Kurt Russell and Old Mobil

Kurt Russell

 

 

Escape From L.A.

Actors : Kurt Russell, Steve Buscemi, Stacy Keach, Peter Fonda, Cliff Robertson

Kurt Russell reprises his role as Snake Plissken, of the near-future thriller Escape from New York, in this reworking of that film's basic premise. Instead of New York being a maximum-security prison, this time it's L.A., which through the agency of earthquakes has become an island of the damned. This penal colony is where the film's future rulers, something very like the Moral Majority, send those deemed guilty of "moral crimes." But something has gone wrong in this new moral order, because the President's daughter has absconded to L.A. with a detonation device, and Snake is commandeered to retrieve it. The film's dark dystopia, with its satrical elements taking aim at our dwindling freedoms, and the eclipsing of democracy by narrow interests, are more the subject this time. As a result the action suffers, and the plot devices are sometimes weak and predictable. But just below the surface there is a coiled Snake ready to strike. Steve Buscemi's performance as a weasely hawker of L.A. tour maps is a standout, and the presence of Peter Fonda and Pam Grier adds to the fun. In fact, just the sight of Fonda surfing down the flooded corridor of Sunset Boulevard is reason enough to check this movie out. --Jim Gay

Executive Decision 1996

 

Executive Decision

Actors : Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, Ray Liotta, Madeleine Stowe

Despite Steven Seagal's imposing presence in this enjoyable thriller, Kurt Russell turns out to be the real star as an American intelligence expert who finds himself leading a strike force against Islamic terrorists who have seized in-flight control of a 747 jetliner with 400 passengers. It's not all that different from Air Force One, but the formula story perks right along with considerable suspense as Russell's cohorts (Oliver Platt, Joe Morton) try to defuse a chemical bomb that could wipe out (you guessed it) the entire Eastern seaboard. John Leguizamo plays one of the U.S. commandos attempting to stop the violent hijackers, and Halle Berry costars as a flight attendant who risks her life to assist Russell's rescue team. As action movies go, Executive Decision marked an impressive directorial debut for veteran film editor Stuart Baird. --Jeff Shannon

Unlawful Entry 1992

 

Unlawful Entry

Actors : Kurt Russell, Ray Liotta, Madeleine Stowe, Roger E. Mosley, Ken Lerner

Kurt Russell is firmly on the ground yet surrounded by danger when he plays suburbanite Michael Carr in Unlawful Entry, a thriller that taps into fears about criminals hiding behind badges. Ray Liotta plays a cop who insinuates himself into the lives of Carr and his attractive wife (Madeleine Stowe), and director Jonathan Kaplan (The Accused) ramps up the tension as protector turns predator, imperiling those he's sworn to defend. Powerful suspense!