Ground Control (1998)

I ENJOYED IT FOR WHAT IT WAS! ENTERTAINMENT --
Yup! just bought it for a chance to see some other Kiefer Sutherland movie. He does hold the movie together.

And I am always interested in Michael Gross [from Tremors] He did play an excellent by the book nerd.

And who could pass up the scene where Winkler pull the goose [or was it a duck [:-) ] out.
I generally have no use for the ultimate head-boss who makes decisions without being aware of the chaos they generate.

Then there was Leonard, mister know it all.
Yet they all worked together to make a movie of entertainment - even if the actual facts were blurred as to true life.

You had to feel the same sorrow that the emotionally wounded Jack Harris felt at the lose of the hundred and some souls.
Humanity is what it is all about. Not numbers.

Can a plane actually be landed that way? This DVD was well worth the price. Don't let others color what your opinion is of what you enjoy. Just see for yourself.

Definitely Recommend. For Sutherland alone.

SOMEWHAT GROUNDED
In our society today, people seem to want everything to be "realistic." Who remembers when movies were escapism, when the audience didn't go to a movie to see the real thing, but to suffer along with its threatened cast or root for the good guy? So many reviewers want to shortchange a movie for its lack of technical expertise..if you want the real thing, maybe you should watch the Discovery Channel or rent a how to video. For escapism, GROUND CONTROL does well. It's main problem for me is that it is so grounded in trying to be realistic, it sabotages any dramatic effect it could have. While the climactic plane landing is well handled, the movie on a whole is nothing more than an expose on how short funded or understaffed the FAA is. Along with an expert performance from Kiefer Sutherland as guilt ridden controller Jack Harris, the movie offers nice turns from Drew Snyder as the pilot being coached in; Bruce McGill as Harris' former boss who tries to maintain both a good old Joe and a stern taskmaster demeanor; Henry Winkler as a frustrated maintenance technician hampered by bureaucratic nonsense and a non-existent budget; Kelly McGillis as the manager out to make a good impression, but ultimately deeply concerned about her team; Robert Sean Leonard as a cocky young controller who doesn't believe in thinking about the passengers on troubled flights; and Charles Fleischer as a stress-ridden controller. Wasted are Michael Gross as a fuss budget manager and Kristy Swanson as a geeky new controller.
GROUND CONTROL certainly maximizes the impact of good ground controllers, but as a movie it leaves you wanting a little more.

0 stars if able
This film is a mockery of the aviation field. A very small percentage of the phraseology is correct, even the plot itself is severely flawed. First off, being an air traffic controller, I know first hand that you can't go and work at some facility you haven't worked at for a while, until you get evaluated to make sure you can work safely. Second of all, you can't move from your position(sector if you will) and start working at another while leaving the previous position unmonitored. If you are using this movie to learn about air traffic, then please do not apply for a job. The movies will not teach you about the job. It takes anywhere between 2-4 years to get rated at an ATC center. You can't just come in and take a position. When a movie comes out that is realistic to air traffic, I will put my stamp of approval on it.