Egor Korshunov

Egor Korshunov was a politically motivated Russian terrorist and the main antagonist in the 1997 film Air Force One.

He was portrayed by Gary Oldman.

Biography
Korshunov and his mercenaries disguised themselves as journalists. They were cleared to board Air Force One, the aircraft of the President of the United States, by using fake identities and fingerprints, those of deceased journalists. After takeoff, the group went into the weapons cabinet with the help of a corrupt official and take bulletproof vests and weapons, using them to take control of the plane and keep the passengers as hostages. Before the plane could land at Ramstein, Korshunov kills the pilots and his men fly the plane back to the air. He calls the Vice President and demands the release of General Ivan Radek, a brutal communist who started a genocide, in exchange for the hostages and would kill one every hour that passes without Radek released.

The first hostage he executes is Jack Doherty, the national security advisor. He then executes Melanie Mitchell over the intercom in an attempt to get President James Marshall, who is hiding in the cargo hold, to come out and surrender. The president winds up cutting the fuel wires and the plane begins losing fuel. Marshall contacts the white house and tells them that he is going to get the hostages to parachute out of the plane while the terrorists are distracted with the midair refueling. The hostages escape, but Marshall himself is captured by the terrorists. With Marshall captured, Korshunov puts a gun to his daughter's head and orders Marshall to tell the new democratic president of Russia, Petrov, to release Radek immediately, and Pretrov obliges, although unbeknowest to the terrorists on board, they have placed snipers outside the prison, who gun Radek down before he can do anything.

Korshunov rejects his promise to let the hostages go once Radek is released, but Marshall has a backup plan. Marshall uses a glass shard to cut through his bonds and kill the remaining two terrorists, including the terrorist pilot. Korshunov drags the First Lady into the cargo hold, intending to kill her. Marshall opens up the cargo hatch and wraps a parachute cord around Korshunov's neck before telling him to get off his plane, and letting it go, snapping his neck and causing him to be flung from the plane. His dead body then floats away into the distance, still attached to the parachute.

Personality
Gary Oldman's performance was widely praised, and is considered among the best of his career. Korshunov is a man that does not enjoy killing, but feels compelled to do it for the benefit of his country, which he feels has been corrupted after Radek was imprisoned. Despite this, Korshunov is a very brutal man, willing to kill anybody in order for his demands to be met, including women and children. Korshunov reveals that he does not think of himself as a monster and that he has a wife and three young children, making his ruthless actions even more interesting.