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Con Air is one of those timeless action flicks that remains enjoyable no matter how many times you've watched it. Showing on station WGN this evening, I couldn't resist watching it for the seventh or eighth time since its release ten years ago.

Starring Nicholas Cage in the lead role as Cameron Poe, Con Air tells the story of an ex-soldier (Cage), released from prison following an eight year sentence for involuntary manslaughter. When he began his sentence, his wife was pregnant. Eight years later, he is on his way home to meet his daughter Casey for the first time, when the plane on which he is being transported is hijacked by fellow prisoner Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom (John Malkovich) and his band of criminals. John Cusack plays the US Marshall involved in tracking and stopping the plane full of murderers, rapists and thieves as they continue their escape through the skies over Arizona. Poe (Cage) is the hero who chooses to stay on board, despite being a free man, to help his diabetic friend in need of insulin and hinders the criminal crew by sending secret messages to Larkin (Cusack). With the grand finale being an elaborate plane crash on the Las Vegas Strip, Con Air has the necessary happy ending and tying up of loose ends - the bad guys getting their come-uppance, Larkin and Poe saving the day and Poe successfully returning to his beautiful wife (Monica Potter) and daughter.

The film is directed by Simon West, who has, since Con Air's release, gone on to direct and produce films such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Black Hawk Down. The cast is star-studded and even if you don't recognise their names, you are sure to recognise some faces.

Nicholas Cage (Face/Off, The Rock) John Cusack (Serendipity, High Fidelity) John Malkovich (The Man in the Iron Mask, Being John Malkovich) Ving Rhames (MI3, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) Steve Buschemi (Armageddon, The Wedding Singer) Colm Meaney (Far and Away, Layer Cake) Rachel Ticotin (Something's Gotta Give, Man On Fire) Monica Potter (Patch Adams, Saw)

Some of the many highlights of the film are: *Steve Buschemi's performace as the highly intelligent serial murderer, Garland "The Marietta Mangler" Greene. The scene in which he escapes across the desert and finds a young girl at a trailer park is disturbing and concludes interestingly because he doesn't do what you would expect of a child murderer.

*Nicholas Cage's one liners are priceless and exactly what you would expect from a modern action movie. He spends the

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