7500 Movie Review
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is back, baby! He hasn’t been in a major movie since 2016’s Snowden and I am so happy to see his face again! His return is somewhat of an odd choice with 7500 being a classic and straightforward thriller, which is not typically his genre. But I’m down for a thriller these days so I can add some excitement to my life!
Tobias (Joseph Godron-Levitt) is a pilot and is making a routine flight from Berlin to Paris. His wife happens to be a flight attendant and they’re working the same flight. That’s pretty much all the information that we are offered before the action starts. A few minutes after the plane takes off, the cockpit is ambushed by a small group of terrorists who hijack the plane. We learn that 7500 is the code for when an airplane is hijacked, hence the name of the film. Tobias is forced to watch passengers and crew members die via a tiny video screen in the cockpit. The tension builds as he must make painfully difficult decisions involving the lives of those on board.
There are multiple hijackers but the focus is on eighteen year old Vedat (Omid Memar). Aside from Tobias, Vedat has the most dialogue in the movie and they mostly converse with each other. There is some level of connection between the two men, but it feels a bit forced and not as impactful as writer and director Patrick Vollrath would have liked. At one point they discover they live near each other and discuss a playground in a park they both have frequented. Like I said, not as impactful of a connection as you would think.
That being said, Vollrath does an excellent job of building tension. Most of the movie is shot in the tiny cockpit of the plane. You feel the tiny area could not possibly contain the ginormous emotions that are on display throughout the movie. You also feel the claustrophobic element as Tobias cannot escape the choices that he must make. Gordon-Levitt does well with what he is given to work with. He displays a full spectrum of emotions while also trying to remain calm and do his job. His range is excellent and I was happy to see he hadn’t lost a beat while he took his hiatus from films.
While the acting and tension-building were on point in 7500, the story itself left a bit to be desired. Jumping straight into the action is great, but we don’t get a lot of backstory about any of the characters. The terrorists and the group they are associated with are never identified other than muttering a few “Allahu Akbars” to signal to us that they were Muslim. It felt a bit lazy to skip out on their motivation and reasons, and just simply say, “They’re hijackers! Who cares why they’re doing it!” The why is such an important component to any narrative and I felt a little jipped that we didn’t get to hear any of their reasonings. Especially when it came to Vedat, who vacillates between going through with the plan and being afraid to die. I would have liked to have some background information on him and his story.
The movie concludes as quickly as it started. Once the action is over, the movie is over and there is little wrap up or conclusion. To Vollrath’s credit, he is able to build tension incredibly well and his style of shooting evoked serious anxiety for the entire one hour and thirty-three minute runtime. 7500 was a tense ride and one worth watching if you love thrillers. I just wish it would have gone a bit deeper and explored some other themes.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You love thrillers
2. You want to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt back in action (literally)
3. You enjoy tense, complicated situations
