I saw EXECUTIVE DECISION soon after its first release and remember being disappointed by the experience. I was a teenager back then and hoping for a ton of DIE HARD-on-a-plane style action, which I didn't get; even worse, the film was missold to me as a Steven Seagal movie, and the poor guy gets bumped off half an hour in. I wasn't impressed, and spent the rest of the film sulking.
Watching it some twenty years later, time has been kind to this film. It's actually better for NOT being another DIE HARD clone; there's a ton of suspense inherent in the premise of the guys having to hide from the terrorists and stay hidden for much of the running time. Sure, the bomb plot is done to death and Oliver Platt isn't a great actor, but everything else works nicely, particularly the direction which maximises every drop of tension from the narrative. Stuart Baird is best known for his work as an editor but also did U.S. MARSHALS, which I loved as well.
To say too much about this film's plot would be to spoil it, but it works nicely. Kurt Russell isn't bad as the hero but is outshone by almost everyone else, apart from the poor Halle Berry. David Suchet's villain is a scary one, but I liked the characters of the special forces team best. Joe Morton does injured very well again after TERMINATOR 2; John Leguizamo supplies attitude and a good tough guy demeanour; B.D. Wong has more screen time than JURASSIC PARK. Even J.T. Walsh is present in a minor role. The action, when it hits, is exciting stuff, and the film is only occasionally cheesy which is a surprise - it was the 1990s, after all.
Watching it some twenty years later, time has been kind to this film. It's actually better for NOT being another DIE HARD clone; there's a ton of suspense inherent in the premise of the guys having to hide from the terrorists and stay hidden for much of the running time. Sure, the bomb plot is done to death and Oliver Platt isn't a great actor, but everything else works nicely, particularly the direction which maximises every drop of tension from the narrative. Stuart Baird is best known for his work as an editor but also did U.S. MARSHALS, which I loved as well.
To say too much about this film's plot would be to spoil it, but it works nicely. Kurt Russell isn't bad as the hero but is outshone by almost everyone else, apart from the poor Halle Berry. David Suchet's villain is a scary one, but I liked the characters of the special forces team best. Joe Morton does injured very well again after TERMINATOR 2; John Leguizamo supplies attitude and a good tough guy demeanour; B.D. Wong has more screen time than JURASSIC PARK. Even J.T. Walsh is present in a minor role. The action, when it hits, is exciting stuff, and the film is only occasionally cheesy which is a surprise - it was the 1990s, after all.