Executive Decision (original) (raw)
March 15, 1996
By JANET MASLIN
ope there's a good movie on this flight,'' a U.S. Special Forces commando says sardonically in ``Executive Decision,'' Stuart Baird's ``Die Hard in the Ozone'' about a 747 in terrorist hands. This itself is a good, taut movie for red-meat action audiences, but it's not one you will be seeing on an airliner. Not ever.
The airlines will be right to avoid this hair-raising tale of a plane turned deadly weapon, thanks to a cargo of nerve gas and hijackers who want to explode it over Washington. To the rescue: the unlikely team of tough-guy Lt. Col. Austin Travis, played by Steven Seagal in military fatigues, and Dr. David Grant, played by Kurt Russell in black tie. Quicker than you can say James Bond, Grant has been called away from plying a blonde with a martini at a cocktail party and sent to thwart the terrorists' elaborate plans.
Grant wins much admiration for his electronic wizardry, not to mention his ability to get through this entire adventure story without changing out of his evening clothes. On-line video and other computer images contribute to the film's strain of cyberheroism, which should stand it in good stead with tech-addicted teen-age boys. The film delivers loads of data about how the evil nerve gas scheme works, but it seems more sleek and gimmicky than irresponsible. Real terrorists could get more ideas playing Myst than watching this.
Baird, who edited ``Die Hard 2,'' the ``Lethal Weapon'' films and other explosive projects for the mayhem maestro Joel Silver, packs ``Executive Decision'' with every known staple of the high-wattage action film.
The opening sequence is set at a ``suspected Chechen Mafia safehouse'' and has Seagal tastefully slashing throats before the credits are over. (Despite the sound of that, the violence here is relatively quick and nongraphic.)
Then there are typical identifying titles that give the film an aura of importance even if they merely state the obvious. This film's broad action style should carry it to most corners of the globe, but let's hope nobody actually needs an ``Athens, Greece'' over a shot of the Parthenon.
The contribution of ``Executive Decision'' to the world of ``Speed'' and ``Die Hard'' knockoffs is the thought of a runaway plane that must be surreptitiously boarded in midair. So Russell's think-tank analyst and Seagal's commando are soon aboard a UFO-like aircraft with the hubcap look of ``Plan 9 From Outer Space,'' even if it's in fact a modified F-117 Stealth fighter.
Accompanied by a crew of actors with a careful ethnic mix (including John Leguizamo, B.D. Wong, Joe Morton and Oliver Platt, all offbeat choices that work), they mount a suction cup attack to the underside of the passenger plane and try to board it from underneath. What happens next is stark and genuinely shocking, at least within the context of how movies usually treat so-called movie stars.
Next the commandos are prowling through parts of the plane that most passengers never think about. And they're spying on the main cabin with high-tech toys, like mobile worm-sized cameras inserted in the ceiling and floor. The film's hardest job is sustaining tension in such a claustrophobic setting, but Baird manages that in a sturdy, no-frills way. His editing skills are especially apparent in the story's high-energy denouement.
Despite its dull and officious title, ``Executive Decision'' (written by Jim and John Thomas, the brothers who wrote the ``Predator'' movies) never brings on the president. Instead, it lets a Crisis Management Team call the shots on the ground.
That's probably just as well, since the skies are filled with more than enough personnel. Russell makes a debonair star and radiates alarm well, which is the main requirement of the job. Seagal, glowering enjoyably in what is only a supporting role, graphically demonstrates that less is more.
The film's window dressing includes one intrepid flight attendant played by Halle Berry and another played by Marla Maples Trump, cowering decoratively as Skyjack Barbie. J.T. Walsh has some acidly good moments as a senator who thinks he sees political opportunities in this sudden crisis.
David Suchet is effectively menacing as chief of the terrorists, unexplained Arab fanatics who draw on every known ethnic cliche. The Arab groups that protested unflattering stereotypes in ``True Lies'' have a stronger complaint about this.
EXECUTIVE DECISION
Directed by Stuart Baird; written by Jim Thomas and John Thomas; director of photography, Alex Thomson; edited by Dallas Puett, Frank J. Urioste and Baird; music by Jerry Goldsmith; production designer, Terence Marsh; produced by Joel Silver; released by Warner Brothers. Running time: 105 minutes.
With Kurt Russell (David Grant), Steven Seagal (Lt. Col. Austin Travis), Halle Berry (Jean), John Leguizamo (Rat), Oliver Platt (Cahill), Joe Morton (Cappy), David Suchet (Nagi Hassan), B.D. Wong (Louie), J.T. Walsh (Senator Mavros) Marla Maples Trump (Nancy)and Whip Hubley (Baker). ``Executive Decision'' is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It includes violence and profanity but no sexual references.
Showtimes and tickets from
777-FILM Online