You go for years without seeing a movie about skydiving and then suddenly, like buses, two of them come along at the same time - this and the Charlie Sheen vehicle Terminal Velocity. This is the pick of the pair: an exhilarating ride directed by action specialist John Badham with his usual flair and eye for spectacular set pieces. Wesley Snipes exudes charisma as the US marshal who sets out to hunt down the parachuting crooks whose airborne antics cost Snipes's brother his life. Gary Busey delivers another entertainingly villainous performance, while Yancy Butler is equally good as Snipes's reluctant partner.

A daring prison break from an airliner at 30,000 feet leaves U.S. Marshal Pete Nessip mourning a brother and gunning for revenge. After being ordered to turn in his badge, he seeks out Jessie Crossman, a noted skydiver, and offers to sponsor her crew for the annual Independence Day parachuting show in Washington, D.C., if she trains him. Meanwhile, the mastermind behind the mid-air jailbreak is planning a daring computer theft on Independence Day.