7500 IS set entirely inside the cockpit of a plane, of which Gordon-Levitt is the co-pilot, Tobias.

Liam Kenny previewed the latest Amazon Studios’ nail bitingly tense story in which Tobias is left injured and alone, trying to keep control of the plane, following hijackers attempts to storm the cockpit.

Joseph Gordon Levitt stars in new hijacking movie that provides your usual mid-air mayhem with a twist.

The movie is entirely set inside the cockpit of the plane, and we are treated to an insight into the wonderfully exciting lives of pilots while they make their preflight checks, the slow pace and mundane nature of the conversation and extended pauses in dialogue, create a tension in the cockpit long before the terrorist’s storm it. This is heightened when we learn that Tobias’ (Joseph Gordon Levitt)’s partner, is  a flight attendant who is working the flight, and they have a short child at home.

Patrick Vollrath makes his feature length as director and has tackled the usual staples of the action blockbuster and stripped it back to create a very impressive, emotive film, that without the sensationalism and explosions, creates a powerful sense of empathy in the situation. The slow pace of the onboarding and subsequent wait for the attack recreates that preflight anxiety we all experience perfectly.

When the terrorists do strike, there are no guns or large weapons, they do not start shooting, keeping in line with the stripped back aesthetic, the world’s worst terrorists take advantage of flight attendant entering the cockpit and storm armed with Shivs made from glass, there intentions unclear, the captain Michael is wounded and killed. Tobias gets injured but manages to wrestle one of the assailants out and incapacitate another inside the cockpit, he now must try and land the plane while battling the remaining hijackers and protecting the passengers in the plane.

The human element of the film is really magnified by the mannerisms of Tobias, he is an everyman, reacting logically to the dangers in front of him, and struggling with his conscience when the hijackers start taking hostages and demanding access to the cockpit. There is sweaty-palmed anxiety generated by the story, use of close-ups and the sense of confinement. The narrow focus of the cockpit enhances the intensity of the story but diminishes our understanding of the bigger picture. We never see outside the cockpit except the view from the door.

Every movement inside the cockpit is magnified, and without giving away too much of the film, the dynamic of control of the plane creates some heart thumping moments as the danger becomes increasingly real and immediate.

We are left to make some degree of assumption as to the end of the movie which Is a nice touch, as Gordon Levitt creates a character of the normal person, it is as if it was one of us in the cockpit.

7500 released June 18, 2020 will be available on Amazon Prime Video