Bullet Points: Strategic Command
Some might call 1997’s Strategic Command too predictable, but I like to look at it another way… Strategic Command met all expectations. Plus, this straight forward action flick starred Michael Dudikoff!
- MicBRObiologist: Michael Dudikoff plays Dr. Rick Harding, a former Marine who now develops chemical weapons for the FBI. One night while working late at the lab, Harding is interrupted by the sound of alarms ringing throughout the facility. A group of terrorists led by a man named Carlos Gruber (Hans’ cousin???) have infiltrated the high security facility thanks in part to an eye in a jar (the eye belonged to a high ranking military official with an equally high level security clearance). Harding stops what he is doing to find out what the hell is going on and realizes somebody has stolen the Bromax 365, a chemical weapon when inhaled eats a person from the inside out! While the terrorists engage in a shootout with the Military Police assigned to guard the lab, Rick manages to find Carlos Gruber (Richard Norton, Cyber Tracker) as he is trying to flee the facility and the two tangle… six minutes in and we are getting Michael Dudikoff vs. Richard Norton!?! The fight is short lived and Gruber manages to get away with his team and the Bromax 365.
- Bad Intentions: Now that Carlos Gruber is in possession of the Bromax 365, he can begin the second phase of his evil and elaborate plan. Gruber and his minions plan on sneaking on to an airplane that is transporting the Vice President of the United States, Charles Baker (Michael Cavanaugh, The Enforcer) to a summit meeting in China. Once on the plane they will plant a deadly combination of Bromax 365 and C4. If Gruber’s demands are not met, he will detonate the C4 and unleash Bromax 365 over the city of Los Angeles, killing millions in the process. Gruber gets on board by posing as a camera man for the news team that will be interviewing Vice President Baker on the trip and with some help from a blackmailed Secret Service agent Jack Haynes (Larry Poindexter), the rest of Gruber’s team is snuck aboard via giant crates in the cargo hold.
- Put Me In Coach: When Gruber calls the FBI with his demands… Dr. Rick Harding is adamant that he is included in the anti-terrorist team that is going to go in and try to stop Gruber… but Harding doesn’t want to go on the mission because of a sense of duty to his country, Harding’s wife Michelle is on the plane! Michelle is a TV producer and is producing the interview that will air on her network and now she finds herself right in the middle of it all! Harding’s boss Rowan (Paul Winfield, The Terminator) green lights it against his better judgment. Something that does not sit well at first with the leader of this mission, Captain Rattner (Jsu Garcia or as he was billed in the film, Nick Corri).
- Stealth Fighter: How in the world is this anti-terrorist team going to get on board of the plane carrying the Vice President, the Bromax 365, Harding’s wife and Gruber and his goons and remain undetected? With a stealth fighter of course! With Harding on the plane there are some things I was expecting… #1) He’ll make a believer out of Captain Rattner… #2) We’ll get a proper Harding/Gruber showdown… #3) He’ll save his wife… #4) Harding will have to land the plane!
There was definitely some strategy involved when Strategic Command was being cast. Casting Michael Dudikoff as the hero in a movie is always a good idea. Giving Dudikoff a formidable foe in the form of Richard Norton was another good idea. And surrounding the main protagonist and antagonist with a quality supporting cast is never a bad idea.
- AKA: Strategic Command is also known as Executive Command.
- Reunited: Strategic Command reunited two sets of actors from some 80’s favorites… Michael Dudikoff and Larry Poindexter appeared together in American Ninja 2: The Confrontation… Amanda Wyss and Jsu Garcia famously appeared together in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street.
- If You Ever: …wanted to hear Bryan Cranston refer to Richard Norton in disguise as “Bob Goulet”, then this is the movie for you.
- Familiar Place: The western division headquarters of the FBI looked an awful lot like the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant. At this point I have lost track of how many movies I have seen the Tillman Reclamation Plant in.
- Familiar Faces: There was one pleasant surprise in Strategic Command, Bryan Cranston played the pompous primadonna reporter who was scheduled to interview the VP… In one of his early action roles, Tim Abell (Storm Trooper) played one of Gruber’s goons, Dino.
