All around us, standards seem to be changing. Yes, the way in which we watch current movies has been addressed, before, but the way in which they are being made is also evolving with the times. Interestingly enough, much like how the standards of mode in viewership were already changing before things took a significant turn, recently, the way in which films are being made was also on its way, before the present time.
Normally, this time of the year would be specially-reserved for the “blockbuster” movies, filled with massive characters and expensive explosions, but 2020 is proving to be a unique time for all of us and things could, truthfully, never return fully to the way they used to be, though only time will really tell. With that in mind, for those of us who still seek a cinematic experience, we have to accept what we are given and make the most of it. Thankfully, there is at least one, new option available: “7500.”
Patrick Vollrath (“Everything Will Be Okay”) is a German filmmaker who has seen success in the realm of short films and has progressed onto feature-length projects for the first time in his directorial life. He wrote the screenplay for his debut under this new venture, as well, with a small budget of $5M. One thing that I have consistently come to expect from such a film is a character-driven story, as opposed to something plot-driven. “7500” is no different, as it turns out.
Joining Vollrath are the expert cinematography of Sebastian Thaler (“Everything Will Be Okay”) and editing prowess of Hansjorg Weibrich. Although there is not a lot of actual action in this movie, the subtle details of telling an intimate story, through ample amounts of emotion, mean that the style of shooting and cutting are still, very much, important.
Early on in the making of “7500,” actor Paul Dano was slated to portray the main character of Tobias Ellis, but when delays in principle photography took hold, scheduling conflicts in other projects meant that someone else had to be willing to step up to the plate, so to speak, and veteran Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Knives Out”) answered the bell. 
Going all the way back to 1994, which was at least two years after his acting debut, I have watched Levitt develop into a respectable actor, but I have never seen him take on a role quite like this one. It is probably premature to mention this, but when award season beckons, certain factors should be considered when thinking of this performance. Above all, Levitt committed himself to something challenging and unique and more than held his own, especially under the circumstances I mentioned, prior.
Rounding out the small cast are: Omid Memar as Vedat, Aylin Tezel (“X Company”) as Gokce and Carlo Kitzlinger as Michael. Yes, there are, indeed, others, but these are the most-significant, especially Vedat.
Tell me if you have heard of this premise before: a commercial airline has a plane traveling from Germany to France and a handful of suspicious travelers have made their way into the cabin. At some point, no pun intended, they reveal some homemade weapons and attack the staff, while threatening the pilots and hold all of the other passengers hostage.
Admittedly, it is not a unique story, but that is not the point, either, and should not dissuade any prospective viewers from watching the film. What it all comes down to is the surprisingly strong interaction between Tobias and Vedat. 
As the story unfolds, they wind up sharing in the grief and turmoil aboard the plane, not just as a terrorist and hostage, but as fellow human beings, namely. Without this effective chemistry, between Levitt and Memar, the whole movie fails. We all know who Levitt is, by now, but almost no one probably knows who Memar is. I hope that changes, after this.
If I had to make any complaints of this film it would be that there is not enough in the bookends of the story. It is as if we are dropped into the scenario and there is almost no time to get to know more about Tobias, though there is not nothing, either. Once the story ends, it ends, not just with a set of periods, but an abrupt exclamation point. There is virtually no aftermath, in other words. However, none of that takes away from the experiences felt during the story and I think it is quite memorable.
2020 is still in the first half of the year, but somehow, it feels like the cooler months are just around the corner. The limited access to what we are accustomed to, when it comes to movies, could help “7500” or really hurt it, too. Hopefully, enough fans of this great American pastime will seek it out and give it the chance that it deserves and it will not be forgotten, at least for the acting delivered where it counts the most, which is so vital, given the nature of the story.
Director: Patrick Vollrath
Screenwriter: Vollrath
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Omid Memar, Murathan Muslu as Kenan, Aylin Tezel, Aurelie Thepaut as Nathalie, Carlo Kitzlinger and Paul Wollin as Daniel
Production: MMC Studios, Augenschein Filmproduktion, FilmNation Entertainment and Endeavor Content
Distributor: Amazon Studios and Universum Film AG
Release: August 9th, 2019 (Locarno Festival, Switzerland) and June 18th, 2020 (United States)
