Falling from the Sky: Flight 174

I decided to watch this movie because William Devane was in the cast. I have enjoyed every movie he has been in. I liked the way, as captain, that he kept control, his determination to survive and a sense of humor throughout the ordeal. I laughed when Rick (Winston Rekert) says to him (Captain Bob-William Devane) that they don't want to cause the oxygen masks to pop out because it might panic the passengers. Captain Bob replies, "MIGHT panic?? I'd be surprised if they're not back there knitting their own parachutes right now!"

This is a good movie for made-for-TV. A true story about Canada World Airways' Boeing 767 that runs out of fuel, due to a miscalculation by the ground staff in Montreal. The Captain Bob Pearson (William Devane) and First Officer Maurice Quintal (Scott Hylands) must think of something fast before the plane and its 60 passengers fall from the sky.

The acting is great, as each main character's live stories are depicted in the movie, as his/her own personal issues are worsened by the plane's untimely misfortune. The movie is fast pace, leaving little room for mundane scenes and plot lines that drag. We see a movie where people turn from despair to hope as they struggle to find their will to help each other to survive as their plane comes falling. Again, a great TV movie that is worth your time watching.

Grade A

I've read the other reviews posted so far and I pretty much agree. It is what it is -- and as a "based on a true story" plane crash TV-movie it was entertaining, at least as a late, late night cable TV offering.

And I gotta agree with some of the other comments about a few of the shortcomings -- and maybe add a couple more.

Why did the captain run back into the smoking cockpit?!? I think they either needed to have him explain himself -- OR, have someone else say, "Gee, that was dumb."

They could have done away with the little inner dialogues each passenger had in the moments before the plane attempted to land. That was just goofy.

And what was the deal with the kid on the bike on the runway?!? Chaos reigns as cars zoom to get off the runway and then a guy runs alongside the pavement yelling at the kid to get off the runway -- and the kid inexplicably looks at the guy with a weird expression that's a combination of confusion, fright, and "I ate something sour"... And they cut back and forth between the two about four times without ever conveying why the kid wasn't getting off the runway like the guy was adamantly yelling at him to do...

From the grabber opening in a flight simulator, till the electrifying landing, William Devane and his flight crew are trying the impossible. Never before had a jumbo commercial aircraft been landed from a free fall. While the passenger's personal dramas may seem overdone, everything about the impending disaster is tense and realistic. There are even a few moments of sharp humor to interrupt the extreme anxiety. William Devane carries "Freefall : Flight 174" to greatness with a terrific performance as the cool headed captain. If you enjoy realistic disaster films, this is a must see, and I guarantee you will be cheering at the end. - MERK

This was a very watchable film with lots of authentic cockpit time. I've spent lots of hours in jet cockpits and this was more realistic than most. Some criticisms : 1) The Captain (William Devane) and his first officer seemed a little weak on aircraft systems. Sure, this was a new Boeing 767, but most crewmembers I knew had a deep knowledge of every system on the plane, including fuel. There is no flight engineer... the pilots have to know it! 2)This LARGE abandoned airfield just outside Winnipeg was not on ANY chart and NO ONE knew where it was?? I found this hard to believe. 3)The ending didn't cover anything about culpability in this incident. What happened to the numbskulls who mis-fueled the plane in the first scenes? Were they fired or sued? None of them had a clue! And isn't it the Captain's responsibility for taking off with sufficient fuel? I felt they glossed over all the "legal" stuff. Devane was convincing... lots of great one-liners. Great flick.