This reviewer has not read the original comic books nor seen the 1990s incarnation of the show. Hell, this reviewer has not even seen the Pilot for this series (forgetfulness). So, this reviewer is totally neutral when it comes to this episode. And this reviewer begs to differ with his esteemed fellow reviewer. This is a tremendous piece of TV.
I have seen Passenger 57, and to say that this episode has "shades" of said movie is like saying this has shades of Air Force One, Critical/Executive Decision (depending on your country) or any other actioner/thriller set on a plane. Yes, this does not reinvent the wheel, but this does produce one of the finest wheels I've seen. And I've been looking at them for thirty years.
From beginning to end, this is an astonishing achievement on TV. Bear in mind that this did not have the multi-million budget that blockbuster actioners have. What this does have is a tight and funny script, plus great actors: Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley as regulars? Fantastic casting achievement. McBride is one of the funniest actors alive and Haley is one of the scariest. Mark Valley is extremely believable, but doesn't - at least yet - truly shine. It also seems this series is attracting some notable guest and recurring stars, notably Alessandro Juliani (of BSG fame) in this case. Furthermore, every aspect of this is incredibly self-confident and sturdy. Tension: brilliant. Action: great. Music: they've recruited the frakkin' genius Bear McCreary from BSG! I was expecting to see at least some poor CGI, since even huge hits like Lost have it (don't get me started on the submarine), but *everything* including the airplane was completely photo-realistic.
In conclusion: a 9/10 (almost always leave room for improvement) and sets the bar high. Competition beware, there is a new *professional* show in town. Just what we needed after (including, but not limited to) BSG, The Wire and The Shield have ended (Lost was still running when this came out in the US of A).
