Overrated

Good movie but grossly overrated

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Jack Harris (Kiefer Sutherland) is an air traffic controller in Chicago, one of the best of the crew. His boss (Bruce McGill) values him highly. But, one tragic day, a plane goes down shortly after takeoff, killing over 150 passengers. Although it was NOT his fault, Jack goes off the deep end. In time, we learn he started drinking, went to re-hab and currently holds a job as a programmer for traffic control software. Flash forwarding a few years, the Chicago crew has a new boss, Susan (Kelly McGillis) who is out to prove something, even when it puts her underlings at risk. The operations manager (Henry Winkler) tries to tell her she is cutting corners with equipment while the comptroller (Michael Gross) is constantly annoying everyone. New AT controller Julie (Kristy Swanson) appears to be more timid than she should be. Things again comes to a crisis at the center, as Susan accepts more planes from a shut-down airport and some staff is off for the holidays. In desperation, the manager reaches out to Jack to "come back" to the station and help out NOW. Once there, will Mr. Harris have the skills and serenity to avoid another catastrophe? Will he be a hero or another victim? This by- the-book thriller has its good points, surely. The cast is the greatest asset, as the flat script is improved with their readings. Gross is a snarly hoot, as far from his understanding father in Families Ties as one can get. There is not much in the way of sets or costumes, as most action takes place inside the air traffic hub. Perhaps the direction deserves more than faint praise, for even with its formulaic premise, the movie does hold a viewer's interest. Therefore, if you like the cast members or disaster-themed films, this one will do for you.

This movie has glaring continuity errors. Like Sutherland tapping on a laptop which vacillates between being on and off.And its clichés - the ex-air traffic controller involved in a previous disaster who's brought back to save the day. Groan. It really didn't need worn out clichés which only made me think "Airplane!". A regular guy in the job would have sufficed. And moments like the instant brewing romance lacked subtlety too.Set those flaws aside though and this is a good movie. Most of the acting is convincing. And even though the plot is simple it kept my interest and had me rooting for them till the end.Despite its flaws it drew me in. A simple story and for the most part, well told. Well worth watching.

After watching the final season of Lost I purchased Ground Control for 1/2 Lb. (this accounts for inflation, I think) from a small, local England shop. I was pleasantly surprised at how entertained I felt--keep in mind that most things do not entertain me anymore; I feel very grim most of the time. But surprisingly, despite myself not being an aviation buff of any kind I was able to follow along with most of the jargon which is normally an impediment with me (for example, if the movie is about a stock market I have a hard time following the lingo, especially if the film is American) But it all seemed very realistic to me and my husband. Who watched it with me. It makes me wonder about all the "close calls" that go by every day underneath our nose. Usually when I fly; which is pretty regularly, now; I don't pay any mind to all of the magic that goes on behind the scenes of the flight. Now I will pay attention. This is a great movie, especially if you love Keither Sutherland (and both me and my husband DO). I give this movie 8/10 stars--it could have used a more romantic subplot involving a woman and Keither Sutherland, and I saw the ending coming a mile away WITH or WITHOUT the help of ATC (lol!)

This movie was really good, it had a lot of suspense and action and also a few jokes here and there. This movie didn't have A class actors but thats one other thing made this movie a top watch. I actually think now having watched it that the events that happened in this movie were not just believable but realistic, being a air traffic controller would not be the easiest job in the world and would also be a very stressful job as well. This movie is only for real people with an imagination, you do not need a big A class cast and a big budget to make a good film. All you need is some B class actors who fit the role and a moderate budget and you have a top movie. Im hoping to see more B class movies just like this one in the near and present future.