Cast: Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton, David Suchet, B.D. Wong,
Steven Segal
Director: Stuart Baird
Producers: Joel Silver, Jim Thomas, John Thomas
Screenplay: Jim Thomas and John Thomas
Cinematography: Alex Thomson
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
Kurt Russell as James Bond? Well, not quite, but, in Executive Decision, it's not far off. As David Grant, PhD, Russell looks dashing and debonair in his tux as he sneaks on board a hijacked airplane to put pay to the bad guys. Using a mixture of brains and brawn, he performs some tricks that would make Sean Connery proud. The result is just the kind of tightly-scripted, well-paced white-knuckler that's needed to alleviate the late winter doldrums.
When it opens, Executive Decision looks suspiciously like a Steven Segal film. The stone-faced action hero portrays Lt. Col. Austin Travis, commander of an anti-terrorist operations unit. Fortunately, however, this isn't a Segal movie -- in fact, those expecting a heavy dose of the Under Siege martial arts master will be disappointed, since he's only on screen for about a quarter of the picture.
David Suchet, best known to American audiences for his television portrayal of Agatha Christie's unflappable Poirot, plays the dastardly bad guy here, an Islamic fanatic named Nagi Hassan who hijacks a 747 bound from Athens to Washington D.C. On board are 406 passengers and a cache of nerve gas that, if it reaches the United States, could wipe out the Northeast. It's up to the anti-terrorist squad, led by Travis and Grant, to thwart the hijackers. To that end, they make use of the new, super-secret military plane that allows them to board the 747 undetected, while in flight. Then, the war of nerves begins...
Obviously, Executive Decision is a Die Hard wannabe, right down to the final shot, which is lifted almost directly from Die Hard 2 (although the closing song is "It's Nice To Go Travelin'", not "Let It Snow"). Unlike Speed, it's not a great clone, but it's still pretty good. While first-time director Stuart Baird lacks the slickness of John McTiernan and the artistry of John Woo, he's effective at building and maintaining tension. Executive Decision isn't a start-to-finish string of shoot-outs and standoffs. In fact, barring a few fast-paced sequences, there's not that much action. Instead, this film relies on a growing sense of impending disaster to bring its audience to the edge of their seats.
Russell plays an effective action hero -- more upscale than Bruce Willis' John McClane and more animated than Segal. Joe Morton, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, and B.D. Wong are solid as the U.S. commandos, although, admittedly, not a whole lot of acting is demanded from them. Halle Berry is vastly underused as a helpful flight attendant, as is J.T. Walsh as a politically-ambitious senator. Sadly, Suchet isn't all that impressive. One of Executive Decision's most glaring weaknesses is that the bad guy lacks charisma.
It's refreshing to see a group of heroes who are as smart as their opponents, don't blunder around while attempting the rescue, and aren't bickering amongst themselves. Although Grant isn't a military man, he doesn't have to spend three-quarters of the film earning the others' respect; once they realize that he has a plan, they follow him without question.
Executive Decision certainly isn't quantum physics or advanced philosophy. It doesn't have a message, it's not overly-concerned with character development, and a fairly rigorous suspension of disbelief is mandatory. But, for uncomplicated excitement, the film offers a solid one-hundred thirty minutes. Perhaps the best testimonial I can give is that time passes quickly during Executive Decision, which is more than can be said for too many of the routine action movies that litter the marketplace.
© 1996 James Berardinelli