Jodie Foster and her 6 year old daughter boards a Boeing 747 with a coffin where lays the dead body of Foster's husband who was killed in an unfortunate accident. After a brief nap, she finds her daughter is missing. She searches every aisle, seat, and lavatories of the big jet; and even informs the flight crew just to find that her daughter's name is not in the passenger list. Is her distress on losing her husband creating hallucination that she had boarded the plane with her daughter or is there any kidnapper in the flight deck who has hidden her daughter with the possible attachment of the flight crew.The suspense is fascinating for a while but soon the film drops to a familiar glitz and nothing remains exciting. The thing worth mentioning in the film is the search for the daughter outside the cabin of the aircraft cruising above 30,000 feet. Those fascinated by aviation, like me, will definitely appreciate to the aerodynamics captured in the camera. Jodie Foster, though appears a bit weary, still looks good. The captain of the aircraft also acts well, whereas others appear not more than the routine characters from a B grade thriller. The biggest problem of the film is its story and the regular villain character that don't bind the plot very well, which makes it a passable movie that you won't remember for very long. Perhaps a better plot, well carved characters, and a meatier role for the daughter could have made the film more interesting.Rating: 1 star out of 4

Flightplan (2005) starring Jodie foster is a very fun and entertaining thrill ride. This movie really is very well made and well written, and I really did enjoy every minute of it. I know that this film did not review very good reviews from professional critics, but I respectfully disagree. This movie is full of interesting plot twists, cool action/fight sequences, and great dramatic acting from all performers. I absolutely loved Jodie Foster in her lead role! Also, I enjoyed Sean bean's character in this film, he had some very good dramatic moments here. The plot of this film is very intriguing and engaging and the plot is well executed here. Also, I love how this movie isn't just another generic action movie full of a bunch of random effects, this is actually a very intelligent and smart movie that features a list acting and a well written script. Bottom line is that this film is very smart and fun and a true joy to watch, this is one more gem in Jodie Foster's filmography. 8/10 for Flightplan.

Kyle Pratt is an American avionics engineer living in Berlin but after her husband commits suicide she decides to return to the States with her young daughter. As it is a night flight they both fall asleep shortly after take-off but when she wakes up her daughter is nowhere to be seen. She searches the length of the cabin before approaching the cabin crew; they look but can't find her either. Kyle now starts to panic and demands to see the captain. As she pounds on the flight-deck door she is restrained by Carson, the flight's air marshal. Once she has calmed down a bit the captain sees her and agrees to a more thorough search of the aircraft. Once again she isn't found and more confusingly nobody remembers seeing her and she isn't on the passenger manifest… is there a conspiracy or is Kyle delusional? Whatever the reason Kyle is determined to search other areas of the plane and to do that she will have to get away from Carson and use her knowledge of the plane's electronic systems.This is a film that stands or falls on whether one can suspend your disbelief as various unlikely events take place. For the most part it succeeds thanks to Jodie Foster's portrayal of Kyle; it is hard not to believe in her character as her sense of panic seems very real. As the story progresses the more we need to suspend our disbelief… would nobody remember seeing a child sitting near them, once she started behaving in an apparently irrational manner would she really be allowed to roam around the aircraft and in these security conscious times would it really be possible to access the plane's electronic systems via a hatchway in the toilet? Thankfully the pace is such that I didn't dwell on most these questions until after the film was over. The story holds together well until we learn the truth about the child's disappearance; then it becomes rather melodramatic with a far-fetched plot whereby the villain is setting her up to look like a terrorist who is demanding millions not to blow up the plane! Overall though I'd say this is decent enough if you want a gripping thriller but if you can't ignore the lack of realism it is best avoided unless you want some unintended laughs.

The key to making a really good "mysterious disappearance" film, in my opinion, is how the story pans out after the "reveal". This Jodie Foster-starring feature is absolutely fine for the first two thirds as the mystery attendant on her daughter vanishing from the seat next to her while sleeping on an airbus flight, is carefully built up. I even liked the giveaway's nod to Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" but after that, the film subsides to a ridiculously far-fetched extortion / hijacking plot and a madcap chase through the body of the plane before the predictable happy ending, or should that be landing takes place. I did admire the sense of claustrophobia created in the confines of the aircraft and there's no denying the piece as a whole is a fast-moving mystery-thriller. There's also a welcome caution against xenophobia as Foster initially suspects a pair of Arab passengers but the stereotypical responses of the passengers and crew to the as it turns out innocent men and later to Foster's disruption of their flight is greatly overstated. In fact the singling out of Foster's character by the baddies, which necessitates the pre-flight murder of her husband so that his coffin can be placed on the flight stretches credulity and credibility way beyond breaking point.Foster herself shows herself to be fit and athletic as she searches every nook and cranny of the plane seeking her daughter but otherwise doesn't to have demonstrate many emotions other than anxiety. Sean Bean, as the incredulous pilot trying to calm the situation, is probably the best of the rest.It really is very hard to take seriously a straight-faced thriller set on a plane when we've all seen the corny "Airport" films of the 70's and of course the spoof "Airplane" movies of the 80's. "Flightplan" doesn't manage to reclaim that territory but once you check your disbelief in the overhead locker, you can still sit back and enjoy this particular flight, making sure you stay awake of course.