Amelia Federico

"Air Force One: Evil Russians and a Savvy Savior American"

How many American movies have you seen featuring a Russian character? There are many out there, and you may notice that those Russian characters are often portrayed in similar ways in all the different movies. One of these movies, Air Force One, directed by Wolfgang Peterson and released in 1997, gives a common portrayal of Russians that can help Americans understand the relations between the two countries in its modern context. Through this movie, it is evident that Americans believe Russians view them favorably, Americans view Russians as ruthless and evil, as well as still being communists. Air Force One is a movie about the overtaking of the president’s plane by Russian terrorists. While the hero American President James Marshall is able to save the day, this movie shows these American views of Russians in action.

The first thing that is apparent in this movie is the idea that Americans believe they are viewed favorably by Russians. In the very beginning of the movie, the Russian president awards high praise to the American president at a diplomatic dinner by calling him a “brave man.” This makes it seem as though Russians have a very positive view of Americans, something that can also be seen from history, such as when Americans tried to rebuild the Russian economy in the 1990s, which ultimately led to great failure. Based on these two anecdotes, it is obvious that Americans are slightly unrealistic about how they are viewed by Russians.

The next obvious belief by Americans that appears in this movie is the idea that Russians are ruthless and evil figures. This is shown mainly through their actions and some of their words. One of these examples comes when the leader of the terrorists speaks the the First Daughter in a rude and threatening way, which is something that most Americans would agree is an evil move. Cruelty towards children is something that, at least in American culture, represents a truly evil person. An example of the ruthlessness of the Russians is portrayed through the way, even in their killing, they are extra harsh. They kill many passengers, and even broadcast the killing of the Press Secretary for everyone to hear. As you can see from their many actions, the Americans are portraying the Russians in a way that shows them as ruthless and evil figures based on American values.

There is also an implicit portrayal of Russians as communists, even though Russia has not practiced communism since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since Americans have typically been in fear of and had negative views of communism, this implicit portrayal shows that the fear still resonates even without it being practiced in Russia. The lack of religion is one of the main issues Americans have with communism, and that was poked at when the vice president told the American people to pray for the safety of the president and other passengers. This highlights how Americans view Russians as godless, an aspect of communism.

Overall, Air Force One is an entertaining, action-packed movie that also shows how Americans view Russians based on their portrayal in popular culture.