Executive Decision (Widescreen/Full Screen): Amazon.ca: Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, Steven Seagal, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton, BD Wong, Len Cariou, Whip Hubley, Andreas Katsulas, Mary Ellen Trainor, Marla Maples, Stuart Baird, Jim Thomas, Joel Silver, John Thomas, Karyn Fields, Spencer Franklin: DVD

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Steven Seagal gets killed during the first 20 minutes of this enjoyable thriller, so the movie scores points for ingenuity because it immediately improves when you realize that Seagal's role is just a heroic cameo. That leaves Kurt Russell to star as an American intelligence expert who (due to Seagal's untimely demise) finds himself leading a strike force against Islamic terrorists who have seized in-flight control of a 747 jetliner with 400 passengers. It's not all that different from Air Force One, but the formula story perks right along with considerable suspense as Russell's cohorts (Oliver Platt, Joe Morton) try to defuse a chemical bomb that could wipe out (you guessed it) the entire Eastern seaboard. John Leguizamo plays one of the U.S. commandos attempting to stop the violent hijackers, and Halle Berry costars as a flight attendant who risks her life to assist Russell's rescue team. As action movies go, Executive Decision marked an impressive directorial debut for veteran film editor Stuart Baird. --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

55 Reviews

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (55 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars solid nail biting suspense flick with above average action sequences (3.5/5), Nov 3 2007

By

falcon "disdressed12" (canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Executive Decision (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

i had watched Executive Decision maybe 5 years ago and i remember
enjoying it then.however,i was more impressed this time.Kurt Russel
does a good job as on of the heroes of the piece.a great supporting
cast surrounds Russel.Halle Berry is very convincing in her role.
Steven Seagal makes an appearance,giving another one of his usual
wooden performances.thankfully he is not the star of the movie.there
are some great action sequences,but the film's focal point is more one
of dramatic suspense.and there are some nail biting moments.these are
handled very well by both the director and the actors.The bad guys are
well represented,all giving fine performances.The main villain is
played by brilliant actor David Suchet,who really inhabits his
character.you really hate this guy.There is not a lot of character
development,but that does not detract from the quality of the film.the
script is very tightly written,which helps to overcome the very
unlikelihood of the plot.the only other minor complaint i have is that
in some of the flying scenes,it is apparent that the scenes are
simulated.but this is a minor issue.overall an above average
suspense/action flick 3.5/5.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Excecutive Decision (1996), Jun 2 2004

By

The Tweeder "tweeder16" (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Executive Decision (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

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".

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3.0 out of 5 stars Better Than I Expecter, May 3 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Executive Decision (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

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.

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars i need a lobotomy
another terrorist movie....another waste of video.
the lead terrorist played by xxx is pretty good.....but thats about it. Read more

Published on April 21 2004 by brian

5.0 out of 5 stars Segal dies
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. Read more

Published on Mar 5 2004 by alcar