Is the disaster film “7500” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (available since 2020 on Amazon Prime Video) about a plane hijacking based on a true story? Find out what true fact inspired the director and how the film was shot.
7500: Joseph Gordon-Levitt facing hijackers
After a short film noticed and nominated for the Oscars, the director Patrick Vollrath realizes in 2020 his first feature film, 7500 worn by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film is not released in theaters but directly on Prime Video June 19, 2020. This is a breathless camera taking place on board a commercial flight from Berlin to Paris.
While the Airbus makes the connection without incident, several hijackers try to break into the cockpit to hijack the plane. During the attack, the captain was mortally woundedas well as crew members.
Alone against the terrorists, co-pilot Tobias Ellis must fight for his life and that of the passengers while not letting his emotions overwhelm him. Among the attackers, he discovers a feverish recruited teenager when it comes time to take action. A presence that will thwart the plans of the terrorists.
Is the film based on a true story?
At the time of the film’s release 7500, director Patrick Vollrath confided in his inspirations. The film is not based on a true story of any particular hijacking, although similar cases took place and that the director learned a lot about it.
On the other hand, he indicated that he was inspired by a real fact which had touched him and which had made him want to write the feature film. That of a young German Muslim, who had left to join the ranks of the Islamic State in Syria and then regretted it:
I watched a YouTube report on an 18-year-old kid who came home totally disillusioned and de-radicalized. I felt that I wanted to make a film about a young person who deradicalizes when he has blood on his hands (…) he is not just a victim, he also perpetuates this violence. It was a mixture of both. It is this border that interested me
he confided to Variety.
When he was writing the screenplay, in 2015, the Paris attacks took place. He then stopped writing and wondered if he should continue:
I said to myself that we had to find an answer on how to get out of this infernal cycle of violence which breeds violence.
Realistic shooting
Rather than shooting in the studio, with a cockpit set up to allow camera movements, the director opted for a more realistic approach. Indeed, he found an old Airbus A320 out of order:
In other films, the cockpit appears much larger than it actually is. I wanted to keep this confined space that there is in planes
he told the site CineMovie.
A tiring device for the actors, especially since the director left the camera rolling for long minutes (20 to 40 minutes on average) to allow the actors to improvise. Although a script for the film existed, he preferred to let the actors find their own words and emotions. A challenge which pleased Joseph Gordon-Levitt and which convinced him to accept the role.
