There are several action thrillers similar to Mel Gibson’sFlight Riskthat take place thousands of feet in the air. WithFlight Risk, Gibson ends a nine-year directing hiatus after his Academy Award-winning filmHacksaw Ridge, which earned an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score compared toFlight Risk’sRotten Tomatoes scoreof 26%. Mark Wahlberg appears in a rare villain role as the unhinged pilot Daryl Booth. Hired by a New York mob boss, Booth tries to kill a witness informant en route to testify in a federal court.
Thrillers that take place on airplanes have a natural element of tension and have become a notable subgenre of the action-thriller genre. Even thoughFlight Risk’sreviewsaren’t necessarily great, audiences still gravitate toward the excitement and thrills of the enclosed airplane setting. Characters such as U.S. Air Marshals become heroes in a handful of these films, while the antagonists can range from being incredibly calculated, even philosophical, supervillains to one-note aimless maniacs.
It’s next to impossible to talk about any movies involving airplanes without bringing up the Nicolas Cage classicCon Air. Rooted in the cultural sensibilities of the late 1990s,Con Airis one of those movies that is hard to shut off after coming across it flipping through the channels.Cage stars as Cameron Poe, a former U.S. Ranger and an ex-conwho tries to contain a revolt on a prisoner transport plane.Con Airis not one ofNic Cage’s most critically acclaimed movies, but it is among his most rewatchable.
Cage shares the screen with John Cusack, Dave Chappelle, Ving Rhames, andJohn Malkovich, known as Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom in the film.Con Airshares a lot of fundamental elements withFlight Riskas an action crime thriller with elements of dark comedy. Similar toFlight Risk,Con Aircan also be considered over-the-top and ridiculous, which is part of its vintage fun.Con Airis currently available to stream on Hulu.
Another instant classic plane thriller is 2005’sFlightplan, which is arguably one ofJodie Foster’s best career performancesnext toPanic RoomandThe Silence of the Lambs.Flightplanis a gripping psychological thriller that makesFoster’s protagonist, Kyle Pratt, question reality as she knows it. 30,000 feet in the air, Kyle travels with her daughter on an international flight from Berlin, Germany, to the United States. The only problem is, Kyle’s daughter is missing and no one even remembers she was on the plane.
I’m Shocked By Mark Wahlberg’s Villain Role In Flight Risk After The Mel Gibson Movie’s Big Promise
I was looking forward to seeing Mark Wahlberg as a villain in Flight Risk, but I’m disappointed with how the 2025 thriller actually used him.
Flightplan’spsychological elements elevated the natural thrill of traditional airplane action thrillers by adding mystery and whodunit suspense. Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, Juith Scott, and Matt Bomer star alongside Foster’s leading role. LikeFlight Risk,some viewers may feel thatFlightplanfalls apart in its latter halfafter establishing a stellar hook. For fans of Foster specifically,Flightplanis a must-watch.Flightplanis currently available to rent on Apple and Amazon.
One year afterFlight Plan, which earned $224 million at the box office, Samuel L. Jackson starred in an airplane thriller of his own,Snakes on a Plane. Apart from the fact thatJackson delivers one of the most iconic career one-linersin the film,Snakes on a Planeis exactly the kind of out-of-control, hilarious fun that exists at the heart ofFlight Risk. Jackson commands the screen inSnakes on a Planesupported by a greater cast including Julianna Margulies, Nathan Phillips, David Koechner, and more.
Blending the late 1990s and early 2000s popularity of the snake movie franchiseAnacondawith the box office success ofFlight Plan,Snakes on a Planedelivers a horror-action hybrid that is designed to pump adrenaline.The premise ofSnakes on a Planeis very similar toFlight Riskas well since the snakes are released on the plane deliberately to kill a witness flying to Los Angeles to testify against a mob boss. The film is currently available to rent on Apple and Amazon.
Liam Neeson took a stab at the airplane action thriller inNon-Stopalongside Julianne Moore. Often considered one ofLiam Neeson’s best action movies,Non-Stopfeatures Neeson as Bill Marks,a U.S. Air Marshall who must respond to a mysterious threatwhile on a transatlantic flight. Marks receives text messages from an unknown sender who demands $150 million. For every 20 minutes that the ransom is not paid, one person on the airplane will die.
Neeson and Moore are joined by astrong ensemble cast includingFlight Risk’sown Michelle Dockery, Corey Stoll, Lupita Nyong’o, Nate Parker, and Shea Whigham. LikeFlight Plan,Non-Stopis a physiological thriller that will keep viewers guessing. Like most of the entries in this subgenre, the plot is considered somewhat silly but still highly entertaining. As far as relatively modern airplane thrillers go,Non-Stopis tough to beat.Non-Stopis currently available to rent on Apple and Amazon.
1997 was quite a year for airplane thrillers, consideringCon AirandAir Force Onewere released within weeks of each other.Air Force Oneproved to be the more successful of the two films, earning roughly $315 million at the 1997 summer box office compared toCon Air’s$224 million.Air Force Onealso received more critical praise thanCon Airand was nominated for two Oscars in the Sound and Editing categories. Compared toFlight Risk, both these classics arguably blow the 2025 thriller out of the water.
Harrison Ford’s President James Marshall hero pitted against Gary Oldman’s Russian villain Ivan Korshunov are what airplane action-thrillers are made of. With supporting roles from Glenn Close, Dean Stockwell, and William H. Macy,Air Force Onebecame one of the quintessential movies of the subgenre. There’s non-stop action, great suspense, sharp and iconic dialogue, dark humor, and most importantly, a great and naturally compelling concept.Air Force Oneis currently available to rent on Apple and Amazon.
Another sharply crafted psychological airplane thriller from 2005 isRed Eye, which critics would argue is better than Jodie Foster’s classicFlightplan.Red Eyefeatures outstanding performances by Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, Oscar nominee Rachel McAdams, and Emmy winner Brian Cox.Directed by horror auteur Wes Craven,Red Eyemay just be the best psychological airplane thriller ever made.
Murphy plays the seemingly charming Jackson Rippner, who befriends McAdams' Lisa Reisert before revealing himself to be a terrorist. Jackson holds Lisa hostage intending to use her to help him assassinate the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. Despite its critical acclaim,Red Eyefeels underrated because it’s one of Craven’s few non-horror films, which is all the more reason to watch it, especially for viewers who were disappointed byFlight Risk.Red Eyeis currently available to stream on Paramount+.
7500is an overlooked but solid airplane thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tobis Ellis, a quiet co-pilot who takes matters into his own hands during a terrorist hijacking. Gordon-Levitt essentially delivers a one-man show in7500, which many viewers have claimed to beone of the more “realistic” airplane thrillersout there.7500offers a nice contrast to the common ridiculous and technically inaccurate nature of many airplane thrillers before it with its attentive aviation accuracy.
7500’saccuracy doesn’t take away from its entertainment value, delivering gripping scenes and palpable tension. It’s not nearly as action-packed as some of the earlier entries in the subgenre and moves at a slower pace as a result. “7500” refers to the emergency code for a plane hijacking. The film is told through Tobias’s perspective in the cockpit as fights break out among the passengers and the terrorists come knocking at the door.7500is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
On the other side of the airplane movie spectrum isSully, which is arguably the greatest non-terrorist-related true story adaptation of an aviation incident ever put to film.Tom Hanks gives yet another outstanding performanceas real-life aviation hero Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, a commercial airliner pilot who miraculously lands his damaged plane on the Hudson River to save the lives of his passengers and flight crew.
Sully’strue story depicts US Airways Flight 1549, which landed in the Hudson River on June 16, 2025.Sullyis thrilling in a very different sense thanFlightplanorRed Eyegiven that it actually happened and real lives were at stake.Directed by Clint Eastwood,Sullyis a fascinating character studyof the man who seemingly did the impossible. It acts as an emblem of Sullenberger’s quick thinking and demonstrated expertise that turned a potential tragedy into a remarkable moment.Sullyis currently available to stream on HBO and MAX.
Flightis often considered one ofDenzel Washington’s best performances, earning him one of his nine acting Oscar nominations.Flightis only loosely based on a real-life pilot battling addiction and is not nearly as biographical as the aforementionedSully. It does, however, showcase a miraculous airborne event as Washington’s Whip Whitaker saves his passenger plane from crashing with a daring yet successful maneuver involving total inversion of the plane.
Flightis unlikeFlight Riskin many ways, which may be a good thing for viewers who were frustrated byFlight Risk’soverly simplified story and silly character developments.Washington’s performance is balanced and compelling, making it easy to connect with his character and see both sides of the main conflict. Exceptional supporting performances by Don Cheadle, John Goodman, and Nadine Velazquez also elevate the Robert Zemeckis film.Flightis currently streaming on Paramount+ and MGM+.
1996’sFearis not an airplane thriller but is the only other true antagonist that Mark Wahlberg has ever played in his 30-year acting career. Those who may feel thatFlight Riskwasted Wahlberg’s rare villain charactercan see the acclaimed actor in the 1996 psychological thriller, which takes place entirely on the ground. After Wahlberg made his feature film debut in 1994’sRenaissance Manand was a supporting character in 1995’sThe Basketball Diaries, helanded his first lead role as David McCall inFear.
While not revolutionary by any means,Fearis considered to be a solid thriller with great suspense and a supporting cast that includes Reese Witherspoon and Alyssa Milano. Since there aren’t many Walhberg movies in which he plays a villain to choose from, it offers one of the rare glimpses of the otherwise likable hero as a full-fledged bad guy. Wahlberg gave his best effort in playing thevillain inFlight Risk, even shaving his headduring every day of filming. That being said, there are several other, and arguably better, movies in the same category asFlight Risk.
