Airborne

Airborne is a 1998 Canadian produced action thriller film co-written and directed by Julian Grant. It stars Steve Guttenberg, Sean Bean, Kim Coates, Torri Higginson and Colm Feore.

The movie is about the tribulations of a clandestine operation team recruited by the government to steal a deadly virus from a band of terrorists. Led by Commander Bill McNeil (Steve Guttenberg), the team confronts the thieves in a daring act of piracy and, after a standoff in mid-air, retrieves the deadly bottle. When two members of the team are subsequently murdered, McNeil suspects that the government might be behind the gruesome act. The team steals the virus back and becomes the subject of a deadly hunt by mysterious mercenaries.

Synopsis

A consignment of the world's most lethal biochemical weapon - SEREX - has been hijacked by a gang of airborne terrorists. Sent to storm the getaway plane at 35,000 feet, an undercover special forces squad known only as Mach One, succeeds in returning the virus to safe hands. But for their commander, McNeil, this is only the beginning...

Accused of being a double-agent and of conspiring with the terrorists, McNeil discovers his squad members have been targeted for assassination by an unknown enemy.

He has only one option - use the SEREX as bait to expose the conspiracy's real mastermind. But to do so means gambling with the deadliest virus known to man...

Background information and notes

• Airborne is promoted by some sites as playing off as a cross between Mission: Impossible and The Rock. Most USA DVD covers (Region 1) claim that it's a mixture of Air Force One and Turbulence. Some elements are clearly based on the premise of Broken Arrow and Executive Decision.