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:

Five miles above the earth, an elite team of six men must make an air to air transfer, in order to save 400 lives on board a 747... and 40 million below.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and brief language

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to John Leguizamo in his autobiography, his frequent improvisation angered Kurt Russell so much, that they got into a shoving match. Leguizamo's improvised line "Hope the smell doesn't give us away." started the fight.

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Goofs

As Dr. Grant makes his way forward and aft suspended over the cabin via the trolley and sling, his wristwatch switches from his left arm to right, and back again (clearly, she whole shot was "flipped").

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Quotes

Rat: I hope there's a good movie on this flight.

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Alternate Versions

The version shown on American television (as of 2014) has had many politically correct changes dubbed into its soundtrack, presumably to avoid offending any Muslim anywhere. The words "Allah" and "infidel" have been replaced by "God" and "enemy" respectively, as just 2 examples. The Algerian terrorist also no longer has his country of origin specified. This is even true when the film is shown on dedicated movie channels without commercials (such as Encore), which do not usually cut or edit content of any kind.

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Connections

Referenced in Into the Sun (2005)

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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

Even Seagal is good!

A fun, tense, and exciting action/thriller with an excellent ensemble cast, headed by Kurt Russell and including Halle Berry, David Suchet, and John Leguizamo.

Even Steven Seagal does a creditable job, mainly because this isn't a "Steven Seagal movie." His supporting role permits him to do what he does best (which isn't acting). He doesn't have to pretend to be witty, there's none of that awful smirking he does in a vain attempt to show emotion, the camera doesn't caress his body, and there's not one speech about how gol-dang *good* his character is. He even manages to enunciate his lines clearly!

The plot might have seemed a little far-fetched when the movie was released, but not anymore.

I'm not even much of an action film fan, but this one is really a lot of fun.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

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)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,069,780, 17 March 1996

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 SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1