america has finally gotten what it's needed for years : a compassionate sincere president with impressive ethics and charisma . regretfully it's only a movie . president james marshall ( harrison ford ) is fed up with terrorist activities . teaming up with the russian government , he orders a strike force capture of alexander radek , a reactionary general ready to re-unite the soviet union under his fascist reign . during a celebration dinner , marshall announces to the world that he will send troops to fight oppression wherever it exists . " it's your turn to be afraid , " he declares . returning home on air force one , he gets the chance to demonstrate his words personally . ultra-nationalist militants loyal to radek and lead by ivan korshunov ( gary oldman ) hijack the plane threatening to kill a hostage every half hour until the general is released . marshall has a chance to escape in a jettisoned capsule ( which clinton says doesn't exist in real life ) but refuses , preferring to stay and fight . director wolfgang peterson ( " das boot " , " in the line of fire " , " outbreak " takes the over-used " die hard " theme and gives us something new in a film that combines brilliant acting with hold-your-breath intensity . if you can take your eyes off the screen , steal a look at the audience . everyone is totally engrossed . the two actors do what they do best and they are probably the best there are at it . oldman has become typecast as a psychotic sadist and no wonder -- he does it so well . when he engages the teenage first daughter in sensitive conversation about his family and the next minute threatens to blow a hole in her forehead , you know that he's over the edge in the manner that people with a cause can become . you are convinced that young alice could end up terminated at any time . when korshonov executes passengers , there is a frightening reality to it . the guns in this film are deadly weapons , not cartoons . harrison ford has done one role for several years . his mastery of the man in the suit propelled into desperate action is in top form here . marshall is a medal of honor recipient who now has a desk job . realistically , he's a man afraid , but not afraid to act . ford is one of the few actors that could make us believe that the president of the united states could be an action hero . indiana jones in the oval office . he and oldman's archetypes match up perfectly . the other roles also go to accomplished actors . glenn close as the determined but unsure vice-president is the picture of an executive forced into a position that she's not quite ready for . dean stockwell as defense secretary eager for the authority ( " i'm in charge here ! " ) is her political nemesis and turns in a good alexander haig performance . of course the politics are all wrong . a cowboy president ( even down to his name ) with big guns shoots his way through problems . much like the american collective memory of jfk's camelot , the image is wondrous if you don't look too deep . the pulls on the patriotic heartstrings would be too much in any other film , but they work here . no matter what political spin you put on the story , the movie is an outstanding one . i left the theater feeling that there is hope for the country's future : not a common belief nowadays . now if we only can get ford to run for president . just because one actor didn't work out as chief executive doesn't mean that a different one couldn't . ( michael redman has lost count of how many years he's been writing this column -- 21 years . . . 22 years -- while watching the sunflowers outside his window swaying in the cool breezes . )
