Executive Decision (1996)

Director:

Stuart Baird

Writers (WGA):

Jim Thomas (written by) &
John Thomas (written by)

Release Date:

15 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Fasten your seat belts

Plot:

When terrorists seize control of an airliner, an intelligence analyst accompanies a commando unit for a midair boarding operation.

Plot Keywords:

Dead Stewardess | Washington D.C. | High Heels | Dead Women In Uniform | Airplane Hijack

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Kurt Russell	...	Dr. Phil. David Grant
Steven Seagal	...	Lt. Colonel Austin Travis
Halle Berry	...	Jean, Flight Attendant
John Leguizamo	...	Captain Rat
Oliver Platt	...	Dennis Cahill
Joe Morton	...	Sergeant 'Cappy' Matheny
B.D. Wong	...	Sergeant Louie
Len Cariou	...	Secretary of Defense Charles White
Whip Hubley	...	Sergeant Baker
Andreas Katsulas	...	El Sayed Jaffa
Mary Ellen Trainor	...	Allison, Flight Attendant
Marla Maples	...	Nancy, Flight Attendant (as Marla Maples Trump)
J.T. Walsh	...	Senator Mavros
Ingo Neuhaus	...	Doc
William James Jones	...	Catman

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Malaysia:(Banned) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Netherlands:16 | USA:R (certificate #34433) | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Chino Airport, Chino, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Like Stargate (1994), this movie features a small military team sent into a dangerous and unprecedented situation along with a small number of civilian specialists. In that movie, Kurt Russell was the military team leader; this time he's a civilian.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the indicated time of year, the nights in London are over 10 hours long and twilight lasts about 35 minutes. A scene set at Gatwick Airport about 2 hours before the hijacked plane arrives in Washington takes place in darkness, which is correct if it was about sunset at the time of hijacking. But the takeoff time from Gatwick referred to is about 6:30 am, long after sunrise, and indeed we see this plane flying in daylight, still before the hijacked plane reaches Washington.

Quotes:

Allison, Flight Attendant: [getting into the plane elevator to the lower deck] I'm going to the Pit. See you in DC!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006) (V)

one word: dynamite!

Slam-bang thriller is an intense, pulse-pounding thrill ride from beginning to end. Russell stars as a smart but inexperienced intelligence analyst who's given the task of a lifetime when he, along with a group of rugged special forces commandos, must board an American 747 in mid-air after it's hijacked by ruthless international terrorists. It's a race against time as they must not only ensure the safety of all the passengers, but retake the plane before it can reach the U.S. eastern seaboard. Swift direction, exciting, skillful action sequences, endless suspense, and rock solid performances make this wild ride of a movie a definite must for action fans. ***