Snakes on a Plane

Snakes on a Plane follows FBI agent Neville Flynn as he escorts Sean Jones, a witness whose testimony could bring down a crime boss, on a commercial flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles. The criminal, unwilling to let the witness reach court, arranges for hundreds of venomous snakes to be released inside the cabin during the flight. Flynn must protect his charge and help a frightened crew and passengers survive until the plane can land.

David R. Ellis directed the film, which sits fourth in his directing career, after Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco, Final Destination 2 and Cellular. Sebastian Gutierrez and John Heffernan wrote the screenplay, and Gary Levinsohn, Don Granger and Craig Berenson produced. Samuel L. Jackson plays Flynn, with Julianna Margulies as Claire Miller, Nathan Phillips as Sean Jones, Kenan Thompson as Troy, Rachel Blanchard as Mercedes and Flex Alexander as Three G's. Thirty-three cast members and 197 crew members are credited.

Made for about 33 million dollars, the film took in roughly 62 million dollars worldwide, a modest return relative to its cost. Audience responses were lukewarm, with a rating of 5.5 out of 10 on IMDb from around 149,000 votes and the same score on TMDB from about 2,000 votes. A critics' rating of 6.2 out of 10 from 178 reviews places reviewers slightly more favourable than the wider public.