Executive Decision

I couldn't believe it when I started to view this movie and who do I see but Steven Seagal. I thought, boy, I'm really losing it - because no way would I have watched it had I known he was in it. However, I'm so glad I did. "Executive Decision" is a 1996 film and also stars Kurt Russell, John Leguziamo, David Suchet, Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, B.D. Wong, Joe Morton, Len Cariou and a special appearance by "Marla Maples Trump" as Berry's fellow flight attendant. A team of American special forces commandos, led by an intelligence analyst rushed to the scene while he's still in his tuxedo (Russell) board a plane (in the most fascinating way) after it has been hijacked by terrorists in order to take out the terrorists and defuse the dangerous gas planted on board. This is a movie jam-packed to the gills with heart-pounding suspense, tension and excitement. One of the best things about "Executive Decision" is its offbeat casting in the commando department: energetic, quirky John Leguziamo, Oliver Platt as a nervous wreck who is borderline nervous breakdown for most of the time and Joe Morton as a wounded bomb expert who manages to keep his sense of humor. On the villain side, David Suchet of "Hercule Poirot" fame proves again he is one of the best actors around - he's no fussy little Frenchman here but a steely-eyed, violent and committed terrorist. Kurt Russell does a terrific job, and boy is he great to look at. Halle Berry is a brave flight attendant - she has very few lines but does a lot of reacting. Marla Maples Trump looks very pretty. In some of the film's tensest moments, there is some humor, making for a very entertaining film beautifully directed by Stuart Baird. I really didn't mind Seagal, either. This is a pre-9/11 movie, and one wonders even then how these terrorists could have gotten so many weapons on board, not to mention that gas. Today of course, watching the action on the plane, it doesn't seem all that fictional. Next time I fly, I won't silently curse when I have to take off my shoes. I just hope the security is actually better.

Warning: Spoilers!!! Stupid, racist film again. I don't care about the rest of the movie, all I remember are negative stereotypes. I think Islam is a big Religion and we have NO right to offend it so much, especially when we are basing it all on inaccuracies. How would we like it if they made a movie making fun of Christ and refering to his disciples as women raping terrorists? It is just as offensive to Muslims that we made this movie. I think it is the responsiblity of all people to stick up for others when they see a pathetic movie like this come out. I boycott this movie, and I urge others to boycott it also. I would love to see it's production recalled permanently. If people can't learn to make movies without so blatantly offending a group of people (obviously purposely by the way the scenes were shot) then they should STOP MAKING MOVIES. PEOPLE'S FEELINGS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN AN ACTION MOVIE.

(...and seriously, a heavy spoiler follows:) First: Seagal dies some 30 minutes into the film. Of course I, as a certified Seagal-hater, salute that fact and award a point to filmmakers. They couldn't escape catering to his ego, though, so his character was given an inappropriately high rank (in his other films he also always has some fancy title: ex-CIA, ex-Seal, whateversoundscool... oh, vanity). But, still... what a refreshment to see him off. Indeed I would never have seen this movie had it not been for a film critic who had given away the main spoiler. For me it wasn't a spoiler, it was a glimmer of hope. The fact that in the same accident, that killed off Lt. Colonel Austin Travis (chorus "Haaaalelujah"), Joe Morton's character is left crippled, which in turn crippled Morton's notorious overacting tendencies, is worth another full point. Second: Seagal is actually very decent inside those 30 minutes. Luckily he was given mainly procedural dialog so his range of acting skills wasn't challenged. That way I was able to acknowledge that the man indeed has a screen presence, somewhat akin to John Wayne. It would be actually nice to watch him if he was any good. Too bad that he probably felt discouraged for being killed after giving his only decent performance so after this movie it was business as usual for him. Third: Killing off what the audience supposed would be the main character may have been an amusing gimmick, may have been a nod to Hitchcock but was foremost a strategic element in building up a proper suspense. Now you knew you weren't in for a typical shoot-em-up flick that would see Seagal slapping bad guys around and spewing unfunny one- liners. You were instead wondering how the hell was Kurt Russel's character (a snobby analyst, despised by fellow rescuers) gonna save the day and wouldn't he also buy the farm in the process. Perhaps another gimmick was casting of David Suchet. His fame mostly rises from portraying somewhat geeky and benign detective Poirot, and it presented such an effective and eerie contrast to make him the chief villain. He proved extremely convincing as charming, intelligent and brutally determined terrorist. Another thing convincing is the plot. It may have felt a bit outrageous and far-fetched in 1996. but not unfeasible. It certainly doesn't feel that way now, no need to say why. These elements, along with good (but not exceptional) direction and presence of beautiful Halle Berry, is enough to recommend "Executive Decision". I wonder how it will fare some 50 years from now, on its own merit, free from the context of audience knowing the cast and having expectations based on the knowledge. Perhaps not that bad, as it doesn't have that many flaws. Of all the "Die Hard" clones (which this movie is) this is one of those that captured the spirit of the original well in terms of putting an involuntary and unfit hero (in this case a group of them) to utilize what ever he's got and overcome the adversaries in a closed space.

Some may object that I am only going to refer to technical considerations in this comment. But the scenario in this movie depends entirely upon such technical considerations. So I feel justified in claiming that it's technical illiteracy sinks it completely. The mission shown uses a version of the F117 "Nighthawk" stealth bomber. Firstly, this is a plane big enough to carry one pilot and a bomb. Here, however, it is shown as having some kind of cargo bay big enough for the entire team. Then again, the outside of the plane in the film doesn't correspond with the size of the inside. Nor with the size of the airliner. When aircraft in real life dock to re-fuel in mid-air it is a lengthy, slow and precise procedure that requires hours of training, is carried out in the straight and level, with the pilot of one plane gradually meeting a boom in front of them. Even then, it requires a specialist operative in the tail of the tanker plane to steer that boom. But in this film, they just fly up underneath an airliner that in reality would be bobbing about all over the show. It doesn't know they are there. It mates with it even though the pilot cannot actually see the point of contact. Then they extend that ridiculous contraption which in reality, at the speeds involved. would have been ripped away in aerodynamic torque, probably pulling both planes out of the air in the process. I know some will say it's all just "fun". But to anyone with half an education in such matters it certainly isn't "fun" to have to sit through such garbage.

Maybe I am not the person to ask, but when Steven Seagal is in a movie, I just have to see it however big or small his part is in the movie. I am a fan and I have collected all of 'his' movies. I am a bit sad that he is getting a little older, but I watch the movies in a different perspective. His moves aren't what they used to be but in this movie you don't notice that at all ;-) On a serious note, the movie is well worth watching because of the plot. It's not that it is original but it is one of the best executed in it's genre. It makes you wonder if the terrorists have watched some of these kind of movies and got inspired to do something similar. Enjoy the movie!!!

I enjoyed this one. Sure there were some implausible things: the speed of the counter-action, the strange fact that a complete change of the aerodynamics of a stealth bomber seems to cause zero disturbance... But all in all it was well within bearable limits. Don't expect to see a 100% realistic plot in a movie that is supposed to contain heros! In reality, they usually get shot or explode before they have the chance to become one :-) Critical Decisions has a more than adequate mix of suspense, better-than-horrible acting, plot twists and mild humor to relieve the tension. Whereas a lot of movies in the same genre totally screw up one or more of those aspects. I'm thinking about the terribly balanced "humor" in The Rock, for example. Killing all tension and involvement.. 8/10 JoH

This is a great 90s action movie. It has the exciting moments, the interesting plot and the mixture of characters that the period's action movies all tried to have. But at the same time, it downplays the one-man heroism that is often a big part of them (looking at you, McClaine!). The movie refers to this with the character played by Segal. The most important part of this movie is the team. Early on people tries to break with the team, but mostly everyone is on the same page throughout the movie. At the end of the movie, one character kind-of goes against his team, but the focus is also on trusting one's teammates, something that the other guys does during this moment. If you want a quintessential 90s action flick, this is a good pick!

I'm afraid to say that I didn't full attention to this film at all when it was on, but to be honest I'm really not that bothered, from what I could gather it looked a little dull for a film rated three stars out of five, from director Stuart Baird (U.S. Marshals, Star Trek: Nemesis). Basically terrorists led by Nagi Hassan (David Suchet) have hijacked a plane, flight 747 bound from Athens to Washington D.C., and they are demanding the release of their leader from prison in exchange for all the passengers on board. Dr. David Grant (Kurt Russell) discovers however that this is not their true plan, they have a bomb on the plane that when dropped will release a large amount of nerve gas on detonation. So with the help of Lt. Colonel Austin Travis (Razzie nominated Steven Seagal), Captain Rat (John Leguizamo) and bomb expert Dennis Cahill (Oliver Platt), Grant and the small United States Army Special Forces team get themselves on board, unnoticed, and try to save everyone. At the same time, hostages including plane flight attendant Jean (Halle Berry) follow the instructions of their kidnappers, while trying to find a way to get help or spoil their plan. Also starring Joe Morton as Sergeant 'Cappy' Matheny, B.D. Wong as Sergeant Louie, Len Cariou as Secretary of Defense Charles White, Andreas Katsulas as El Sayed Jaffa and J.T. Walsh as Senator Mavros. I was so in and out of the film, I wasn't dozing off, I was just doing other stuff at the same time, so I even missed how Seagal sacrifices himself, it didn't look all that engaging or exciting, but when I did pay attention, it had its very, very tiny moments, a fair action thriller. Okay!

EXECUTIVE DECISION Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision) Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS / SDDS Normally, the name Steven Seagal would be enough to send any self-respecting movie fan screaming from theaters in a state of advanced colonic distress, but he makes only a brief appearance in this barnstorming blockbuster as the leader of a crack commando unit who is unceremoniously dumped (literally) from a great height during a botched rescue mission, leaving terrorist expert Kurt Russell to save the day for Humanity and the American Way. David Suchet (Hercule Poirot himself!) is the villain this time out, a fanatical Arab assassin who hijacks a passenger plane and threatens all manner of unpleasantness if the US doesn't release a fellow terrorist from custody. Russell manages to sneak on board the plane with Seagal's commando unit (now led by John Leguizamo), but they find themselves sharing space with a deadly nerve bomb, which Suchet intends to detonate over Washington DC, come what may... Former editor Stuart Baird (THE OMEN, SUPERMAN) makes his directorial debut with this gung ho potboiler, which looks decidedly hammy post-9/11, and which could never be accused of enriching our understanding of the Human Condition. But the melodramatic script (by Jim and John Thomas) twists the screws for its papier-mâché characters before reaching a frenzied boiling point during the climactic confrontation between slimy foreign upstarts (mown down like skittles, without a second thought) and All-American good guys (invincible in triumph, martyred in defeat). Baird directs with sure-footed economy (the film doesn't feel padded at all, despite the 132 minute running time), and while some of the early scenes threaten to submerge viewers beneath a wave of unbridled testosterone, matters improve when Russell takes center-stage, playing the Everyman hero who proves every bit as resourceful as his militaristic companions. Halle Berry plays a terrified stewardess who helps save the day, while the main cast is bolstered by dependable talent in secondary roles (B.D. Wong, Joe Morton, George Coe, Len Cariou, etc.). Overblown stuff, and morally dubious to boot, but mindlessly entertaining nonetheless.

source: Executive Decision