Airplane thriller takes flight

The movie begins. The camera slowly zooms in on Jodie Foster, her face looking eerily similar to that of Michael Jackson's. We see that she has just been to the morgue to make the last preparations for her husband's body. But wait, how is he talking to her in the subway? Is she mad? And what's this business regarding his deadly fall? "Flightplan" is just beginning to ominously forebode, later splintering into many different possibilities.\nIn her first American movie since "Panic Room" (she flexed her linguistic muscles in the 2004 French film "A Very Long Engagement"), Jodie Foster is back to frantically running around again. Starring as Kyle, Foster plays at first a stoic widow and later a raving mother. Peter Sarsgaard ("Kinsey," "Jarhead") is her costar.\n"Flightplan" seems to be a somewhat avant-garde film. It manages to combine simple sets and top-notch action, with a touch of Hitchcockian suspense thrown in. What's more interesting, however, is that even with all the thrills, this film is actually a very character driven story. The caliber of acting is quite good, despite the fact that there is very little dialogue. \nThis is a psychological thriller in which you, as the viewer, cannot decide whether or not Kyle is going crazy or if others around her are, themselves, crazy.\nSomething that surprised me when I started watching was the incorrect marketing of the film. One tag line says "She designed the plane from top to bottom, now she'll have to tear it apart." But, in the movie she says she works for Elgin Engines. Still, she somehow knows all about this plane, which is two levels and supposedly seats 800 passengers. Even though we know a plane like this does not exist, its presence makes the film all the more interesting.\nThe film's DVD includes bonus features discussing special effects, writing, casting, directing and the score (composed by musical wizard James Horner).\n"Flightplan" was directed by a virtual unknown and co-written by the scribe Billy Ray ("Shattered Glass," "Hart's War") and produced by Brian Grazer, the man behind flims such as "A Beautiful Mind," "Apollo 13," among others.\nIt could be said that this film is ultimately somewhat of an experiment, combining understated acting with 'blockbuster' movie thrills. One could also argue that the movie is overacted, even with little dialogue. It's interesting to know that, when written, this movie was originally intended to star Sean Penn as Kyle. I think Foster brought more energy (and possibly more masculinity) to the role than Penn could have. I can't wait to see what she does in another three years!