Pushing Tin

Nick Falzone (John Cusack) is a confident, accomplished air traffic controller whose life is turned upside down when drifter Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton) joins his tight-knit work team and threatens to drive him insane. Stakes are high and pressure is constant in the world of air traffic control, making the line between excellence and failure dangerously thin. While jokes provide the team of controllers with an important release from their stressful occupation, a narrow division exists between teasing and animosity.
Mike Newell's careful research of the air traffic control profession, including its frequent emotional toll, lends a high level of realism to PUSHING TIN. Newell combines a depiction of the demandingly precise work done in air traffic control towers with an emotional portrait of the people charged with the safety of thousands of airline passengers and crew every day. The film also features the charming talents of Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie.