Directors guild resist proposed ‘Plane’ ban

THE DIRECTORS’ Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI) released a statement opposing Senator Robin Padilla’s call to ban the screening of the Gerard Butler-led action film, Plane.

On February 17, the country’s Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTCRB), told ABS-CBN News that they would re-evaluate the film for its “negative and inaccurate” portrayal of the Philippines’ Sulu Island. 

MTRCB chairperson Diorella Maria Antonio said: “The MTRCB will re-evaluate the film in view of their concerns and will take all necessary measures if found to be in any way injurious to the prestige of the Philippines or its people.” 

In response, the DGPI posted a statement on Facebook on February 19, saying that they oppose “moves to stop the showing of this movie, as we believe agency and free choice must remain with the public, rather than imposed by politicians.” 

They continued by saying, “If the state can tolerate free expression for trolls, fake news, and historical revisionism without worrying about their effect on the country’s prestige, then the state can do the same for a work that members of the foreign press have regarded as mindless B-movie entertainment rather than a reliable commentary on our country’s affairs.” 

Plane follows pilot Brodie Torrance (Butler) after his aircraft is forced to land in Sulu province, where he finds that the island is run by separatists and militia. Sulu is located in the southernmost part of the Philippines. While it has been the seat of conflict for decades, the Philippine government has been in peace talks with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) since 1975. 

Criticisms 

Padilla, a former actor, was criticized by Netizens on social media for “over acting”, saying he also portrayed violent characters and even a soldier battling Muslim rebels in the 1994 film Mistah set in southern Philippines. 

Marvin John Balmadrid Bañas said: “Pasensya na talaga di ka nakasama sa cast.” 

“Mas maganda siguro ang ipa-ban mo yung mga elected officials na corrupt sa Pinas,” said Ferry Jon Marquez. 

Isagani B Reyes Jr. said: “Una yung kapogian ng mga Bida sa Koreanovela pinag-iinitan. Ngayon naman isang pelikulang siya mismo alam na kathang isip (fiction) lang. Aba’y napakarami pong problema ng bansa Sir. Baka pwede yun Ang pag tuunan niyo ng pansin. Nang masulit nman po pa-sweldo ng taumbayan sa inyo.” 

But for John Louie Nofuente, here what he said: “Sana iban na lang yung nasa Senado.” 

The film

Plane is a 2023 American action thriller film directed by Jean-François Richet from a screenplay by Charles Cumming and J. P. Davis. The film also stars Mike Colter, Yoson An, and Tony Goldwyn. The plot centers on a pilot (Butler) allying with a prisoner (Colter) to save his passengers from a hostile territory they landed in for an emergency landing.

The film was announced in 2016, acquired by Lionsgate in 2019, sold to Solstice Studios in 2020, and re-acquired by Lionsgate in 2021. It was shot in Puerto Rico. Plane was released in the United States on January 13, 2023. It received generally favorable reviews from critics and has grossed $47 million worldwide.

The plot: Commercial pilot Brodie Torrance, a former RAF pilot, flies Trailblazer Airlines Flight 119 from Singapore to Honolulu via Tokyo. After his plane suffers damage from a storm in the South China Sea, he is forced to land his plane in what turns out to be Sulu island in the Philippines; a stewardess and an RCMP officer, who is accompanying fugitive homicide suspect Louis Gaspare, are killed.

In New York City, the board of Trailblazer calls their crisis manager, Scarsdale. He dispatches a private military outfit to rescue the passengers, as the authorities are unwilling to send troops into the rebel-controlled island. Brodie goes off into the jungle for help, accompanied by Louis.

At an abandoned warehouse, Brodie phones his superiors and daughter to tell their location, but is attacked by a rebel whom he subdues. They encounter a site used by the rebels to make ransom videos and race back to the plane, but are beaten to it by rebel leader Datu Junmar, who kills a Korean couple who try to escape and takes the surviving passengers and crew hostage, intending to secure large ransoms from their families.

After the group leaves, Brodie and Louis overpower remaining rebels and force them to reveal the location of their lair. Before leaving, Brodie leaves a note for rescue teams telling them what happened. At the rebel hideout, Brodie and Louis kill the hostages' guards and sneak them onto a bus. Brodie decides to stay behind to distract the rebels. As he is about to be executed, the rescue team arrives, inflicting heavy casualties on Junmar's men.

Back at the plane, Brodie and his copilot Samuel Dele manage to make the plane operational again and gather the hostages inside for takeoff. Scarsdale's group set up a Barrett M82 counter-materiele rifle for increased firepower and together with Louis fight off Junmar's men.

Louis chooses to stay behind to distract Junmar's forces and allow Scarsdale's team to board the plane, preventing an attempt by Junmar to blow up the plane with an RPG and later fleeing into the jungle with a bag of money brought by the mercenaries to pay for the hostages. Brodie, while taking off, crushes Junmar under the plane's wheels.

The plane is too damaged and too low on fuel to make a long journey, but Brodie manages to land the plane at the neighboring island of Siasi, where they are finally rescued by government forces and where Brodie receives praise from the passengers and crew. 

Producers of the film eventually pulled out the movie from the Philippines. (Kara Angan / NME Networks and Mindanao Examiner)