Pushing Tin is a 1999 comedy-drama film directed by Mike Newell and written by Glen Charles and Les Charles.
Nick "The Zone" Falzone (John Cusack) is a hotshot air traffic controller who works at the New York TRACON.note His status as the best controller is threatened when Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton) starts working with him. Russell is extremely good at his job, but also a risk-taker who likes to fly planes as close to each other as possible. Nick has sex with Russell's wife Mary (Angelina Jolie) and starts to worry that Russell will get revenge by having sex with Nick's wife Connie (Cate Blanchett).
Pushing Tin contains examples of:
- The Alcoholic: Mary is, as Connie puts it, a bit of a saucemonster. When Nick runs into her at the grocery store, she has three huge bottles of vodka in her cart next to the lettuce.
- Bait-and-Switch: Nick arrives home to find Connie in tears. She says, "I was just explaining to Theresa and Nicky what it means that Daddy won't be around anymore." He thinks she found out about what he did and is going to kick him out, but she actually means that her father died.
- Macho Masochism: At a bar, the controllers hold lit matches in their fingers. Whoever lets go first has to pay. Nick and Russell both hold on after the contest has ended. Russell wins, to Nick's annoyance, and doesn't seem bothered by the pain, while Nick dunks his fingers in his water glass.
- Motor Mouth: The controllers are used to quickly rattling off instructions to pilots at work. When Nick and his friends order breakfast at a diner, Nick makes his order so quickly that the waitress doesn't catch any of it.
- Right Behind Me: In the early scenes, Russell has a habit of walking into rooms right before someone insults him. He doesn't seem bothered by it.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: When the TRACON is evacuated due to a bomb threat, Nick and Russell are the only ones who stay inside to make sure every plane in their airspace is either landed or sent away before the bomb is supposed to go off.Nick: I am personally gonna see to it that you go down in flames! Negative, United! That was not to you!
- Vertigo Effect: A dolly zoom is used when Nick learns that Russell changed his shift to be different from Nick's, meaning he might be having sex with Connie while Nick is at work.
