The Peacekeeper

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Peacekeeper is a 1997 action movie directed by Frédéric Forestier, starring Dolph Lundgren, Michael Sarrazin, Montel Williams, and Roy Scheider. The story follows U.S. Air Force Major Frank Cross, the only person who can stop the president from being assassinated and prevent a nuclear disaster. A terrorist group steals the President’s high-tech briefcase that holds the launch codes for America’s nuclear missiles. Cross, who has clashed with the military brass, is assigned to guard the President, but the terrorists grab the bag on his first day in Chicago.

Cross fakes his own death to pursue the mercenaries. They escape by helicopter toward a missile silo. Inside, the mercenaries kill staff and take control of a launch using the codes in the bag. Their leader is ex-Marine Colonel Douglas Murphy, who seeks revenge against the President.

Murphy fires a warning shot and launches a Peacekeeper missile that destroys Mount Rushmore and threatens Washington. He tries to force the President to kill himself on live TV, but Cross, with help from Lt. Colonel Northrop, fights back, defeats the mercenaries, and stops the attack just in time, saving Washington.

Production notes: Filmed in Montreal, Canada. Budget about $16 million. Running time 98 minutes. Language: English. Release date December 12, 1997. Distributed by October Films.

Reception: AllMovie gave it 2 out of 5 stars, calling it a solid Canadian direct-to-video action film with Die Hard–like elements. Some later critics praised early parts of the movie.