Executive Decision
Directed by	Stuart Baird
Produced by	Karyn Fields Spencer Franklin Steve Perry
Written by	Jim Thomas John Thomas
Starring	Kurt Russell Halle Berry John Leguizamo Oliver Platt Joe Morton David Suchet and Steven Seagal
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Released	March 15, 1996
Running time	134 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Executive Decision is a 1996 action film released on Friday, March 15, 1996. Image File history File links Executive_Decision. ... Stuart Baird is a British film editor, producer, and director who is mainly associated with action films. ... The name Steve Perry might refer to any of the following: Steve Perry (musician), the former lead singer of the band Journey. ... James Jim Thomas is a screenwriter living in California. ... Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951 in Springfield, Massachusetts) is an American actor. ... Halle Berry on the cover of Vogue (Dec 2002). ... John Leguizamo (born July 22, 1964 in Bogotá, Colombia), is a Colombian-American comedian, actor and producer of partial Puerto Rican extraction currently working in the Hollywood film industry. ... Oliver Platt as The West Wings Oliver Babish Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian film and television actor. ... Joe Morton (born October 18, 1947, New York, New York, USA) is an African-American stage, television, and movie actor. ... David Suchet as Hercule Poirot (foreground) David Suchet (born May 2, 1946) is a British actor best known for his television portrayal of Agatha Christies Hercule Poirot. ... Steven Seagal (born April 10, 1950) is an action movie actor, musician, holy man, 7th-dan black belt in aikido, and founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. ... The WB Shield used from 2003 to present day Warner Bros. ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Action movies usually involve a fairly straightforward story of good guys versus bad guys, where most disputes are resolved by using physical force. ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ...

Synopsis

The film opens with a raid on a Chechen mafia safehouse by an American commando team whose objective is to recover a stolen Soviet nerve agent, DZ-5. The raid is unsuccessful, and one of the commandos is killed. The commandos are led by Lieutenant Colonel Austin Travis (Steven Seagal). The so-called Chechen mafia, or Obshina (Russian: ОБЩИНА, meaning community), is one of the largest and most important organized crime groups operating in the former Soviet Union. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... Steven Seagal (born April 10, 1950) is an action movie actor, musician, holy man, 7th-dan black belt in aikido, and founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. ...

We are introduced to Dr. David Grant, who is taking a flying lesson and nervous about flying on his own for the first time. Later, at the office, he is informed that the world's most feared terrorist, El Sayed Jaffa (Andreas Katsulas), has been taken into custody. It has been suggested that Terrorist be merged into this article or section. ... Andreas Katsulas Andreas Katsulas (May 18, 1946 – February 13, 2006) was an American actor best known for his roles as Ambassador GKar in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, and as the one-armed villain Sykes in the film The Fugitive (1993). ...

Oceanic Airlines Flight 343 takes off from Athens. Soon after, the 747 is hijacked by Jaffa's number two man, Nagi Hassan, and a number of Jaffa's men. In London, a suicide bomber blows up a London restaurant, and the American embassy is notified by one of Jaffa's men using a tape recorder playing into a public telephone. The bombing is meant to underscore Hassan's seriousness. The logo of Oceanic Airlines (Lost). ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα Athína IPA ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world. ...

Back in Washington, we see Dr. Grant as a bit of a ladies man as he attempts to charm a woman at a party with a pair of hockey tickets. His efforts are thwarted, however, as he is interrupted by news of the hijacking.

On the plane, an air marshal hides his gun in an ankle holster. Flight attendant Jean (Halle Berry) notices the words "ARMED AIR MARSHAL" on the passenger manifest, and hides it from Hassan in order to keep him from finding out about the air marshal. Halle Berry on the cover of Vogue (Dec 2002). ...

Dr. Grant heads over to the Pentagon, where he and several Pentagon officials, including Colonel Travis, listen to Nagi Hassan demand the release of Jaffa. Dr. Grant, however, does not believe Hassan wants Jaffa released. He believes that Hassan actually arranged for Jaffa's capture, that the hijacked plane is carrying a bomb loaded with DZ-5, and that Hassan wants to detonate the bomb over U.S. airspace, killing 40 million citizens. In geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. ...

Back on the plane, Hassan addresses a man revealed to be US Senator Mavros, a potential presidential candidate. The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ...

At the Pentagon, a plan is worked out that will involve a mid-air transfer on a commando team onto the hijacked airliner using an experimental aircraft. The plan is approved, and Colonel Travis assembles his commando team at Andrews Air Force Base. They board with Dr. Grant and engineer Dennis Cahill (Oliver Platt). Much to Cahill's dismay, Travis insists that the engineer come with them when they board the airliner. Andrews Air Force Base (ICAO code KADR) is a United States Air Force base near Washington, DC, the home base of Air Force One and SAM FOX. // Location The base is a few miles southeast of Washington, in Prince Georges County, Maryland. ... Oliver Platt as The West Wings Oliver Babish Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian film and television actor. ...

The boarding process is complicated by the fact that the pilots and terrorists on the plane are unaware of the presence of the commandos. When the 747 attempts to gain altitude, the commando's aircraft is forced to break away. Most of the team makes it over, but Sergeant "Cappy" Matheny is seriously injured and Colonel Travis is caught between the two planes and killed, but not before he manages to close the plane's hatch. The commando team quickly set up in the 747's lower deck.

Because of the botched transfer, military command on the ground does not know whether or not the commandos made it on board. A carrier group has been ordered to intercept the plane and shoot it down over the Atlantic if necessary, killing over 400 passengers on board.

Hassan forces the copilot down into the lower deck to investigate a malfunction caused by the transfer. While down there, he sees the commandos and almost gives their presence away, but recovers and tells Hassan it is merely a fried circuit. In the lower deck, Cahill and Grant reveal that if they fail in their mission before the plane enters US airspace in 3 hours and 50 minutes, the Pentagon will order the plane shot down. With limited options, the commandos begin to search for the supposed DZ-5 bomb. In the cockpit, the copilot quietly mentions to the captain that he saw American soldiers in the lower deck.

As the team discreetly moves through the structure of the plane, setting up cameras that peer into the cabin and searching for the bomb, Senator Mavros' aide encourages the Senator to negotiate with the terrorists, as it will greatly enhance his public image if he is successful. Suddenly, Jean spots Dr. Grant in the elevator of the plane as he is moving between decks. He signals for her to keep quiet. Hassan approaches and grows suspcious, but finds nothing. Jean manages to steal a page from a book in Hassan's coat, which diagrams the blast radius of the bomb over Washington D.C. Senator Mavros, meanwhile, approaches Hassan in an attempt to open a dialogue with him. The team finds the bomb, and Dr. Grant comments that there is "enough nerve agent to wipe out half the eastern seaboard."

On the ground, officials decide to release Jaffa in order to resolve the situation. In order to be set free, Jaffa must convince Hassan to land the plane in a remote location, whereby the terrorists will be given passage to a nation of their choice. Jaffa agrees to try and convince Hassan, "in the interests of peace."

Cappy, although injured, starts examining the bomb. Cappy is immobile, so the team must enlist the help of a reluctant Cahill to tamper with the bomb's arming device, which is barometrically activated. While Cahill and Cappy work together to disarm the bomb, Grant and the other commandos get ready to storm the plane and take out the terrorists. After a few tense moments, Cahill seemingly disarms the bomb, but suddenly someone runs a system test on the bomb and it is revealed that there is another trigger. The team is forced to abort.

Jaffa calls Hassan from a private jet, telling him he is free, but Hassan will not be swayed from his plan, saying "Our destiny is to deliver the vengeance of Allah into the belly of the infidel." Hassan's second-in-command takes exception to this, and the two get into a heated argument. Hassan shoots him. Grant realizes that only Hassan knows about the bomb, none of his men do - which means that whoever ran the system test is not one of Hassan's men, but a sleeper - one passenger among 400.

Cahill determines that in order to disarm the bomb, they have to bypass the primary power sources by adding a power source of their own. He sets to work with Cappy on the task. Meanwhile, Grant enlists the help of Jean in order to find the sleeper. As he explains the task to her over the plane's interior communications system (find a passenger with a small electronic device), Hassan discovers her but again his suspicions are allayed. Jean moves through the cabin, handing out magazines and newspapers. She stops at the air marshal's seat, quietly whispering, "They're here," and pointing at a headline about American soldiers. As Jean helps a lady with her medication, she spots a man with an electronic device. While the man's face is not revealed, she takes down his seat number, 21K, and informs Grant.

Cahill and Cappy seem to be making progress disarming the bomb, until Cahill makes a mistake and the bomb does not detonate. They realize the electronics they have been working on are simply decoys; the real bomb is underneath. Outside, fighter jets arrive demanding that the 747 divert course. Grant and the commandos realize they are about to be shot down, and frantically work out a way to communicate with the jets using the plane's taillights and Morse code. 1922 Chart of the Morse Code Letters and Numerals Morse code is a method for transmitting information, using standardized sequences of short and long marks or pulses — commonly known as dots and dashes — for the letters, numerals and special characters of a message. ...

In the tense cockpit, Hassan calls on Senator Mavros to negotiate away the planes, but instead of letting the Senator talk, Hassan shoots him and threatens the death of one passenger every minute unless the plane is allowed to stay on course. With no other choice, the fighters get ready to shoot the 747 down, but the Morse code message comes through just in time, and the fighters back off just in time. The team is granted 10 minutes to do their job. Captain Rat gives Cahill and Cappy 5 minutes to finish disarming the bomb before the commandos storm the plane. Cappy protests that it will take a lot longer than 5 minutes, but Grant simply tells him to "do the best job he can."

Grant contacts Jean again and tells her to take the elevator down to the lower deck. When she comes back up, Grant is with her with a gun to her back, posing as a terrorist. He takes the man in seat 21K by surprise, but what Jean thought was an electronic device was merely a case of diamonds. Frantic, Grant looks around and spots the real sleeper: Jean-Paul Demou, the man who built the bomb.

Grant fires at him, but misses. One of the terrorists attempts to fire at Grant, but is shot by the air marshal. At that moment, the commandos storm the plane, and a firefight ensues. Demou manages to enter the code to detonate the bomb, but at that moment, Cahill disarms it and the detonation fails. One of the terrorists, in a fit of rage, fires randomly and blows a hole in the side of the plane. As the plane spirals out of control, Cahill and Cappy struggle to retain control of the bomb. Finally, the pilots manage to bring the 747 back intro control, and they receive clearance to land at Dulles International Airport. Aerial photo Washington Dulles International Airport (IATA airport code IAD, ICAO airport code KIAD) serves the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. ...

In a last-ditch attempt, Hassan kills both pilots, hoping the bomb will detonate if the plane crashes. Although Hassan is killed, Grant is forced to attempt to land the 747 despite his limited piloting experience. He misses the Dulles runway, but recognizes the airfield where he normally practices flying and decides to try there. With Jean's assistance, he makes a sloppy but relatively safe landing.

On the ground, the team says their goodbyes, and it is clear the commandos have developed a newfound respect for Dr. Grant. Although called to the Pentagon, Grant invites Jean along for a cup of coffee. As they drive away, Grant asks Jean if she likes hockey...

Cast

• Kurt Russell as Dr. David Grant
• Steven Seagal as Lt. Colonel Austin Travis
• Halle Berry as Jean
• John Leguizamo as Captain Rat
• B.D. Wong as Sergent Louie
• Oliver Platt as Dennis Cahill
• Joe Morton as Sergeant 'Cappy' Matheny
• David Suchet as Nagi Hassan
• Andreas Katsulas as El Sayed Jaffa

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951 in Springfield, Massachusetts) is an American actor. ... Steven Seagal (born April 10, 1950) is an action movie actor, musician, holy man, 7th-dan black belt in aikido, and founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. ... Halle Berry on the cover of Vogue (Dec 2002). ... John Leguizamo (born July 22, 1964 in Bogotá, Colombia), is a Colombian-American comedian, actor and producer of partial Puerto Rican extraction currently working in the Hollywood film industry. ... B.D. Wong in L&O:SVU B.D. Wong (Chinese: 黃榮亮; Hanyu Pinyin: ; born October 24, 1962) is an openly gay American actor who has had roles in All American Girl, Oz, Jurassic Park and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. ... Oliver Platt as The West Wings Oliver Babish Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian film and television actor. ... Joe Morton (born October 18, 1947, New York, New York, USA) is an African-American stage, television, and movie actor. ... David Suchet as Hercule Poirot (foreground) David Suchet (born May 2, 1946) is a British actor best known for his television portrayal of Agatha Christies Hercule Poirot. ... Andreas Katsulas Andreas Katsulas (May 18, 1946 – February 13, 2006) was an American actor best known for his roles as Ambassador GKar in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, and as the one-armed villain Sykes in the film The Fugitive (1993). ...

Crew

• Director: Stuart Baird
• Producers: Joel Silver and Karyn Fields
• Screenplay: Jim Thomas and John Thomas
• Score: Jerry Goldsmith
• Editors: Dalls Puett, Frank J. Urioste, and Stuart Baird
• Production Designer: Terence Marsh

Stuart Baird is a British film editor, producer, and director who is mainly associated with action films. ... Joel Silver (born July 14, 1952) is a successful Jewish-American Hollywood film producer. ... James Jim Thomas is a screenwriter living in California. ... Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was a famous Jewish-American film score composer from Los Angeles, California. ... Stuart Baird is a British film editor, producer, and director who is mainly associated with action films. ...

Box office

• US Gross Domestic Takings: US $56,569,216
• International Takings: $65,400,000
• Gross Worldwide Takings: $121,969,216

The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... The United States dollar, or American dollar, is the official currency of the United States. ...

Trivia

• This film is also known under the name Critical Decision, for the Belgian market; the German title was Einsame Entscheidung. Steven Seagal's image was on the cover, despite being a minor character, due to his popularity in Europe.

• Originally developed at Paramount, the studio put the project in turnaround and sold to Warner Bros in exchange for the rights and screenplay to Forrest Gump. Executive Decision was considered a hot project while Forrest Gump was going through multiple problems with the script and casting.

• The story bears some similarity to a GI-Joe comic book story in which an airliner is hijacked by terrorists who wish to crash into a chemicals factory and release a cloud of toxic gas. The same comic featured a story in which a hijacked flying wing bomber is rescued by a smaller plane docking in midair.

• Oceanic Airlines is a fictional airline often used in action movies and TV series involving ill-fated airplanes. Some scenes of this film were used in other films and TV series.

• The film received full cooperation from The Pentagon. One alteration to the screenplay was the removal of the President of the United States; his part in the story was taken by the Secretary of Defense played by Lou Cariou. This makes the title appear less relevant since it refers to the decison the President must make to shoot down the plan; in the finished film, the president never has to make that decision.

• Kurt Russell is a pilot in real life.

• The Frank Sinatra song "It's Nice to Go Trav'lin" is played over the end credits.

• The film spawned a number of cheap imitations about plane hijackings and forced boardings (e.g. Strategic Command (1997), with Michael Dudikoff).

• It is the only film in which a character played by Steven Seagal actually dies.

Look up Paramount on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Paramount can refer to: Paramount, California, a city in Los Angeles County Paramount Pictures, a motion picture company Paramount Records, a record label United Paramount Network (UPN), a television network in the United States, owned by Viacom Inc. ... In film production, turnaround is the process where the rights to a project one studio has developed are sold to another studio in exchange for the cost of development. ... The WB Shield, used from 2001 to late 2003. ... Forrest Gump is the name of the lead character of the 1985 novel Forrest Gump by Winston Groom, and of the 1994 Paramount Pictures film based on the novel. ... G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed action figure (3 3/4 inches tall) that was supported by a Marvel Comic and a popular cartoon television show that ran in the 1980s. ... // Definition Northrop YB-49 flying wing. ... The logo of Oceanic Airlines (Lost). ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... A pre-9/11 view of The Pentagon, looking east with the Potomac River and Washington Monument in the distance. ... The presidential seal was used by president Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense, concerned with the armed services and The Secretary is a member of the Presidents Cabinet. ... Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951 in Springfield, Massachusetts) is an American actor. ... The word pilot has several meanings: In aviation, a pilot, also known as an aviator, is someone who flies an aircraft. ... The neutrality of this article or section may be compromised by weasel words. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. ... Michael Dudikoff is an American actor. ... Steven Seagal (born April 10, 1950) is an action movie actor, musician, holy man, 7th-dan black belt in aikido, and founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. ...

External links

• Box office information
• Executive Decision at The Internet Movie Database