Film Snail

6.3

Executive Decision

R·1996·132m

Action

Adventure

Drama

Thriller

Action

Adventure

Drama

Thriller

Summary

Terrorists hijack a 747 inbound to Washington D.C., demanding the release of their imprisoned leader. Intelligence expert David Grant (Kurt Russell) suspects another reason and he is soon the reluctant member of a special assault team that is assigned to intercept the plane and hijackers.

Cast

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

Len Cariou

Secretary of Defense Charles White

Whip Hubley

Baker

Andreas Katsulas

Jaffa

Mary Ellen Trainor

Allison

Marla Maples

Nancy

J. T. Walsh

Senator Mavros

Ingo Neuhaus

Doc

William James Jones

Catman

Nicholas Pryor

Secretary of State Jack Douglas

Stanley Grover

General Price

Eugene Roche

Admiral Lewis

Ken Jenkins

General Wood

Charles Hallahan

General Sarlow

Dey Young

Gail

Richard Riehle

Air Marshal

Robert Apisa

Demou

Granville Hatcher

Ahmed

Christopher Maher

Kahlil

Jay Tavare

Terrorist

Ahmed Ahmed

Terrorist

Shaun Toub

Terrorist

Majed Ibrahim

Terrorist

Jon Huertas

Terrorist

Joey Naber

Terrorist

Ray Baker

747 Captain

Michael Milhoan

747 First Officer

Julie Wright

Flight Attendant

Sunni Boswell

Flight Attendant

Gregg Artz

Assistant to Senator Mavros

Yvonne Zima

Little Girl

Will Schaub

Assistant to Senator Mavros

Marianne Muellerleile

Diabetic Woman

Brad Blaisdell

Beckings Institute Aide

Don Fischer

Remora Pilot

John Rixey Moore

Flight Instructor

Warren Munson

American Ambassador

Lance August

American Embassy Duty Officer

Maggie Egan

CNN Reporter

James C. Victor

Spider

Tim Kelleher

Bulldog

David Birznieks

Fire Fighter

Paul Bollen

Fire Fighter

Nick Jameson

London Maitre'D

Juan Fernández

London Bomber

Todd Jeffries

Collins

Joe Cook

Chechen

Ilia Volok

Chechen

Borovnisa Blervaque

Yugoslavian Girl

Joseph Makkar

Arab Co-Pilot

Damon Lee

Translator

Magdalene St. Michaels

London Hostess

Robert Londberg

Diamond Smuggler

Edmond Brown

FBI Agent

Michelle Boudreau

Party Girl

Kurt Kohler

Crew

Director

Stuart Baird

Writer

Jim Thomas

Writer

John Thomas

Reviews

Wuchak

June 4, 2023

**_Suspense at 33,000 feet with Kurt Russell_**

An intelligence analyst (Russell) inadvertently joins a special forces operation to save a Boeing 747-200 hijacked by terrorists before it is used to attack DC. Steven Seagal plays the mission commander, Halle Berry a flight attendant and Oliver Platt an aeronautics engineers, amongst other notables.

“Executive Decision” (1996) is an airliner-in-trouble flick from the angle of “Under Siege” (1992) directed by the editor of “Die Hard 2” (1990). I bring up the latter because this one’s very similar except that it takes place in the air rather than an airport.

I didn’t expect to like it because it’s basically “Die Hard” on a plane and I didn’t think a worthwhile movie could be made with such a cramped setting, but work it does. Sure, a lot of the runtime involves rescuers strategizing in the bowels of the airbus using hi-tech equipment, like hidden cameras, but the creators respect the intelligence of the viewer and there are several innovative bits along with great suspense.

It was obviously prescient of 9/11, filmed six years prior to that infamous attack.

The movie runs 2 hours, 13 minutes, and was shot in SoCal at Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino, but also Chino Airport, Mojave Desert (crash scene), Sierra Madre (Chechen Mafia House). The wedding kidnapping sequence was shot in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

GRADE: B