Skyjacked
Encyclopedia
Skyjacked is a 1972 disaster film
starring Charlton Heston
, James Brolin
, and Yvette Mimieux
. The film is based on the David Harper novel Hijacked.
—takes off as a routine flight from Oakland, California
, to Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota
, with Captain Henry O'Hara (Charlton Heston) and his flight crew at the controls. In the middle of the flight, Captain O'Hara becomes aware of a bomb threat when he goes into the women's bathroom (on the advice of a stewardess) and sees "Bomb on plane divert to Anchorage Alaska. No Joke, No Tricks. Death." He interprets this to mean that he has to divert his course immediately to Anchorage, Alaska
, or otherwise the bomb will explode on board. O'Hara changes course immediately to Anchorage and manages to carry out a perfect landing there, despite terrible weather and other circumstances.
A disillusioned soldier
, Sgt. Jerome K. Weber (James Brolin
), a Vietnam
veteran
driven into insanity by his war trauma, is responsible for hijacking
the plane, and threatens to blow it up with a bomb
. In Anchorage, the majority of economy class passengers escape via an emergency slide. The remaining passengers are allowed to leave including the three coach class stewardesses, Jane, Lovejoy and Hazel. Weber then keeps all first class
passengers as hostages, amongst them United States Senator
Arne Lindner (Walter Pidgeon), and Senior Stewardess Angela Thatcher (Yvette Mimieux) and insists to be flown to Moscow
, as he intends to defect to the Soviet Union
.
Although the airline doesn't receive clearance to fly into Soviet airspace, Weber insists to be flown straight ahead to Moscow, threatening the pilots with death if they do not comply. Upon entering Soviet airspace, Soviet military aircraft appear to intercept the 707. Finally, O'Hara lowers the landing gear
and flaps
to a full landing configuration to make the Soviet interceptors aware that this is a US civilian aircraft and not a military intruder, as the Soviet authorities had thought and had ordered the plane to be shot down. O'Hara's actions result in the Soviet aircraft realizing that they have been confronted with a hijacked US civilian airplane.
The Soviet military aircraft
escort the 707 to their nearest airport, Moscow Airport. There, all passengers are finally released. It becomes clear that O'Hara (Charlton Heston) and Senior Stewardess Thatcher have been in love for some time but O'Hara separated from Thatcher in order to save his marriage
. Thatcher is now in love with first officer Sam.
After landing, O'Hara and Weber are the only persons to remain on board of the 707. Weber eventually realizes that he is unable to achieve the confidence of the Soviet authorities and his attempt to seize the 707 was futile. When O'Hara finally tries to kick him out of his 707, Weber shoots
him. Both men stagger down the gangway, where finally Weber is shot and killed by Soviet forces. O'Hare survives, just wounded in his shoulders, and he is looking up into the sky, with a great smile of relief, when he sees a plane just after takeoff.
A World Airways 707 was used as the Global 707.
Disaster film
A disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject...
starring Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, James Brolin
James Brolin
James Brolin is an American actor, producer and director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin and husband of singer/actress Barbra Streisand.-Early life:...
, and Yvette Mimieux
Yvette Mimieux
Yvette Carmen Mimieux is a retired American movie and television actress.-Early life and career:Yvette Mimieux was born in Los Angeles, California, to a French father and Mexican mother, Carmen Montemayor...
. The film is based on the David Harper novel Hijacked.
Plot
Global Airways Flight 502—using a Boeing 707Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
—takes off as a routine flight from Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, to Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, with Captain Henry O'Hara (Charlton Heston) and his flight crew at the controls. In the middle of the flight, Captain O'Hara becomes aware of a bomb threat when he goes into the women's bathroom (on the advice of a stewardess) and sees "Bomb on plane divert to Anchorage Alaska. No Joke, No Tricks. Death." He interprets this to mean that he has to divert his course immediately to Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, or otherwise the bomb will explode on board. O'Hara changes course immediately to Anchorage and manages to carry out a perfect landing there, despite terrible weather and other circumstances.
A disillusioned soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, Sgt. Jerome K. Weber (James Brolin
James Brolin
James Brolin is an American actor, producer and director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin and husband of singer/actress Barbra Streisand.-Early life:...
), a Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
driven into insanity by his war trauma, is responsible for hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
the plane, and threatens to blow it up with a bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
. In Anchorage, the majority of economy class passengers escape via an emergency slide. The remaining passengers are allowed to leave including the three coach class stewardesses, Jane, Lovejoy and Hazel. Weber then keeps all first class
First class (aviation)
First class is a luxury travel class on some airliners that exceeds business class, premium economy, and economy class. On a passenger jetliner, first class refers to a limited number of seats or cabins located in the front of the aircraft which are notable for their comfort, service, and privacy...
passengers as hostages, amongst them United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Arne Lindner (Walter Pidgeon), and Senior Stewardess Angela Thatcher (Yvette Mimieux) and insists to be flown to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, as he intends to defect to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Although the airline doesn't receive clearance to fly into Soviet airspace, Weber insists to be flown straight ahead to Moscow, threatening the pilots with death if they do not comply. Upon entering Soviet airspace, Soviet military aircraft appear to intercept the 707. Finally, O'Hara lowers the landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
and flaps
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
to a full landing configuration to make the Soviet interceptors aware that this is a US civilian aircraft and not a military intruder, as the Soviet authorities had thought and had ordered the plane to be shot down. O'Hara's actions result in the Soviet aircraft realizing that they have been confronted with a hijacked US civilian airplane.
The Soviet military aircraft
Military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:...
escort the 707 to their nearest airport, Moscow Airport. There, all passengers are finally released. It becomes clear that O'Hara (Charlton Heston) and Senior Stewardess Thatcher have been in love for some time but O'Hara separated from Thatcher in order to save his marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. Thatcher is now in love with first officer Sam.
After landing, O'Hara and Weber are the only persons to remain on board of the 707. Weber eventually realizes that he is unable to achieve the confidence of the Soviet authorities and his attempt to seize the 707 was futile. When O'Hara finally tries to kick him out of his 707, Weber shoots
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
him. Both men stagger down the gangway, where finally Weber is shot and killed by Soviet forces. O'Hare survives, just wounded in his shoulders, and he is looking up into the sky, with a great smile of relief, when he sees a plane just after takeoff.
A World Airways 707 was used as the Global 707.