Executive Decision (1996)

When terrorists seize control of an airliner, an intelligence analyst accompanies a commando unit for a midair boarding operation.

Director:

Stuart Baird

Writers:

Jim Thomas, John Thomas

Stars:

Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, Steven Seagal

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kurt Russell	...	David Grant
Steven Seagal	...	Lt. Colonel Austin Travis
Halle Berry	...	Jean
John Leguizamo	...	Rat
Oliver Platt	...	Cahill
Joe Morton	...	Cappy
David Suchet	...	Nagi Hassan
BD Wong	...	Louie (as B. D. Wong)
Len Cariou	...	Secretary of Defense Charles White
Whip Hubley	...	Baker
Andreas Katsulas	...	Jaffa
Mary Ellen Trainor	...	Allison
Marla Maples	...	Nancy (as Marla Maples Trump)
J.T. Walsh	...	Senator Mavros
Ingo Neuhaus	...	Doc

Storyline

Terrorists take over a 747 bound from Athens to Washington D.C., supposedly to effect the release of their leader. Intelligence expert David Grant suspects another reason and convinces the military that the 'plane should not be allowed to enter U.S. airspace. An assault mission is devised, using a specially equipped 'plane designed for mid-air crew transfers, and Grant finds himself aboard the 747 with a team of military anti-terrorists who have to defuse a bomb and overpower the terrorists.

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Plot Keywords:

panic | survival | stealth plane | mission | disaster film | 

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Taglines:

Fasten your seat belts

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and brief language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Executive Action

Filming Locations:

Alverno High School - 200 North Michillinda Avenue, Sierra Madre, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$56,569,216

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$121,969,216

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kurt Russell and Charles Hallahan, also appeared in The Thing (1982).

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Goofs

The script calls for assistance from the Eisenhower battle group. USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is CVN-69. The scenes from the carrier were actually filmed on the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). The 74 hull number is clearly visible in the film. The Eisenhower was in the yards at Newport News during the time of filming.

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Quotes

Rat: Didn't have details on the op, Colonel. So we brought everything, even the condoms.

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Alternate Versions

The German theatrical, video and DVD version has the same cuts as the UK version. Apart from that, all Arabian language has been dubbed into German, whereby all references to Islam and Allah were replaced by more harmless lines.

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Connections

References Top Gun (1986)

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Soundtracks

It's Nice to Go Trav'ling
Written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen (as James Van Heusen)
Performed by Frank Sinatra
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under Licence from CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Does most things right

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!