angel flight down movie review

Angel Flight Down

Patricia Kalember toplines as a nurse in Grand Junction, Colo. Immediately after she and paramedic partner Brad (David Charvet) complete one emergency flight and return, fatigued and grateful, to their homes and families, they must get back in the air to shepherd a sick 2-year-old girl to Denver for surgery. Joining them is the girl's father (Christopher Atkins), a youth minister who clashes with the nonbeliever Brad.

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Patricia Kalember toplines as a nurse in Grand Junction, Colo. Immediately after she and paramedic partner Brad (David Charvet) complete one emergency flight and return, fatigued and grateful, to their homes and families, they must get back in the air to shepherd a sick 2-year-old girl to Denver for surgery. Joining them is the girl’s father (Christopher Atkins), a youth minister who clashes with the nonbeliever Brad.

We know from the get-go that the plane will not make it to Denver, and telepic is mainly concerned with the mechanics of survival after the air ambulance loses an engine. But in this regard, pic lacks a grittiness that may have lent the story more power.

Garwin Sanford has a memorable turn as the pilot grappling with “zero options.” Pleading “Give me a place!” he bravely crash-lands the plane in a snowy clearing in the Rockies and suffers the most serious injuries of anyone on board. Michael Slovis’ photography captures the bitter cold that threatens the four adults and the sick girl (Paige Magnusson) as they try to stay warm — and sane.

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The patient, knowing nurse is a typical role for Kalember, and she breaks no new ground. None of the actors do; as their characters fight to stay alive, they struggle with explication-laden dialogue that feels forced rather than expressive.

Michael Petryni’s script heavy-handedly attaches “human” issues to the basic live-or-die scenario: the worries and expectations of the two medical workers’ families, the conflict over faith between the paramedic and the minister.

Director Charles Wilkinson draws no inner fire from these characters, and music by Cory Lerios and John d’Andrea tries in vain to drum up suspense where the script cannot. Viewers will find few surprises in “Angel Flight Down,” but those entertained by simple stories of catastrophe and triumph may want to get on board.

• Production: Angel Flight Down (Mon. (29), 9-11 p.m., ABC) Filmed in Calgary, Alberta, by Carla Singer Prods. in association with World Intl. Network. Executive producer, Carla Singer; co-executive producers, Bob Banner, Norton Wright, Richard C. Berman; producer, Joan Carson; co-producers, Deborah Morris, Norvell Rose; director, Charles Wilkinson; writer, Michael Petryni.
• Crew: Camera, Michael Slovis; editor, Lenka Svab; production designer, Rick Roberts; sound, Ron (Omar) Oslowy; special effects/aerials, Jim Fisher; music, Cory Lerios, John d'Andrea; casting, Ellen Meyer, Bette Chadwick (Calgary).
• With: Cast: Patricia Kalember, David Charvet, Christopher Atkins, Garwin Sanford, Stephen E. Miller, Donna Larson, Paige Magnusson, Gary Graham, Deanna Milligan, Donna Belleville, Jesse Moss, Rod Padmos, Paul Coeur, Maureen Thomas, Daniel Busheikin, Judith Buchan, Nirmala Naidoo-Hill, Ed Washington, Larry Reese, Andy Maton, Duval Lang, Brenda Shuttleworth, Terry Lawrence, Christopher Hunt, Ron Carothers, Michele Fansett, Daniel Libman. Fact-based telepic about the crash landing of an emergency medical plane never attains the necessary dramatic altitude to take it beyond the predictable. Attempting to convey a noble saga of heroism, "Angel Flight Down" is undone by the story's hackneyed elements.

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Angel flight down.

Directed by Charles Wilkinson

It started as a mission to save a child's life... Now all their lives hang in the balance.

A medical emergency aircraft crashes in the snowy Rockies. The pilot, two paramedics, a two-year-old patient, and her father all manage to survive the crash. Unfortunately, the little girl's already critical condition is rapidly worsening, her father is growing hysterical by the minute, the pilot is seriously injured, and the paramedics aren't sure if they are emotionally equipped for the crisis.

Patricia Kalember David Charvet Garwin Sanford Christopher Atkins Stephen E. Miller Paige Magnusson Donna-Lynne Larson Deanna Milligan Donna Belleville Maureen Thomas Judith Buchan Brenda Shuttleworth Michelle Fansett Jesse Moss

Director Director

Charles Wilkinson

Writer Writer

Michael Petryni

Composer Composer

Cory Lerios

Carla Singer Productions World International Network (WIN)

Alternative Titles

Verschollen in der weißen Hölle, Verschollen in der weissen Hölle, Flight 503, Anděl strážný v nebezpečí, SOS dans les Rocheuses, Quelques heures pour survivre, Awaryjne lądowanie

Action Drama TV Movie

Releases by Date

02 jun 2022, 29 apr 1996, 18 dec 1997, 14 nov 1998, releases by country.

• Digital 16 Prime Video

93 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

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Review by taxevadingheron ★

A plane crash in the mountains? Seems like someone is trying and FAILING to compete with the  Iron Fullbright franchise.

Review by EudoraFletcher ★

A flying ambulance crashes at night in the snowy Rocky Mountains. Into the bagain there is a very sick girl on baord that needs to be taken to a hospital immedeatly. The nurse manages the stranded people. Search planes are being sent to find the crashed plane. The actors do their jobs without convincing me. Despite the potencially thrilling story the movie is EXTREMELY BORING. I didn´t care for anything and started surfing the internet. Only the snow is good here.

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Angel Flight Down

A medical emergency aircraft crashes in the snowy Rockies. While the pilot, two paramedics, a two-year-old patient, and her father all manage to survive, the situation worsens by the minute.

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Angel Flight Down

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Angel Flight Down (1996)

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Angel Flight Down Reviews

• 1 hr 34 mins
• Drama, Action & Adventure
• Watchlist Where to Watch

In the wintry Rockies, the crash of a medical-emergency aircraft strands the pilot and four travelers, including a critically ill child. Teresa: Patricia Kalember. Brad: David Charvet. Jack: Christopher Atkins. Rick: Garwin Sanford. Bob: Gary Graham. Patty: Donna Larson. Charles Wilkinson directed.

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• IMDb 5.1 288
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Angel Flight Down

	1 hr 30 min
	September 26, 1996
	April 29, 1996

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Movie Score

April 29, 1996,

Charles Wilkinson

Patricia Kalember, David Charvet, Garwin Sanford, Christopher Atkins, Stephen E. Miller, Paige Magnusson

Action, Drama, TV Movie

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DRAMA IS POOR IMITATION OF REAL-LIFE HEROISM

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So much for true grit. The five survivors of the February 1992 crash landing in the Rockies deserved better than hackneyed dialogue and superficial characterizations. The movie airs at 9 tonight on WFTV-Channel 9.

The medical plane, ferrying a little girl to Denver for surgery, experienced engine trouble. All aboard – the pilot, a nurse, a paramedic, the girl and the girl’s father – survived the crash and weathered subzero temperatures in Colorado. Rescuers scrambled to find them before a storm hit.

Angel Flight Down is a disaster film on a smaller scale, without the Irwin Allen flourishes. It stages a harrowing crash, and it pits its injured characters against the awesome forces of nature. The movie, which was filmed outside Calgary, Canada, looks impressive.

If only Angel Flight Down had stuck to how the five coped. The script, by Michael Petryni, creates friction between the girl’s minister father (Christopher Atkins) and the atheist paramedic (David Charvet of Baywatch). When the minister espouses his belief in God, the paramedic snaps, “You can pray all you want all right, but leave me out of this.”

The story is told without originality. The crash victims’ family members are worried and a rescuer complains that looking for the plane is “like trying to find an icicle in a blizzard.”

The little girl slips in out and of consciousness. The heroic nurse (Patricia Kalember of Sisters) vows she won’t let the girl die. She also chews out the macho paramedic: “You’d rather die than let anyone know you’re weak!”

The real paramedic, Brad Brown of Eustis, has rightfully complained about the depiction of him. In one of the more succinct and insightful criticisms of docudramas, Brown said he couldn’t understand why the producers “played around” with details of the story. “You would have thought there was enough drama in the crash as it was,” he said.

Precisely. The paramedic later apologizes to the minister, “I guess I’ve been kind of tough on you and that whole church thing.” Ugh. The characters have little depth, and the true story feels shoehorned into a pat formula. Ultimately, Angel Flight Down comes off as a half-witted salute to real-life heroism.

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Angel Flight Down

• In the wintry Rockies, the crash of a medical-emergency aircraft strands the pilot and four travelers, including a critically ill child.

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