Executive Decision
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Movie Reviews of Executive Decision
Movie Review: Did real life terrorists get some ideas from this film?
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Good Action Flick! Nice Boeing 747 Images!
Summary: 5 Stars
1996's "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. 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. There are more than enough high-flying action sequences to keep your heart racing throughout this film's entire length of 133 minutes. I'm hoping there will be a sequel some day. A good title for that one would be -- "Another Executive Decision". :)
Did You Know? ...... That the Boeing 747 used in the ground shots for the film "Executive Decision" was the 332nd B747 ever to roll off the assembly line at Everett, Washington (USA)? It's a Boeing 747-200B Combi. Its "c/n" (construction number) is #21541. The big four-engined bird first flew on July 17, 1978, and was first operated by Kuwait Airways.
This 2-sided DVD was originally released by Warner Home Video in September 1997, which was a year and a half after the film debuted in movie theaters (it premiered on March 15, 1996). One side of the disc contains an attractive 2.35:1 Widescreen (Anamorphic) version; while a horribly-butchered Pan-&-Scan, Full-Frame (1.33:1) version that nobody on the right side on senility would ever watch in a million years (unless being ordered to do so by foreign terrorists) resides on the opposite side. Needless to say, the Widescreen side is the only one worth watching here. :)
Audio booms out nicely via the DVD's Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack. No special features are included here, other than some text notes.
"Executive Decision" is kind of a "guilty pleasure" type of a flick. It's pretty much way over the edge on the "realistic" scale, but fun nonetheless. And the characters are all likeable, with well-acted performances by the cast.
Movie Review: A Solid Action Thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
Though director Stuart Baird helped mangle the "Star Trek" franchise with the last "Next Generation" movie outting, his "Executive Decision" deserves a look by fans of the action genre. Kurt Russell plays a Jack Ryan-like intelligence operative swept into a covert assault on a hijacked airliner. Along for the ride are a crack team of commandos, played by such familiar faces as B.D. Wong, John Leguizamo, and Joe Morton, that tries to defuse a nerve gas bomb and rescue a plethora of hostages, including Halle Berry as a sympathetic flight attendant. Despite its similarities to "Die Hard" and "Air Force One" (and, eerily, some of the 9/11 goings-on), "Executive Decision" manages to establish itself as a unique effort through a combination of humanized characters and a plot that keeps ratcheting up the stakes. The movie is even gutsy enough to kill off Steven Seagal's character, who gets a nice John Wayne moment that is more salutory than most of his onscreen efforts. Fans of the "Poirot" mysteries may be surprised to see David Suchet as the villain here, but he deserves special note for taking a one-dimensional figure and giving him both menace and intelligence. Jerry Goldsmith provides a strong score, and though some airplane model work, especially at the end, is rather obvious, the film's production overall is suitably believable.Movie Review: Kurt Russell at his action-hero best
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, it's Die-Hard-on-an-airplane the way _Speed_ is Die-Hard-on-a-bus, _Under Siege_ is Die-Hard-on-a-battleship, and _The Rock_ is Die-Hard-at-Alcatraz. But it's a fine action flick and it beats the heck out of _Air Force One_.
I like Kurt Russell; to my mind he's never gotten the credit he deserves as an actor. And if (like me) you're not a big Steven Seagal fan, you'll be gratified to learn (about half an hour into the film) that he's _not_ the hero of the story.
This film probably couldn't have been made today. In the post-9/11 world, every moviemaker is carefully shying away from the 'Arab terrorist' stereotype; the screen adaptation of Tom Clancy's _The Sum of All Fears_ substituted neo-Nazis, and even the Gubernator took the safe route (using Columbian drug lords in _Collateral Damage_). But in fact, this script does a pretty good job of making clear that the head terrorist (David Suchet) is a loon who doesn't represent even the views of his collaborators, let alone those of the larger Arab/Muslim world.
Anyway, if you like a good action-suspense yarn, you'll like this one. Sure, parts of it are implausible, but less so than in lots of other good action films. And Russell makes an excellent hero.
Movie Review: The Most Brilliantly Executed Hi-Tech Thriller Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
This film should be required viewing in every film school in the country as a pitch-perfect example of how to structure a thriller,and how to execute it.The plot is deceptively simple:terrorists hi-jack a plane,and it's up to a covert team of operatives to rescue it.It's from this skeletal foundation that director Stuart Baird constructs an almost overwhelmingly suspensful film with climax that rocks.What really works well is the pacing(not surprisingly,director Baird is a veteran editor),so deliberate and logical at first,with no wasted shots of gratuitous fist-fights or side-tracking,that leads to the slam-bang finale.I won't give any of it away if you haven't seen it,I'll just say that this is probably the best made of all the modern "Die Hard" type films,and greatly benefits from a top-notch cast,led by a perfectly believable Kurt Russell.His brilliantly naturalistic performance draws you into the story,and gives the whole enterprise a sense of genuine urgency;it feels like it's happening to someone you know.Buy this film.It's riveting the first time,and holds up to repeated viewings which allow you to marvel at the amazingly skillful way this was put together.