Executive Decision

Rating:
Summary: DON'T BE AFRAID BOYS, DADDY'S BACK !
Review: If AIR FORCE ONE deceived you as much as it deceived me, EXECUTIVE DECISION is the movie for you. Faster, less politically correct, it's a little pearl to add to your "action" DVD collection.

And don't be afraid of the mention of the name of Steven SEAGAL in the credits ; the real star of the movie is Kurt RUSSELL. He becomes the new father of the anti-terrorist group after the departure of SEAGAL. Father is not an inadequate word : observe that the group desperately needs a Daddy to lead them. In fact, one of the boys curiously spend the whole movie lying in bed and weeping, just like a little baby.

A DVD to buy if you're an action movie fan.

Rating:
Summary: Bad Cast with an OK story line
Review: Who knew the plot of this film would be closely duplicated a few years later? The whole idea of Islamic Fundamentalists acting out of their own will rather than their religion's guidelines is a troubling reality in the world we live in.

This film supports an ok cast. Many people who are B actors at best displayed average ability. Kurt Russell was pretty good in his role. David Suchet has an amazing performance in this film. It's hard to believe this is the same guy from "Harry and the Hendersons". He really is a convincing villain. Steven Seagal is no different than in his other films in the limited role he plays. It is not a usual part of his, but that's good because his character doesn't take away from the others and the rest of the film. Many of the minor actors would have been much better if they weren't given the repeated wise cracks that made them really annoying.

This movie was ok at best because of the rather weak acting abilities of most of the cast. The plot was ok and the scenes were good.

Rating:
Summary: Did real life terrorists get some ideas from this film?
Review: It is ironic that after 9/11 Hollywood shies away from directly dealing with Islamic terrorism. So much so, that the very recently released The Sum of All Fears based on Tom Clancy's novel changes the identity of the evil doers from fervent Islamicists to ultra right-wing Nazis. The earlier Executive Decision was filmed in 1996. It addresses forthrightly, without fear of politically correct reprisals, the menace of Islamic radicalism. A few scenes even have the terrorists speaking Arabic to each other. In many ways, Executive Decision, warned us about the possibility of the attacks of 9/11. The actor who primarily makes this film work is David Suchet who portrays the diabolical Nagi Hassan, a dedicated Islamicist who hates the United States with an unrelenting passion. He ultimately plans to use a hijacked airplane as something of a heavy duty bomb to murder millions of American citizens. This fiendish individual is committed to sacrifice his own life, but hides the final aspect of the scheme from his fellow terrorists. The latter believe that they are merely participating in a plot to free a fellow Islamic radical. Hassan fails to inform them that they are on a suicidal mission. Does this not remind one of the hijackers of 9/11? Osama bin Ladin also did not tell most of those 19 hijackers that they were going to die on that fateful day.

What about Kurt Russell, Steven Segal, Halle Barry, and the other very fine performers? I will be blunt: the primary focus should be on the Nagi Hassan character. It is a very accurate depiction of the extremist Islamic terrorist mindset. Did the fast paced action thriller Executive Decision unwittingly provide a few ideas to those Islamic radicals who almost certainly viewed this film? The answer must be a reluctant yes. Should anyone therefore involved in the production of Executive Decision feel guilty? Not in the least. Artists usually cannot be blamed if the malevolent inclined interpret their work in a manner not to their liking. This is a must see movie. The Nagi Hassans are not merely the figment of a creative writer's imagination, but real live threats to our American values and freedoms. Executive Decision earns five stars.

Rating:
Summary: buyIt
Review: EXECUTIVE DECISION by Warner Studios with a running time of 133 minutes in color starring Kurt Russell and Halle Berry receives five stars from me because of the overall package that it gives to the viewer. It has suspense, action, and drama. I think the movie was real smooth in responding to the different situations that arose on the airplane and the resources that were used to aid them. The spy cams and sleepers are great. I was on the edge of my seat the entire show. Joe Morton was great also--who could diffuse a bomb with a broken neck. Halle Berry--wonderful job--brave in the face of adversity. However, to have the whole plane saved by a piece of plastic is just funny as ever, which gives it a little comical bit.

The only part that was confusing was that S. Seagal was killed out very early in the show and for someone of his stature, it seemed odd.

Overall, I just love this movie. It is the best.

Rating:
Summary: Fun flick saves itself killing Seagal...
Review: I'm sure any die-hard action fan is well aware of Steven Seagal's early death in this film, so I won't mention it again. Kurt Russell plays a CIA analyst a la the Jack Ryan films and he also knows how to fly, which comes in handy at the end, but nevermind. The plot concerns a group of terrorists hijacking an airplane to land in Washington DC and detonate a deadly bomb. Probably not the best choice of viewing after 9-11, but it's pretty exciting and has some good humor. There's plenty of suspense to keep the viewer interested.

Rating:
Summary: Blend of top entertainment with poor quality DVD
Review: *

First of all, there is absolutely no question about the entertainment value of this movie. When I received it, I watched it twice two days in-a-row! It is an excellent action movie if you like hostage/terrorism themes.

Although there have been complaints about Seagal's early demise, I am neutral about it. He played a great part and his role/performance was effective.

Mostly, I review the quality of the DVD so here we go:

"Widescreen review" must be crazy with their 5.0/picture, 5.0/sound, or I didn't receive the same DVD. The picture is pretty bad for a 1996 film (released on DVD approx. two years ago). The picture is grainy with various spots and blurs. At times, there are blue lines around the actors' faces, and it's not from anything glowing, either. It is just poor quality. The DVD starts right away without going to the menu.

The best sound comes at the beginning of the movie with some cheesy words typing across the screen and the effect follows the typing from left to right. Was that necessary?

My picture rating: 1.5 at times, 3.0 maximum in the best shots.
Sound: 3.0 overall

I hope that they remaster this movie in the near future. Clearly, this film was slopped to DVD just to make hasty sales. If you don't mind the [bad] picture, by all means purchase this DVD and enjoy! But I would wait another year or so. It doesn't look like it has a lot of sales so a new release may never happen.

Oh, entertainment rating on a scale of 5: my vote = 6.0!

*

Rating:
Summary: Why Seagal?
Review: Terrible flic. Seagal was killed off immediately, thereafter eliminating all possible merit. Couldn't they have at least killed off Kurt Russell in his damn tux?

Rating:
Summary: BEST MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: When one thinks of great movies there are a few that come to mind: Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Godfather, and so on. What never fails to amaze me is that Executive Decision is usually left out of this list. What it lacks in plot it heavily makes up for in cast and character development. Joseph Caanen and Orson Wells step aside; Kurt Russel and Steven Seagal are on the move. If you want to talk about true chemistry amongst actors then I suggest you look no further than the "WERE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!" "YOU ARE!" scene. Lets just say that the ageold craft of theatre just got a tune up. NINJA STYLE! I don't like to judge others, but if your heart isnt racing faster than you love life itself by the last scene then you probably have little left to live for cause this movie is A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I am still in the process of appealing the Academys 1996 decision [pun not unintentional] to give Best Picture to the English Patient. And trust me you, we will not be that patient with them. Regardless, if you are looking for a classic then reach for the nearest DVD copy of Executive Decision!

Rating:
Summary: Life Imitates Art?
Review: This 1996 film is about a terrorist hijacking of a jumbo jet to get a jailed terrorist freed. They succeed in this release, but then decide to drop a nerve gas bomb over Washington DC to kill millions. "Its only a movie." But I wonder if this movie put ideas into the minds of Al-Qaeda? The hijacking of the jumbo jets on September 11, 2001 follows the ideas of this script. Except they used the jumbo jet itself as the bomb.

In 1987, after a problem with a flight attendant, all guns were banned from flight personnel. This enabled terrorists to easily hijack a jumbo jet. This would never happen on the many foreign airlines where their pilots are armed! I hope this mistake will be corrected soon.

Rating:
Summary: A Pulse-Pounder! Great Boeing 747 Images!
Review: Executive Decision ends much the same way several other air disaster films have concluded. The proverbial "somebody-other-than-the-pilot-must-land-the-plane" scenario is on hand here.....this time with Kurt Russell at the controls of a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet airliner. Kurt doesn't win the safe-drivers' award for the year, but he does manage to skid the Jumbo to safety! But I liked the earlier scenes aboard the jet even better than the exciting ending reel! There is more than enough high-flying action sequences to keep your heart racing throughout this film's entire length of 133 minutes! Great Fun!! I'm hoping there will be a sequel some day! How about calling that one .... "Another Executive Decision" !? I'll line up for that one right now! :)