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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

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.

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

---

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).

---

Goofs

A fraction of a second after the window is shot out, there is a bright flash outside it for no reason.

---

Quotes

David Grant: It's over.
Nagi Hassan: Over? It's not over.
[Grant holds up the detonator]
David Grant: It's over.
Nagi Hassan: Who are you?
David Grant: No one.
Nagi Hassan: You're very clever, but you're too late. You've solved nothing.
[fires his gun into the cockpit]

---

Alternate Versions

The Warner Bros. U.S. Blu-ray July 2011 release contains a notice that material has been altered from its original incarnation.

• Shots showing the suicide bomber as he enters the restaurant holding the Qur'an have been removed.
• During the scene when Halle Berry is covering for Kurt Russell in the elevator, when Nagi Hassan says "Just be patient it will all be over very soon.", he is no longer shown placing his hand on the Qur'an that was in his jacket pocket. Also, seconds later, the shot of him slightly opening the Qur'an and rifling his fingers through it is gone.
• The entire shot of Nagi Hassan on his knees praying followed by the shot of the two pilots in the cockpit is gone. It cuts from B.D. Wong's character saying "He's blocked by the seats, there's passengers all around him." to the exterior shot of the F-14s arriving. And again, moments later, the scene is edited differently to hide the fact that Nagi is still on his knees in prayer before answering the phone call from the cockpit alerting him of the F14s arrival.

---

Connections

Referenced in Honest Trailers: Die Hard (2015)

---

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

Tons of Suspense, Almost Too Much

Most of this movie is simply one extremely long suspense scene as a team of Americans try to board a passenger jet, disarm a bomb and capture terrorists. After a 10-15 minute opening to set the story up, the rest of it (two hours) is the constant suspense of whether the mission will succeed and what happens along the way. With that much tension for so, the movie would have been more effective had it been cut 15-20 minutes.

However, it was never boring. It was far-fetched, however, but many action movies are just that, and this story wasn't stupid, by any means. I expected such with Kurt Russell and Steven Segal in it, but those two were much more subdued than usual.

Oliver Platt, Halle Barry, John Leguizamo and Joe Morton rounded out a very diverse and solid cast. This is one of those films that really grabs you the first time you see it, but after that, loses its appeal since the suspense is over. Definitely recommended for those who like to sit on the edge of their seat and be entertained.