Rating: Summary: Fast-paced action from beginning to end... Review: Kurt Russell stars as a buttoned-up think-tank guru who suddenly finds himself trying to save the city of Washington D.C. from evil terrorists! Russell and a crack military team manage to board a commercial airliner (in mid-flight) that's been hijacked by the band of Middle-Eastern extremists. In addition to subduing the hijackers, Russell and company have to defuse a poor man's bomb that threatens to wipe out our nation's capital. Like other recent action/terrorist films ("Air Force One"... "Con Air"), "Executive Decision" calls for a major suspension of disbelief. Nevertheless, the film had a focused storyline that moved rapidly as the good guys worked against the clock. Thankfully, the film avoided any tangential themes or gratuitous one-liners that would have bogged down the action. You can probably guess how the flight's going to end, but it's still a fun and suspenseful ride. This film features several solid supporting performances, including Marla Maples Trump's non-speaking delivery of the "terrified stewardess" role
Rating: Summary: A great way to spend a little more than two hours. Review: Terrorists hijack a jumbo jet with over 400 passengers. Terrorist expert Dr David Grant (Kurt Russell) believes that the terrorists have nerve gas bombs on board and therefore, they can't let the plane enter US airspace, since the nerve gas could probably destroy the entire Washington DC. And they don't want to shoot them down, since that would lead to a big scandal. Instead, they send up a special military unit, led by Lieutenant Colonel Travis (Steven Seagal), to get on board the jumbo jet and take control over it. This turns out to be even more difficult than they had thought.This is an action thriller that unfortunately doesn't seem as unrealistic now as it would've done some months ago, and some people would maybe prefer not to watch it because of the recent attacks. On the other hand, it could be interesting to watch because of that. Either way, it's a very good and well made movie. It's not so different from Air Force One and if you liked that one, you'll probably like this one and vice versa. Steven Seagal's role is actually quite small, he's out of the movie after approximately half an hour, or even less, and you don't miss him. Kurt Russel, Oliver Platt, Halle berry and the other actors are good. If you like quality action movies, here is one that will keep you at the edge of your seat for a little more than two hours. I really liked it!
Rating: Summary: Segal dies Review: C'mon, that says it all, man. He dies! That alone is worth this movie. (In fact, I never watched past his death, but I figured it deserved 5 stars for that alone. More movies should do this.)
Rating: Summary: RUSSELL RESCUES Review: EXECUTIVE DECISION is a nailbiting ride, reminding us even more of the horror of 9/11 and the continued terrorist activities still troubling our globe. Director Stuart Baird assembles a fine cast and does his action sequences in tight, nerve-wracking fashion. It's nice too for a change to see our government bigwigs portrayed a little more humane and realistic. Credit to Len Cariou, Nicholas Pryor, and others. Kurt Russell is in good heroic form as our reluctant hero; Steven Seagal is mercifully given a glorious cameo; John Lequizamo, BD Wong, Joe Morton and Whip Hubley are fine in their command roles; Halle Berry is beautiful and efficient as Jean, the stewardess; Oliver Platt is at his best as the nervous enginner called on to be a bomb defuser, and David Suchet is irreprehensibly evil as the lead terrorist. A thrilling escapist film, well done!
Rating: Summary: A lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously Review: A group of fanatic middle east terrorists hijacks a US-bound airliner, holding its crew and passengers hostage and demanding the release of their leader - a fearless mastermind of terror brazenly seized by US special forces in a daylight raid. We soon learn, from a brilliant civilian analyst named Grant (Kurt Russel) that the hostage bid is actually a clever smokescreen - that the airliner is actually loaded with a highly potent nerve gas, perhaps enough to end life as we know it on America's east coast. Without any proof, the US government has the choice blasting the plane into oblivion to end a threat it could never prove, or allowing the plane to reach US airspace, where it will disperse its deadly cargo. Instead, a tricky plan is chosen - use a stealth transport with a special airlock to insert a team of special forces onto the plane, to retake it and disarm the bomb. Up until then, "ED" is content to be a generic, enjoyable yet eventually forgettable action movie involving airplanes and "reel bad arabs" (Hey, I didn't make that up - some guy wrote a book about stereotyping arabs, and somebody else recommended that instead of this flick, as if the audience of one and the other's readership overlap that much). This flick came out in March - not quite the time when people are lining up at the box office. Though not a bad movie, it somehow manages to approach what we all love as the "so bad, we love it" category. Something funny happens midway through though - you realize that you're watching a parody (probably unintentional, but why spoil the fun?) with plenty of violence, but still one that isn't quite right enough to take seriously. Steven Seagal plays the intrepid head of the special forces, but he's dispatched early on, leaving his team to shoulder the task of ending the flying seige. You really know something's wrong when, while describing the plan, Seagal suddenly but calmly tells the military brass and the political heads involved that what he really wants is Kurt Russel's character (tuxedo and all) to come along for the trip. The script suggests he's laughing inside at Russell who'll have to face these bloodthirsty terrorists alone, but he's more likely laughing at us. The flick lards it up further in its choice of miscasting - adding BD Wong and John Leguizamo in as footsoldiers in Seagal's crack outfit. Finally, in what may be a nod to all of those "Airport" flicks of the 70's (okay, so there were only 3 of them), the flick climaxes in the single least-convincing airplane crash-landing ever depicted on the modern screen. (This is perhaps the strongest proof that the flick was intentionally parodying action movies: years earlier, a cosmetically altered 707 was used to brilliantly and chillingly simulate a crash landing 747 in "White Nights"; another 707 was dispatched in speed - certainly they could have done more than used models ala something by Sid and Marty Croft) I'm conservative, but ED hadn't had me scamper around frothing about "arab terrorists", nor did I look at this flick in a new light because of September 11. (I've seen far worse arabs in other films, while this one hints that most of the hijackers were out of the loop about the plan to dump nerva gas on the east coast.) Instead, it's a welcome diversion from more self-conciously serious action movies, even if you'll forget most of it (even Donald Trump's ex, Marla Maples as a flight attendant, or the late JD Walsh as a senator) the next day.
Rating: Summary: Better Than I Expecter Review: While this movie seems just mediocre at the start, partially due to the hero role that Steven Seagal is put into, after the first twenty minutes it greatly improves. When the James Bond like scientist proves Seagal's character wrong we finally see that this movie has hope. Once Seagal's character falls to his death at 30,000 feet, the movie loses its stigma of just another action movie and opens a new avenue to the remaining characters. This then forces Russell's character into a lead position, allowing him to gain respect by one of the nation's top military strike teams. What really made this movie seem interesting was how it veered from the original action movie storyline, to a suspense action movie. Overall, this is a movie that I can, surprisingly, watch time and time again.
Rating: Summary: An Excellent Movie Featuring Unsung Talent Review: Get over the Segal thing, people. This movie is not just action. It's action/suspense, and that's something Segal could never carry by himself. Yes, he dies early in this movie, but given the talent that permeates the cast, he IS the weakest link. Don't get me wrong, Segal is good in an action movie, but the man can only play one kind of character (which is why he's the only one in this star-studded cast who is not working right now). He was put in the same movie with Kurt Russell, Man of a Thousand Characters, a surprisingly effective John Leguizamo (and I wish he'd take more serious parts like this one), a very talented and versatile BD Wong (the non-martial-arts Asian whom nobody appreciated enough to mention), and Oliver Platt, who is entertaining no matter what role he plays. With these guys on one hand and Segal on the other, you can't blame the powers that be for their (pardon the pun) executive decision. At least he went out better than Emilio Estevez in Mission Impossible.
Rating: Summary: Excecutive Decision (1996) Review: Director: Stuart Baird Cast: Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal, Halle Berry, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton, David Suchet, Len Cariou, B.D. Wong, Marla Maples Trump. Running Time: 135 minutes. Rated R for violence and language. Although it is a formula that has been used time and time again, "Excecutive Decision" succeeds just as well, if not better, than the "hostage-takes-over-plane-so-action-hero-has-to-come-to-rescue" genre predecessors because of wonderful performances, an in-depth and enjoyable script, and top-tier direction from rookie Baird. Very simliar to 1992's "Passenger 57" staring Wesley Snipes, but with more emphasis on the supporting cast instead of one central star. Kurt Russell stars as a United States government expert on Middle East terrorism who finds himself out of his office and on a die-or-die mission with gung ho commando Steven Seagal and Co. when an American airliner is taken hostage while in midair. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), Seagal is killed about a half an hour into the film, allowing Russell to take full command of the film. With the help from gorgeous flight attendant Halle Berry, Russell is able to learn about the situation and guide his great supporting players John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, and Joe Morton as to how they need to approach the dangerous situation. If there is one major drawback of the film, it is that "Executive Decision" is fairly fairfetched and predictable at the same time--the anti-terrorist crew actually gets onto the plane while it is in the air and without the terrorists knowing--come on! But despite some of its logical fallouts, it is a film that makes up for it with a superb lead role, fine performances from Platt as a brainiac and Leguizamo as a rough-and-tough go-getter, and a gut-wrenching, thrill-ride (literally) of a finale. A nice directorial debut. One of the better action films of the mid 1990's and is on par with other plane thrillers such as "Con Air".
Rating: Summary: i need a lobotomy Review: another terrorist movie....another waste of video. the lead terrorist played by xxx is pretty good.....but thats about it. when the guy is in a neckbrace and trying to explain the bomb?.....is a bomb for the rest of the vid...this movie sucked and if you buy it?.....your taste in movies is rated zero stars. burn it
Rating: Summary: Fun Movie. Review: Well, the dvd itself is not a big deal. There is no commentaries or special features. And it seems like they are not going to release special edition of this movie. The quality of the picture is really good. Just like film. This movie is the only movie that has Steven Segal dies in the beginning...I was so surprised when I saw that happened. But this movie overall is fun and cool. Casting is just perfect. See for yourself.
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