Executive Decision (released in theaters on March 15, 1996), directed by Stuart Baird, is a taut, intelligent action thriller that wisely focuses on suspense and intricate planning over simple spectacle. The film successfully manages to keep audiences on edge by confining the action to a massive 747 airliner, boasting an impressive ensemble cast led by Kurt Russell and featuring a surprising early-act twist with Steven Seagal.
The central crisis begins when Oceanic Flight 343, a commercial Boeing 747 traveling from Athens to Washington, D.C., is hijacked by a group of Chechen terrorists led by the ruthless Nagi Hassan (David Suchet).
Hassan demands the release of a captured terrorist leader and threatens to detonate a nerve gas bomb on the plane, which he claims is powerful enough to wipe out much of the Eastern Seaboard if his demands aren’t met.
The U.S. government quickly mobilizes, bringing together two key men: Dr. David Grant (Russell), a brilliant intelligence analyst who specializes in Hassan’s terrorist cell, and Colonel Austin Travis (Seagal), the commander of an elite US Army Special Forces unit.
Grant advises that Hassan’s demands are a cover for a deeper, more catastrophic plot.
An unconventional and incredibly risky plan is hatched: a stealth military plane, the “Remora,” will dock with the underside of the 747 mid-flight to allow the Delta Force team to secretly board and neutralize the terrorists.
Grant, despite his lack of field experience, is ordered onto the mission due to his knowledge of Hassan.
The team, including Sergeant Campbell “Cappy” Matheny (Joe Morton), Captain Carlos “Rat” Lopez (John Leguizamo), Staff Sergeant Louie Jung (B.D. Wong), Sergeant 1st Class Michael Baker (Whip Hubley) and Aeronautic Engineer Dennis Cahill (Oliver Platt), executes the mid-air transfer.
However, a mishap during the docking results in the sudden elimination of Colonel Travis, leaving the non-combatant analyst Dr. Grant in charge of the mission with the surviving Delta team.
Forced to act as a stealth operative, Grant must work with Jean (Halle Berry), a courageous flight attendant who serves as the team’s eyes and ears on the main deck.
They race against the clock to locate the bomb and stop Hassan before the plane lands and the terrorists can execute their true, devastating plan.
Senator Jason Mavros (J.T. Walsh) is among the passengers on the plane and attempts to use the hijack to his political advantage.
Mary Ellen Trainor, Marla Maples, Nicholas Pryor, Andreas Katsulas, Juan Fernandez, Charles Hallahan, Richard Riehle, Eugene Roche and Ray Baker round out the supporting cast.
Halle Berry and Kurt Russell in Executive Decision (Photo/Warner Bros.)
Reception for Executive Decision
Executive Decision grossed $12.1 million on its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office.
The film would gross $122.1 million worldwide.
Roger Ebert gave Executive Decision three out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
Executive Decision is best remembered for its shocking early twist involving Seagal, a masterstroke of marketing and narrative structure that instantly signals to the audience that no character is safe, ramping up the stakes immediately.
Its legacy is that of one of the most intelligent and effective high-altitude thrillers of the 1990s, offering genuine suspense in a genre often reliant on explosions.
