Last Flight Out (2004)

The movie tells the story of a bad-boy pilot living a life of shame and regret after a crash killed his best friend several years before and caused a breakup with his (presumably) girlfriend. He is in the "repo" business, repossessing aircraft from people who haven't paid up. The father of his ex-girlfriend comes by to ask him to fly down to Colombia and rescue her. She is a missionary-doctor in a remote village threatened by rebel guerrillas. He refuses at first, but after a walk on the beach he decides that he really is in love with her and heads off to rescue her.

Along the way to the remote village in Colombia, our bad-boy pilot comes across a very devout, missionary-doctor who finagles a ride with the pilot out to the remote village. It's at this point that the movie's agenda becomes very clear. This is not just a movie trying to tell a story about some missionaries, some villagers, and a pilot and their valiant struggle against rebel forces (ala Tears of the Sun). Instead it quickly turns into Christian propaganda bent at convincing the viewer of Christ's love.

The filmmakers could have made a movie and let the character's actions speak for themselves, but instead made a film that will alienate everyone who isn't already a "believer" with its overt, cult-like presentation. The movie is something that will undoubtedly be appreciated by Christian families and youth groups everywhere as an alternative to the rest of Hollywood movies that they will typically find so threatening. People who maintain the illusion that this movie will somehow show people the error of their ways and convince them to enter into a lifelong relationship with Jesus are only demonstrating just how ignorant they are.

I give this movie 6 stars because it has a good storyline, but it is weighed down by unnecessary scenes and dialog that detract from the story and only serve to draw things out needlessly. Having grown up as a missionary kid in Colombia, I have seen many movies like this. Last Flight Out definitely sets itself apart with the unusually high production values that show just how the Christian movie community is advancing. However, anyone who pretends this is a good movie by any worldwide standard is simply lying to himself. And everyone knows Jesus doesn't like lying.

The movie is unrated not because of any outlandish content, but presumably because it was not shown in theatres and is probably sold mostly in Christian bookstores which would make obtaining an MPAA rating an unnecessary expense.