History Film / AirForceOne

* DragonInChief: From a ''story'' standpoint Ivan Korshunov is this. His boss, General Ivan Radek, being in prison elevates Ivan ''functionally'' to the level of an "acting main villain."

* BigBad: General Ivan Radek (despite his [[TheDragon Dragon]], Ivan Korshunov, getting more screentime). A rare instance of the film's ostensible head villain spending half the running time completely offscreen.

* TheDragon: From a ''story'' standpoint Ivan Korshunov is this. His boss, General Ivan Radek, being in prison elevates Ivan ''functionally'' to the level of an "acting main villain."

* Main/MotiveRant: Subverted by [[TheDragon Ivan]], actually taking the time to explain himself not because he snaps, but because he seems to want to justify his patriotic motives to the President's daughter (who happened to just witness the execution of [[spoiler: the National Security Advisor]]). Gary Oldman plays this to the hilt, and at least for that one scene Ivan becomes somewhat sympathetic.

* Main/TearJerker: Most notably when [[spoiler: the President]] is given a SadisticChoice between [[spoiler: the life of an innocent woman and his chance of saving everyone else]]. [[TheDragon Ivan]] turns on the intercom so everyone on the plane can hear [[spoiler: her plead for her life, right up until he shoots her]], and we see the other hostages either close to breaking down or openly sobbing. If Ivan has only one true CompleteMonster moment, this is it.

* BigBad: General Ivan Radek (despite his [[TheDragon Dragon]], Ivan Korshunov, getting more screentime). A rare instance of the film's ostensible head villain spending half the running time completely onscreen.

** Then, to a lesser degree, when Marshall, Major Campbell and Agent Gibbs argue over who will be rescued (from the plane as its crashing) [[spoiler: luckily Gibbs happens to be TheMole, [[TheReveal kills Campbell, who wanted the President to leave them]] and suffers his KarmicDeath]].

* Main/NeckSnap: Accomplished rather realistically by the president, who is [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone understandably unsettled after doing it,]] considering it is probably the first time he has killed with his bare hands.

* Main/HeroicSacrifice - Twice: first, when Lloyd Shepard dives in front of the President to [[TakingTheBullet take the bullet]]; again towards the end, when a [=MiG=] tries to shoot down AirForceOne, one of the fighter planes flies into its path (even managing to look like someone TakingTheBullet). One of the few times a {{red shirt}} gets a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

* WhatAnIdiot: Terrorist Sergei apparently doesn't know what explosive decompression is. To get through a locked door he jams a fire extinguisher in the handle and shoots it. ''On a plane''. Guess what happens.

* Main/NotSoDifferent: The BigBad makes this case to the president's daughter at the end of his subverted MotiveRant:

** Upon dispatching the last terrorist

* Main/HeroicSacrifice - Twice: first, when the cowardly official dives in front of the President to [[TakingTheBullet take the bullet]]; again towards the end, when a [=MiG=] tries to shoot down AirForceOne, one of the fighter planes flies into its path (even managing to look like someone TakingTheBullet). One of the few times a {{red shirt}} gets a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
** Then, to a lesser degree, when the president and two of his officials argue over who will be rescued (from the plane as its crashing) [[spoiler: luckily one happens to be TheMole, [[TheReveal kills the other, who wanted the president to leave them]] and suffers his KarmicDeath]].
** [[spoiler: The guy who takes the bullet for the President actually survives and is rescued.]].

* Main/TheMole: ([[spoiler:Played by Xander Berkeley, who would marry another famous "mole", Sarah "Nina Myers" Clarke]], after they appeared together in ''[[TwentyFour 24]]'')
* Main/MotiveRant: Subverted by the BigBad, actually taking the time to explain himself not because he snaps, but because he seems to want to justify his patriotic motives to the president's daughter (who happened to just witness the execution of [[spoiler: the national security advisor]]). Gary Oldman plays this to the hilt, and at least for that one scene Ivan becomes somewhat sympathetic.

* Main/TearJerker: Most notably when [[spoiler: the president]] is given a SadisticChoice between [[spoiler: the life of an innocent woman and his chance of saving everyone else]]. [[BigBad Ivan]] turns on the intercom so everyone on the plane can hear [[spoiler: her plead for her life, right up until he shoots her]], and we see the other hostages either close to breaking down or openly sobbing. If the BigBad has only one true CompleteMonster moment, this is it.

* Main/WireDilemma: Naturally, there's NoTimeToThink, and so President Ford cuts all the wires except for the Red, White, and Blue.
* Main/WesternTerrorists: Russian nationalists who support the Kazakh dictator Alexander Radek.

* [[CrowningMoment/AirForceOne Crowning Moment of Awesome]]

This film provides examples of:

* Main/IHaveYourWife

-->''"[[{{Awesome}}/AirForceOne Get off my plane!]]"''\\

-->''"[[CrowningMoment/AirForceOne Get off my plane!]]"''\\

** Played straight through the rest of the movie. It's justificed since Marshell was a former officer in the United States Air Force.

*Main/HeroicSacrifice - Twice: first, when the cowardly official dives in front of the President to [[TakingTheBullet take the bullet]]; again towards the end, when a [=MiG=] tries to shoot down AirForceOne, one of the fighter planes flies into its path (even managing to look like someone TakingTheBullet).
** One of the few times a {{red shirt}} gets a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

* HighConcept: It's ''DieHard'' [[DieHardOnAnX on]] AirForceOne and President Harrison Ford is taking back his plane. That's the entire movie in one short sentence.

*Main/ILied ("Forgive me, I lied.")
*Main/MemeticMutation ("Get off my plane" was an early popular {{YTMND}}.)

*Main/TheMole ([[spoiler:Played by Xander Berkeley, who would marry another famous "mole", Sarah "Nina Myers" Clarke]], after they appeared together in ''[[TwentyFour 24]]'')

*Main/TheRedStapler (almost: Bill Clinton allegedly wanted to put an escape pod in the real Air Force One after seeing this movie)
*Main/WireDilemma -- Naturally, there's NoTimeToThink, and so President Ford cuts all the wires except for the Red, White, and Blue.
*Main/WesternTerrorists (Russian nationalists who support the Kazakh dictator Alexander Radek)

*Main/CassandraTruth (President Marshall calls the White House on a cell phone and says he's the President of the United States with predictable results. Fortunately for him, one of those predictable results is the security procedure that [[strike:callers who sound deranged or threatening]] everyone who calls the White House has a phone trace run on them -- which leads to considerable surprise when they realize that it actually ''is'' the President calling.
*TheCavalry -- Obviously, President Harrison Ford ''is'' the Cavalry for much of the movie, not to mention [[spoiler:the half-dozen [=USAF=] F-15s that come burning in, splashing two [=MiGs=] immediately. The second gets just enough time for the pilot to have an OhCrap moment.]]

*Main/TheMole ([[spoiler:Played by Xander Berkeley, who would marry another famous "mole", Sarah "Nina Myers" Clarke]], after they appeared together in ''24'')

-->'''Ivan:''' Because I believe. And when I shoot this man I know...how deep was my belief. That I would turn my back on God Himself...for Mother Russia. My doubts, my fears, my own private morality...it dissolve in this moment...for this love.