7500 is a 2019 action-thriller movie that tells the story of a plane hijacking from the perspective of the co-pilot, Tobias Ellis (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The movie was directed by Patrick Vollrath in his feature-length debut and co-written by Vollrath and Senad Halilbašić. The movie was filmed in Cologne and Vienna and premiered at the Locarno Film Festival on 9 August 2019. It was digitally released in the United States on 18 June 2020 by Amazon Studios.

The movie follows Tobias as he prepares for a flight from Berlin to Paris with his girlfriend Gökce (Aylin Tezel), who is one of the flight attendants. Shortly after take-off, a group of terrorists try to storm the cockpit, killing one of the flight attendants and injuring the captain (Carlo Kitzlinger). Tobias manages to lock the cockpit door, but one of the terrorists, Kinan (Murathan Muslu), gets inside and attacks him. Tobias subdues Kinan and restrains him, but his left arm is badly wounded. He signals air traffic control using the emergency code 7500, which means “unlawful interference”. He is instructed to divert to Hannover, where he will receive assistance.

However, the situation gets more complicated when Tobias realizes that one of the terrorists, Vedat (Omid Memar), is an 18-year-old boy who seems reluctant to participate in the hijacking. Tobias tries to establish a connection with Vedat and persuade him to cooperate. Meanwhile, the other terrorists threaten to kill the passengers if Tobias does not open the cockpit door. Tobias faces a dilemma between following the protocol and saving lives.

7500 is a tense and realistic movie that explores the themes of terrorism, empathy, and survival. The movie relies on minimal dialogue and mostly takes place inside the cockpit, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere. The movie also features authentic details of piloting and aviation procedures. The movie received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Gordon-Levitt’s performance but criticized the lack of character development and originality. The movie has a rating of 6.3 out of 10 on IMDb and 58 out of 100 on Metacritic.

The movie 7500 is based on a real-life incident that occurred on 7 April 1994, when Air France Flight 8969 was hijacked by four members of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) at Algiers airport. The hijackers demanded the release of GIA prisoners and threatened to blow up the plane. After a standoff that lasted two days, the plane was allowed to fly to Marseille, where it was stormed by French special forces. Three of the hijackers and three passengers were killed in the operation.

The director Patrick Vollrath said that he was inspired by this incident and wanted to make a movie that focused on the psychological aspect of a hijacking rather than the action. He said that he chose to film the movie in a single location and use a handheld camera to create a sense of realism and intimacy. He also said that he wanted to avoid stereotypes and clichés and show the complexity and humanity of both the hijackers and the pilots. He said that he cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tobias because he was impressed by his versatility and charisma as an actor.

The movie 7500 received mixed reactions from audiences, who had different opinions on the movie’s style and message. Some viewers praised the movie for being suspenseful, realistic, and well-acted. They said that the movie showed the courage and resilience of Tobias and the passengers in a difficult situation. They also said that the movie raised important questions about terrorism, violence, and morality. Other viewers criticized the movie for being boring, predictable, and shallow. They said that the movie lacked character development, plot twists, and emotional impact. They also said that the movie failed to address the root causes and consequences of terrorism.