The Malaysian film opens in a war-torn fictional Pacific island nation. Members of PASKAU, the Special Forces branch of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, are attempting to evacuate humanitarian workers. They manage to take off but their A-400M transport aircraft is hit by enemy fire and crashes. The nine survivors, led by Major Adnan Zaid 'Lejen' Rahmat, must make their way through enemy territory till a rescue mission can be arranged. Key to the rescue mission will be Major Zafran 'Mantis' Abd Rahman, a SU-30 'Flanker' pilot who is currently suspended due to his low flying antics.
The plot of this film is fairly simple but that isn't too much of a problem as there is plenty of action from start to finish. Given the title I expected much of that action to take place in the air; some of it does but most is firmly on the ground as the survivors try to evade but frequently end up fighting overwhelming enemy forces. This action is exciting and there is a real sense of danger for the characters, it becomes clear early on that they won't all survive. The aerial action is somewhat mixed; the long shots look great but some of the close-ups are obvious special effects, as are the explosions. The cast do a solid enough job and the near relentless action help one overlook most of the flaws. Overall a solid enough war film that should entertain both fans of ground based and aerial action.
These comments are based on watching the film in Malay with English subtitles.
