifer Rubin, Whilliam Shatner and Judd Nelson are along for the ride. Well, actually, Shatner stands in one place in an ill-defined military office and talks to Midkiff on and off throughout the movie. I thought maybe when the aircraft crash-landed on an Arctic ice floe and then ended up underwater, something might finally happen, but very little actually does. Stick with STEALTH with Josh Brolin or that neat little high-flying knockoff of DIE HARD, 1992's INTERCEPTOR with Andrew Divoff.

We start with a couple of fighter pilots, flying some sort of "secret" mission. You know right away what kind of movie this is going to be because these guys act as completely unprofessional as possible. Imagine a couple of teenagers let loose in a pair of jet fighters, just screwin' around, having fun, as William Shatner relays orders over the radio (which they ignore). Well, because they're such idiots, they wander into the test area of some new weapon (Shatner reminded them of this about ten times, but of course...). Anyhow, one of them gets shot down by some sort of microwave weapon, which causes the usual silly looking electrocution effect to dance all over the plane. The other pilot is really upset, he thought you could just play around with high tech military gadgetry like some little kid in a toy shop, and nobody would get hurt. He's doesn't think it's fair! Anyhow, he gets - rightfully - discharged from the Air Force.Now we skip to some Area 51 UFO footage, this is the footage that will blow the whole conspiracy wide open, we're told. The really comical thing is that this footage is so OBVIOUSLY fake, computer generated special effects. I don't even know what this crap had to do with the rest of the movie.Anyhow, they eventually have to get the disgraced fighter pilot to steal some airplane that contains the microwave weapon before it's sold to the Chinese. For some reason, they keep talking about this weapon as if it's some sort of doomsday machine, which just adds to the stupidity. The acting isn't too terrible, it's just dull. As always with these B-movies, the fighter pilot was the greatest the world has ever seen, he flew SR-71's (kind of funny because considering his maturity level, he wouldn't be allowed in the same hanger with an SR-71, but whatever). At one point he asks why they want him instead of any of the other 1,000 guys who HAVEN'T been drummed out of the Air Force - William Shatner does his best serious voice and says "Because, it's a standard cliché in these sorts of movies. Where have you been?" Well, okay, I made that up, but you've got to chuckle at a movie that goes the extra mile to make its plot holes even more glaringly obvious than they were in the first place. Jennifer Rubin shows up and looks sexy, that's about the best part of the movie. Otherwise it's just standard low budget silliness with a convoluted plot, some nutty conspiracy theorists we keep seeing on videotape confession segments, characters you'll forget by the time the first credit rolls, and enough plot holes to create quite a little comedy of errors. If you're a B-movie fan and looking for something to rent on a really dull evening, this might fit the bill.

It's long been considered that Government organizations cover up many incidents. Probably the most infamous are the whispers that The Government actually has proof of alien beings and has their DNA, spacecraft and who knows what else hidden in an area in Roswell, New Mexico called Area 51. Then there are some of the 'apparently' factual incidents investigated by TV shows such as "The X Files". As for the military's involvement, there's only speculation - but it's believed they are present in most of these theories in some respect.In "Falcon Down", it's the Military and the Government that are responsible for such a large scale cover-up. So large scale, that eye witnesses who have claimed to witness something related to the operation have been erased. Many of these people claimed that it was some kind of Alien spacecraft that was being kept quiet by the Government. In the film, we discover that it's something a little more close to home. Or Earth if you will.Two airforce pilots come face to face with an unforseen terror in the skies. One of them suddenly goes blind and his jet falls to a fiery death. Nearby, a commercial airline also goes down.Wanting answers and bewildered by what has happened, the surviving airforce pilot, Hank Thomas (Dale Midkiff) is discharged from service following a fiery meeting with the rather suspicious, Major Robert Carson (Shatner). Several months later, Hank is bullied into leading a top secret operation, run by his old foe, Carson. The mission involves stealing a super-jet called the 'Falcon' (complete with underneath weapon, hence the blinding of the pilot) and then, as he is ordered, take it to a rendevous point where it will be dismantled so no one else can be harmed by it's terror.Joined by a group of mercenaries - one a 'trigger-happy' Rambo-type, another an intellectual yet green faced player (Judd Nelson), a straight player and femme fatale (Rubin) - Hank skillfully takes control of the stolen jet and finds himself followed by the U.S airforce and other unforseen threats. With fuel running out, it seems the only option Hank has is to land the plane on Ice. And as we know, Ice eventually melts.Labelled as a B-Grade film, the most surprising thing about "Falcon Down" is that it is notches above it's direct-to-video companions. The visual effects are well done, the characters are more than the one-dimensional lot we usually see in films like this, and overall, it's an entertaining ride. Just when it looks to let up, it throws in another surprise, or plot twist. It also provokes a talking point..do top-secret cover-ups like this happen?

First of all: the story with the „microwave - weapon' and the super - plane „Falcon' isn't very realistic in my opinion. But that doesn't really matter, because the rest of the story is mostly complex and logical. In fact I was afraid of seeing once again a film like „Land of the free' which was highly unrealistic, but that didn't happen. „Falcon Down' is exciting, there are many action scenes, but they are realistic. Furthermore the important thing about the movie is not boring fight scenes, but solid excitement and entertainment. The special effects , the shots of the plane and the explosions are well done and give a dark and mystique touch to the movie. Unfortunately all characters are full of cliches and they lack depth. The center of the film is Dale Midkiff and the excellent special effects, all the other actors have more or less minor roles. Midkiff plays the fired pilot very well and the cast is positively supported by the wonderful Jennifer Rubin. And William Shatner is just excellent as the strict and egoistic Major Carson. The „over - acting' Shatner is often blamed for will not be found in this movie. And another positive aspect: The music beautifully supports the excitement and is a joy for the ears. So: „Falcon Down' is an exciting and entertaining Thriller and is besides of „Miss Congeniality' and „Free Enterprise' one of the best movies Shatner has acted in since „Star Trek Generations'. It is a pity that the movie hasn't been published in the USA yet but I'm sure here in Germany it will be a success.