Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
Directed by John Moore
When an oil rig in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia proves unproductive, an aircraft crew are sent to shut the operation down and fly them out. On the flight out over the desert on the way to Beijing, Capt. Frank Towns and co-pilot A.J. are unable to keep their cargo plane, a C-119 Flying Boxcar, in the air when a violent sandstorm strikes. Crash-landing in a remote uncharted part of the desert, the two pilots and their passengers -- a crew of oil workers and a drifter -- must work together to survive by rebuilding the aircraft. Soon, low supplies and a band of merciless smugglers add even greater urgency to their task.
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What critics compared Flight of the Phoenix to
I also caught trace elements of Flight of the Phoenix (2004) and Tora!
The movie's sense of group dynamics, finely tuned suspense, and attention to technical detail reminded me of Robert Aldrich's Flight of the Phoenix.
Responsible for flashy misfires like The Omen, Flight of the Phoenix and Behind Enemy Lines, his films have never aspired to cinematic greatness, but are not very good, either.
Beau Thorne, a recent film school graduate with no previous feature credits, wrote the screenplay as if he were paid per explosion, and director John Moore has mostly made remakes ("The Omen" and "Flight of the Phoenix" do-overs were his).
After “Behind Enemy Lines,” “Flight of the Phoenix,” and “The Omen” remake, Moore has proven himself a meticulous screen stylist, preferring a glossy moment of violence over anything resembling a legitimate emotional reaction.