10 Terrifying Movie Plane Crashes

2. Flight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlFMZ5D8FNc Robert Zemeckis' Flight (in cinemas this Friday) might be brand new, but that doesn't mean it can't slot right into the pantheon of classically horrific plane crash sequences. Zemeckis' return to live action proves the director still has the goods, for this opening sequence of sustained tension left me with sweaty palms and a firm, clawed grip into my seat. Denzel Washington's Captain "Whip" Whittaker realises that his plane is going down, so what does he do? He inverts the plane. What does that mean? Yes, he flips it upside down in order to use the thrust of the working engines to correct the plane's orientation and then return to a regular flight mode. Superbly taut and suitably terrifying, the plane doesn't explode into a fireball and only a few lives are lost following the improvised landing, but this harrowing scene stunningly puts in motion the various dramas that are to follow the crash. Though the film has its share of flaws, it is well worth a watch, and this scene is worth the price of admission alone.