#StuartBaird

[adamwatchesmovies]

Executive Decision (1996)

I picked up Executive Decision solely because the title amused me. I was expecting junk but it proved to be a pleasant surprise. There are plenty of twists and tension throughout to keep you entertained.

When a Boeing 747-200 is hijacked by terrorists, Dr. David Grant (Kurt Russell) believes they are after more than just their leader's freedom. He suspects the plane will be used to unleash a deadly chemical agent when the hostages are released. He, along with a special ops team (which includes John Leguizamo, Joe Morton, BD Wong, Whip Hubley, and their leader, Steven Seagal) plan on sneaking aboard the Boeing before they make it into U.S. Airspace. Then, things go terribly wrong.

Bad guys take over a plane. Our hero and his entourage have to sneak around and take out the threat while the hostages are threatened. Outmanned and outgunned, the risks are high. This plot isn’t all that original. Stuart Baird nonetheless gives us enough new material to make it feel like its own thing. Firstly, it's a great setup. One wrong move and our heroes give away their position or get themselves killed. They only have a limited amount of time before the plane gets shot down by U.S. Navy Fighter Jets and then there’s that deadly chemical onboard. All on a plane. That means explosive decompression, running out of fuel, storms/turbulence, and your life in the hands of two pilots who have guns pointed to their backs. Your nerves are bent to the point of breakage.

There are also some nice touches added to give you that little bit of extra. Halle Berry plays a helpful stewardess. Her character is a lot of fun. Think our heroes are underdogs? She doesn’t have any weapons to defend herself with.

I've got to credit writers Jim and John Thomas for keeping the twists coming and making the most of this setup. When you think it’s over, it isn't. Not even close. I also have to tip my hat to a choice made with Steven Seagal’s character that blew me away. He's known for his ego so this was an unexpected turn. I was convinced that I was mistaken when I had just seen it with my own two eyes! Actually, this film makes great use out of all of its characters. Even Oliver Platt, who I had pegged as just comic relief, plays a much more important role.

All that said, 133 minutes is excessive. Just a bit, not a huge deal. The familiar story is also noteworthy, but not a sinking blow. I did feel uneasy about the choice of villains here though. I wish the baddies here were anything other than Middle-Eastern terrorists, particularly with David Suchet as their leader, and the multiple references to the Quran… it’s just a bit too much. You might let that one go as well but one thing's for sure: the love story tacked on at the end? Completely unnecessary.

Executive Decision contains big surprises, plenty of scenes to make your palms all clammy, and makes imaginative use of its location. It needed some trimming but that’s ok, few movies could be called perfect. I’ll give it a 3.5/5. Check it out. (Full-screen version on VHS, October 12, 2015)

[tahitianstarseed]

Great Movie👍When terrorists hijack a plane traveling from Greece to Washington, D.C., U.S. Army specialist David Grant (Kurt Russell) and Lt. Colonel Austin Travis (Steven Seagal) join forces to bring the plane to safety. While terrorists on board the plane claim they hijacked the plane to force the U.S. government to release their leader, who was captured by military forces, David and Austin discover that the plane is carrying a bomb full of nerve gas to be released on Washington, D.C. #excutivedecision #greatmovies #moviestowatch #netflixmovies #netflix #stevenseagal #kurtrussell #hallyberry #johnleguizamo #davidsuchet #oliverplatt #joemorton #bdwong #whiphubley #jtwalsh #stuartbaird #adventure #action #thriller #terrorists #military https://www.instagram.com/p/B4_mA7kH-Dm/?igshid=1kp2rygexymw

[scifitalk]

Star Trek Nemesis

[adafine]

Needed something to wash the taste out of my mouth after “Sleepy Hollow High” so I’m watching “Superman” in 4K. Perfect palate cleanser. #superman #christopherreeve #margotkidder #genehackman #marlonbrando #nedbeatty #jackiecooper #glennford #trevorhoward #jackohalloran #valerieperrine #terencestamp #phyllisthaxter #marcmcclure #sarahdouglas #richarddonner #mariopuzo #davidnewman #leslienewman #robertbenton #johnwilliams #geoffreyunsworth #stuartbaird #clarkkent #4kbluray #dccomics (at El Apartamento De Sweeney) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9cHYpLgM8c/?igshid=1c8rtbogukfx1

[thatsmovietalk]

Just Pinned to Movies on TMT: Executive Decision (1996) Directed by #StuartBaird Produced by #JoelSilver Starring #KurtRussell #HalleBerry #JohnLeguizamo #OliverPlatt #JoeMorton #DavidSuchet #StevenSeagal #ExecutiveDecision #Hollywood #hollywood #picture #video #film #movie #cinema #epic #story #cine #films #theater #filming #opera #cinematic #flick #flicks #movies #moviemaking #movieposter #movielover #movieworld #movielovers #movienews #movieclips #moviemakers #animation #drama #filmmaking #cinematography #filmmaker https://ift.tt/2UtKu1m

[adamwatchesmovies]

U.S. Marshals (1998)

U.S. Marshals is a spin-off of The Fugitive and if you compare the two, the original comes out on top. That doesn’t make this follow-up a bad film. The picture does everything right, but my being different, it becomes more conventional. Is that enough to dismiss a film with an entertaining plot, likeable characters, great performances, and spectacular bits of action? Not in my book.

When Mark Warren (Wesley Snipes) is arrested for an illegal weapons possession charge, he is linked to the murder of two government agents and sent on a plane to New York for sentencing. When an assassination attempt on Warren causes the plane to crash, he goes on the run. U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his team, accompanied by Special Agent John Royce (Robert Downey, Jr.) begin tracking the fugitive.

There’s no way Harrison Ford’s Dr. Richard Kimble would get framed for a murder and go on the run AGAIN but do you know who would get caught up in a big, exciting action plot? The U.S. Marshals who were after him. I wish more sequels would do this, particularly when they feature memorable characters like Sam Gerard and his team. It’s engaging because the characters we follow are fun. Every one of the U.S. Marshals is well developed, entertaining, likeable, and memorable. When they’re put in peril, you care about more than just Gerard. You care about Cosmo (Joe Pantoliano), Biggs (Daniel Roebuck), Newman (Tom Wood), and Cooper (LaTanya Richardson).

Written by Roy Huggins and John Pogue, the plot is nice and twisty. Snipes has a good number of big stunts and the mixes things up by adding Robert Downey, Jr.'s character on the team. It’s a great action movie that suffers because you can’t help comparing it to The Fugitive. That film spun cinematic conventions on their head. Instead of the guy on the run being an action star, he was just a regular guy who used his skills as a doctor to get the info he wanted. Instead of having the most obvious mystery (did he kill his wife?) as a hook to keep you interested, it made the entire film into a physical and mental hunt. The clues were not obvious except in retrospect. It’s a classic of the action genre. U.S. Marshals isn’t. It is more predictable in the sense that Wesley Snipes is capable of getting into gunfights and of jumping onto moving vehicles to get away; his involvement in the mystery is handled in a familiar way; the conclusion takes you by surprise, but it isn’t reinventing the wheel. If you take it on its own, it’s terrific. As a sequel, it’s a worthy follow-up by doing everything right.

U.S. Marshals excels at many things. It’s fast-paced, keeps you on your toes, features great special effects, and memorable stunts. The performances are excellent. In many action films, the characters are secondary. They’re tools to get us from one explosion or revelation to the next. That’s not the case here. It doesn't matter what these characters are doing; you'll be gripped. The biggest disappointment is not that U.S. Marshals isn't as good as The Fugitive - few pictures are. The letdown is that this picture didn’t get a sequel. (On VHS, September 30, 2016)