In 1997, former American NINJA Michael Dudikoff and director Rick Jacobson so thoroughly ripped off the previous year's EXECUTIVE DECISION that it's hard to imagine how they avoided a lawsuit. A decade later, Steven Seagal returned the favor by blatantly remaking Dudikoff's BLACK THUNDER as FLIGHT OF FURY. Whatever the dynamics behind this odd reciprocation between stars, Dudikoff/Jacobson's offering is actually the sincerer form of flattery, for despite its knockoff status, it's a pretty serviceable adventure – a little too light on the action for my taste, but excelling in most other important areas.
The story: When a terrorist unit hijacks an airliner and threatens to detonate a devastating chemical weapon over America unless their demands are met, the designer of the weapon (Dudikoff) joins a Special Forces team to board the plane mid-flight and neutralize the threat.
I never thought I'd see the day when Michael Dudikoff becomes a cooler guy than Kurt Russell, but it happens in this film: Dudikoff and Russell play virtually the same role in their respective films, and the former's infinitely more active and able take on the part is the one way that COMMAND decisively outshines DECISION. Rick Jacobson's lively direction and maximization of resources helps a lot, making for a movie that's smaller-scaled than its original but no less professional-looking and, arguably, more fun. A great cast that includes Amanda Wyss, Paul Winfield, and Jsu Garcia keeps the plot energized and upbeat, thereby creating a tone that's fairly breezy for an action-thriller.
The always-welcome Richard Norton plays the terrorist leader, and in addition to being a fun menace, he helps supplies the movie's action highlights via three hand-to-hand fights with Dudikoff (one of them is even good). Other than that, the adrenaline scenes are limited to a handful of gunfights, including several ill-advised ones on the plane. The film leans disproportionately on the latter aspect of its action-thriller label, and I consider this a bad idea given that it's not nearly as serviceable of a nail-bitter as the movie it's aping. The fun characters help keep viewers involved, but there's nothing here in terms of excitement that you won't find anywhere else.
The movie teeters on a higher rating from me. I have a feeling that fans of Dudikoff will consider this one a favorite, but I could have used a bit more substantial action. Nevertheless, I can't speak too strongly against this one, and thus I'll give it an unenthusiastic recommendation: catch it on TV or lift it from the bargain bin.
