30 Years Ago, This Kurt Russell Action Movie Made A Ballsy Move That Still Holds Up Today

The 1980s and 1990s were a golden age for Hollywood action movies. They came in all shapes and sizes: low-budget exploitation ("The Exterminator"), mid-range vehicles for B-level stars (anything with Charles Bronson), and blockbuster-level extravaganzas. That last category came loaded with risks, even if your lead was one of the biggest stars in the world. Sylvester Stallone tripped up with bombs like "Assassins." Arnold Schwarzenegger misfired with "Last Action Hero." And Bruce Willis failed to pack 'em in with "Last Man Standing."

"Executive Decision" hit theaters in the spring of 1996 facing a unique conundrum. The "'Die Hard' on a plane" riff had already been done to profitable effect with the Wesley Snipes-led "Passenger 57," but "Predator" screenwriters Jim and John Thomas outfitted their script with a bold twist that would either hook audiences or send them headed for the exits. The movie was sold as a two-hander: Kurt Russell stars as Dr. David Grant, a U.S. Army Intelligence advisor who joins a Special Ops team led by Steven Seagal's Lieutenant Colonel Austin Travis to defuse a bomb planted by Chechen terrorists on a Boeing 747. There's just one, pretty big hitch: They have to dock with the plane via a stealth jet and deposit Grant and the soldiers on the Boeing without raising the suspicions of the hijackers.

That, amazingly, is not the twist. Moviegoers who bought their tickets hoping to see Seagal show off his martial arts expertise were in for a huge surprise: 40 minutes into the film, when the docking operation goes south due to turbulence, Seagal sacrifices himself to ensure everyone else gets on board the plane. Audiences responded positively, though the film wasn't as big of a hit as expected.

If you're familiar with Steven Seagal's filmography, you know that the guy prefers his characters to brutally dispatch bad guys in lopsided fights. In his prime, it was rare for an opponent to lay so much as a finger on him. So, it was a shock when he consented to an onscreen death early in a movie sold in part on his presence (though the moment was, in retrospect, heavily teased in the film's trailer).

While Seagal was cool with dying heroically, he balked at the manner of his death, which found his head exploding when the docking portal came unmoored from the Boeing. Instead, we see his body fall out of the portal mid-air.

A good number of critics dug this twist (Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave the film two thumbs up), while audiences signaled their approval by giving the movie an A- Cinemascore. I think "Executive Decision" is a terrifically tense studio action flick boosted by a stellar supporting cast that includes Halle Berry, Joe Morton, John Leguizamo, and David Suchet, along with taut direction by legendary film editor Stuart Baird. And yet, it only grossed $122 million at the global box office against a $55 million budget.

"Executive Decision" opened in second place behind the wildly popular "The Birdcage." This wasn't a complete surprise. Kurt Russell playing a tuxedoed intellectual went against his tough-guy type, while Seagal's popularity was on the wane. It's too bad because the movie is really an ensemble piece that plays like a less jingoistic "The Delta Force." If you've never seen "Executive Decision," it's currently available to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV. So, go ahead and treat yourself to one of the 1990s' most underrated action movies.