Take "Die Hard II" for plot, add a touch of "Hunt for the
October" for characters and mix with the "Lethal Weapon"
romantic element such as it is, and you have Joel Silver's latest venture,
"Executive Decision". Since he produced "Die Hard II"
and all three of the "Lethal Weapon" series it isn't too surprising
to find him in the midst of another action adventure movie with the potential
to become a franchise and to push Kurt Russell into the ranks of the Stallone/Schwarzenegger
gang. Russell is the Jack Ryan sort of character, the intelligence analyst
who finds himself face to face with Islamic extremists, deadly nerve toxin
and Halle Berry, the courageous flight attendant. Steven Seagal is the
leader of the Special Forces team that is rather improbably lifted into
the belly of a 747 in flight. I won't even mention what my Navy pilot,
airline pilot husband said about that little maneuver. While Jim and John
Thomas may not have written the most believable plot, or the best dialog,
they did manage a lot of suspense and action. And Silver's selection of
Stuart Baird, his editor and second-unit director on "Last Boy Scout",
"Demolition Man" and plenty of other action flicks is certainly
justified. Baird's directorial debut shows that he has learned from Silver's
pacing. All in all, the R rated show is enjoyable for the testosterone
audience it is aimed at.
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