Pushing Tin
I overheard this from a guy in the audience during the end credits of Pushing Tin, and I must admit the feeling was partially mutual. The fear of flying, I think, comes less from the idea of being 35,000 feet in the air than it does from relinquishing all control to the pilot. We've all heard the statistics (and they seem perfectly sensible) that driving a car is more dangerous than taking a flight, but at least we're the ones behind the wheel, so at least have the illusion of being in charge. No such illusions remain once your plane leaves the ground. Uncomfortably, Pushing Tin argues that even the pilot has very little say in what goes on up there.
Instead, that responsibility rests with the air traffic controllers, the unthanked and unseen men and women who track not only the trajectory of your plane, but that of 15 other planes within a few miles of your air space. Keeping all these birds aloft and away from each other has nothing to do with the pilot, and everything to do with the split second decisions made by these people on the ground. Pushing Tin follows the story of one hot shot air traffic controller as his turf is challenged by an enigmatic newcomer.
It's an interesting premise, one I've never seen before, and from that Pushing Tin opens an intriguing look into the cramped, tense world of New York's JFK airport. Controllers sit huddled over video screens with intense looks on their faces, rattling off coordinates into their headpieces and juggling landing schedules as a line cook handles the timing of the appetizers and entrees of eight separate parties of four people. That's stressful enough without the controller having to remember that people's lives hang in the balance, and so, frankly, they try not to think about it. We learn other uncomfortable facts about the lives of air traffic controllers, if Pushing Tin is as true to life as it seems: they rarely have anything beyond a high school education (yet pull down over $100,000 a year) and the stress level of their jobs leads inevitably to failed marriages and nervous breakdowns.
I found all this very interesting, and John Cusack does a good job showing the kind of personality that would be drawn to such a job - controlling, self-confident to the point of arrogance, with a touch of daredevil thrown in. Cusack is Rick Falzone, the best controller at JFK. He's sort of the Alpha Male of the room, that is until Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton) is brought on board with a reputation for eccentricity but the skills to make his hire worthwhile. In contrast to Falzone, Bell is soft spoken, reticent, and exudes a Zen-like calm. The fact that Bell can't be rattled rattles Falzone, who begins a single minded quest to see who's the bigger man.
For the first hour, Pushing Tin is smart and interesting, but once Falzone starts to play one-ups-manship games the film begins to lose focus. Falzone takes advantage of Bell's gorgeous young wife Mary (the darkly seductive Angelina Jolie) as if to prove a point, but then starts to become paranoid about his own wife's fidelity. To her credit, Angelina Jolie does much with what little screen time is given her, making Mary seem vulnerable, commanding, intelligent and sensual, a girl who's aware of the power her looks give her but doesn't have it quite under command yet.
But after their affair is consummated, Pushing Tin goes from pushing the envelope to pushing credibility. The screenwriters worked on the sitcom "Cheers", with obvious parallels. Interesting, memorable characters trade clever dialogue for a while, then everything is wrapped up into a tidy, happy ending. It's the second half that kills me. If Pushing Tin had followed though on the scenes it set up it would have been an unqualified winner. With Cusack's dependably likeable yet frayed Falzone and Thornton's intriguing read of Bell, it certainly had potential. But the pat ending finds Falzone and especially Bell saying and doing things you'd never expect given their established roles, and I don't mean that in a good way. It's as if Scarface had suddenly hugged everyone instead of introducing them to his little friend.
I'm not grounding Pushing Tin - there's enough good here to make it worth checking out, but I'd definitely delay your flight to the theatre. Wait for video.
- Jared O'Connor
MOVIES
All Content © 1997, 1998, 1999 Jared O'Connor and Michael Baker