action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
directed by
Frédéric Forestier
Frédéric Forestier (born 1969) is a French director.
Filmography
Director
* 1993 ''Paranoïa'' (short film)
* 1997 '' The Peacekeeper''
* 2002 ''Le Boulet'' - More than 3 million ticket sales in France.
* 2005 ''Les Parrains'' - More than ...
, and starring
Dolph Lundgren
Hans Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957), better known as Dolph Lundgren, is a Swedish actor, filmmaker and martial artist. His breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in '' Rocky IV'' as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, Lu ...
,
Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin (May 22, 1940 – April 17, 2011)
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting ...
. The film follows
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
Major Frank Cross, who is the only man who can prevent the president being assassinated. He must also prevent an impending
nuclear holocaust
A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear Armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes globally widespread destruction and radioactive fallout. Such a scenar ...
. The threat is from a terrorist group, which has stolen the President's personal communications computer; it has the capability of launching the U.S. arsenal. The film was shot on location in the city of
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
.
Plot
United States Air Force Major Frank Cross is in trouble with the "brass" again, after making an unauthorized humanitarian relief flight, dropping sacks of rice to starving
Kurds ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ira ...
. The press considers him a hero, requiring him by the President's side during his election campaign and thus preventing the Pentagon from court-martialling him.Pulocker /ref> Instead, they assign him to carry the "black bag", the President's high-tech briefcase containing the "go codes" and communications computer for launching America's nuclear ICBM arsenal in case of a national emergency.
However, on his first day on the job in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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a team of mercenaries manages to steal the black bag. Cross, however, manages to fake his death and infiltrate the mercenaries. Thinking they have seen the last of him, they fly with a helicopter from the rooftops of Chicago into the night sky and onwards to their final target: United States Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Facility K-7. A disguised Cross slips into the missile silo as the team murders the silo personnel and takes over the launch control using the secret codes contained in the black bag.
They are led by ex-Marine Colonel Douglas Murphy, whose unit was sent to kill Saddam Hussein during an undercover operation in Iraq before Operation Desert Storm and was then exterminated by the President, who was Army Chief at the time, for political reasons. Driven by revenge, he launches a terrifying warning shot and sends a Peacekeeper nuclear missile that destroys
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: ''Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe'', or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakot ...
, killing thousands. Only then does Murphy make his chilling demand: unless the President kills himself in front of a live television audience,
Washington D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
will be destroyed.
All attempts to stop one of the missiles from leaving the silo fail. Finally, the President gives in to Murphy's demand, only to realise that Murphy lied to humiliate him, so that he then should helplessly watch Washington be destroyed as Murphy helplessly had to watch his unit be destroyed against his will by the President. At the first opportunity, however, Frank acts against the terrorists and, with the help of the last surviving member of the silo, Lt. Colonel Northrop, he is able to kill the mercenaries and prevent the destruction of Washington in the nick of time.
Cast
*
Dolph Lundgren
Hans Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957), better known as Dolph Lundgren, is a Swedish actor, filmmaker and martial artist. His breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in '' Rocky IV'' as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, Lu ...
as Major Frank Cross
*
Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin (May 22, 1940 – April 17, 2011)
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting ...
as President Robert Baker
*
Christopher Heyerdahl
Christopher Heyerdahl (born September 18, 1963) is a Canadian actor who portrayed Alastair in ''Supernatural,'' the Wraith Todd in ''Stargate Atlantis'', Sam in '' Van Helsing,'' "Swede" in ''Hell on Wheels,'' and Marcus in '' The Twilight Saga ...
as Hettinger
* Allen Altman as McGarry
* Martin Neufeld as Decker
* Monika Schnarre as Jane Cross
* Michael Caloz as Billy Cross
* Tim Post as Nelson
* Carl Alacchi as Holbrook
* Chip Chuipka as Davis
* Roc LaFortune as Abbott
* Gouchy Boy as Robinson
* Phil Chiu as Kong
* Michel Perron as Space Command Controller
*
Serge Houde
Serge Houde (born February 16, 1953) is a Canadian film and television character actor.
He is best known for his role in Jon Cassar's Emmy-nominated miniseries '' The Kennedys'' playing the notorious Chicago mafia boss Sam Giancana opposite Tom ...
as Secretary of Defence
* David Francis as Major General Harding
*
Vlasta Vrana Vlasta may refer to:
*Vlasta (given name) Vlasta is a woman’s name. The Slavic base of the word, vlast, means ''homeland''. It is also the short form of the masculine names Vlastimil and Vlastislav.
Name Day
*In the Czech calendar: ''December ...
as General Douglas
* Frank Fontaine as General Greenfield
* David Nichols as General Joseph
* Mark Camacho as Presidential Aide #1
* Susan Glover as Presidential Aide #2
* Larry Day as Secret Service Agent Maxwell
* Alan Fawcett as Secret Service Agent Samuels
* Philip Pretten as Secret Service Agent Clark
* Andy Bradshaw as Secret Service Agent Johnson