IR Film Review: BLOOD RED SKY [Netflix]
The visage that surrounds "Blood Red Sky" is a lot of genre structures fitted into one. One could speak to "Air Force One" or "Die Hard" or "Executive Decision" or even the recent Joseph Gordon Levitt movie "The 7500". The key is understanding the rules of the genre but also figuring out how to place certain characters in it effectively without overwhelming the formula. As a German production, it makes the choice to blend English and German language but also different ethnicities to point to different perceptions that might not resound in the scene but make sense in the overall structure. At the center of the melee is Nadja who is just trying to get to NYC on an overnight overseas flight (Earth doesn't really spin that way) to help get treatment for a supposed cancer. She is accompanied by her son Elias. As the story moves on, we get a perspective of why her life has become what it is. Fairly standard stuff but creates a solid background.
Things go haywire when the airplane is hijacked but, as always, it is about the wild card in the bunch on both sides that encourages the viciousness but also the interesting choices that need to be made. Peri Baumeister tackles Nadja with fervor with what backstory she has but the most intriguing is not when she is fighting others but fighting against herself. The opposing hijackers all have their little quirks with Alexander Scheer as Eightball providing the requisite crazy. Kais Setti as Farid provides the voice of reason. Again economic use of effects but also space is the name of the game since it mostly takes place inside the plane. The conclusion however doesn't let down either, though the plot device for it seems a little convenient. The action gets a little meleeish at a point more for maximum bloodletting than tactical precision but that is more the nature of the piece. And unfortunately the airplane in flight FX is a little too obvious. But for general entertainment of the action bent with a genre twist, "Blood Red Sky" does deliver but not overtly beyond its intended means. B-
By Tim Wassberg
