Executive Decision (1996)

If you're gonna travel, you've gotta take Kurt Russell! Perfect combination of action and technical gadgetry (dirty bomb know-how) delivers non-stop tension. I could not leave this movie- even on a TV screen it loses nothing. Hasn't dated. Excellent special effects. Just go along for the ride. Total surprise.

One of my favorite movies of all time. Executive Decision will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first r rated movie I saw in the cinema as a child. Watching it now it holds up extraordinarily well. Containing a good story and great tension that keeps u on the edge of your seat the film follows an intelligence analyst (Kurt Russell) being assigned to join a military commando team led by action legend (Steven Seagal) in an effort to board a hijacked in flight 747 using a stealth bomber with a boarding sleeve attached to it's roof in an attempt to save the hostages on board and preventing a major terrorist strike with a deadly nerve gas from annihilating the entire eastern seaboard of the United States. Unfortunately the mission partially fails and the commandos are left stranded on the plane with their communications gone and no way to communicate to the pentagon, which is willing to shoot the plane down with everyone on it if communication is not reached with the team. So the rest of the film is the team trying to use their smarts to try and get themselves out of this hopeless situation,One of the reasons this film works so well is how well it balances it's suspense and action sequences. Yes, a common complaint people have with this film is it doesn't feature a lot of physical action i.e. (gunfights, explosion, fight sequences) but I don't see this as a negative. I think it's lack of action is something that it benefits from. By replacing the physical with a more mental action, the film forces the viewer to put themselves in this situation and asks the question of how would u deal with this situation if u were put in the middle of it? Secondly, it gives the characters an opportunity to use their brains and knowledge they've acquired in their professions to try and find solutions to their predicament without resorting to violence until the right time calls for it, when they eventually can take the plane back. By doing all of that it takes a detour from the typical action movie which gives it fresh new unique take on the genre which is always a good thing.The film also succeeds with regards to it's characters. The commandos are a likeable bunch and u want them to survive this ordeal and get back home in one piece. It s also a very diverse film with a mixed race cast who are all given dignified characters who are well written and intelligent. John Lequizamo is a strong leader when (Spolier) Seagal dies during the failed mid air transfer. Joe Morton who spends the majority of the film paralyzed from the waist down after breaking his neck when the stealth bomber got hit with turbulence during the transfer sequence is given a highly educated intelligent black man to play with and that's refreshing to see in in a genre movie like this. He's the bomb expert who guides oliver platt's character in how to diffuse a bomb. B.D. Wong is the badass Chinese commando who kills most of the terrorists in the film. Whip Hubley provides some humor as the concerned commando and is knowledgeable in cameras and . Oliver Platt is the genius engineer who built the sleeve that allowed them to the board the plane. U feel for him as the film goes as he 's only a civilian who was put in this situation against his will. U believe his fear when he thinks they're in a hopeless situation and they won't make it out alive.As for the two main stars Kurt Russell gives one of his best performances as the cool and calm intelligence agent who has a vast knowledge of the main villain and his plans to bring down the west along with the bomb he's brought with him on board that leaves total devastation in it's wake. Seagal though barely in the film leads a lasting impression as the tough Colonel who has a beef with Russell's character for who he believes due to faulty intel caused the death of one of his men during a botch raid on a Chechen safe house in Italy in an attempt to recover the deadly nerve gas. Seagal though he exits the film early is at least given a sacrificial death which makes his character noble. The opening which starts the movie I believe is one of the best opening scenes in film history.The way it's edited to the way the camera moves throughout this house in a smooth competent easy to tell what's gong style that we rarely see anymore is truly a sight to behold and is a testament to the level of craft and professionalism that went into making this movie.The movie is also ahead of it's as it predated 9/11 by five years and eerily showed it was plausible for something like this to happen. It's also one of the few Hollywood movies that doesn't follow the pc route of trying to potray muslim terrorists as sympathetic. It accurately potrays them as savages who will do everything it takes to not only bring down the our society but sadly manipulate their own people to follow in their evil plans.Special mention must also be made of Jerry Goldsmiths excellent score which was so good it was reused in the Keanu Reeves vehicle Chain Reaction. The villains are good and appropriately menacing without being over the top. David Suchet plays a great cold/quiet villain. His sudden outbursts of rage is terrifying and quite accurate to how most psychopaths are in real life.The special effects in the film are quite good and make u believe they really shot along side a 747 for the entirety of the shoot. The landing scene at the end is spectacular with a great use of models and practical explosions it's a great way to end the film. The end shootout when the commandos finally get to take over the plane is well executed and shot in focus with wide shots so you can see everything that's going on, it's the way these movies should be done. So in closing I can t recommend this movie enough. It truly is excellent. Featring good performances, a fast pace, good action and suspense, a likeable cast, a great score, and sharp direction. Executive Decision is a must see 90's action classic.

"Executive Decision" is an action movie in which terrorist hijacked an airplane and a group of commandos are trying to take control of the airplane and to land it safely.First of all about the plot I have to admit that it was not something extraordinary and new since I have watched also some other movies with the same script. Apart from that, this movie changed when the commandos were on the plane. At that moment everything changed and this movie became more interesting and had more suspense. I liked the interpretation of Kurt Russell who played as Dr. David Grant and he was simply amazing. Halle Berry played also very well and David Suchet who played as Nagi Hassan was very good.To sum up I have to say that "Executive Decision" is a good movie to spend your time but do not have high expectations. I suggest you to watch the trailer of the movie and read some reviews and then decide whether or not to watch it.

The 90s saw a few good airline terrorist hijacking movies. You could compare this one to "Passenger 57" or "Air Force One" with a little Die Hard thrown in. All the characters in this movie are likable an each has there own characteristics although a few lines can seem a bit cheesy. I have watched this several times in the past and will no doubt watch again many time in the future. The basic plot is some terrorist gets arrested by the US, then followers of his hijack a plane bound for the US with a chemical bomb planted on board. The government has either the choice to destroy a plane with over 400 passengers on board or allow half the Eastern Seabord to die. Either decision will mean the government is finished politically, which is all they same to care about rather than the loss of lives.