Broken Arrow

"Prepare to go ballistic."

1996 1h 48m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 1,753

ActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When rogue stealth-fighter pilot Vic Deakins deliberately drops off the radar while on maneuvers, the Air Force ends up with two stolen nuclear warheads -- and Deakins's co-pilot, Riley Hale, is the military's only hope for getting them back. Traversing the deserted canyons of Utah, Hale teams with park ranger Terry Carmichael to put Deakins back in his box.

“Prepare to go ballistic.”

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Cast

John Travolta
Vic Deakins
Christian Slater
Riley Hale
Samantha Mathis
Terry Carmichael
Delroy Lindo
Colonel Max Wilkins
Frank Whaley
Giles Prentice
Bob Gunton
Pritchett
Howie Long
Kelly
Jack Thompson
Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Woo
Writers: Graham Yost
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Woo, shot by Peter Levy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Hutshing shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Travolta and Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Prepare to go ballistic.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Woo directs. Peter Levy behind the camera. Hans Zimmer scores. Joe Hutshing cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 3.0× over at the box office.
330 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by John Woo, shot by Peter Levy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joe Hutshing shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7John Travolta and Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Prepare to go ballistic.".
9IMDB entry: tt0115759 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 27 themes, including "canyon", "helicopter", "underground", "river".

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Levy
Original score: Hans Zimmer
Editing: Joe Hutshing
Production design: Holger Gross
Costume design: Mary Malin
Makeup / hair: Susan V. Kalinowski
VFX supervisor: Peter Crosman
Sound: Chris Carpenter
Stunt coordinator: Brian Smrz
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $50,000,000
Box office: $150,300,000
Return: 301% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Broken Arrow (1996)

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John Woo

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What people are saying

AlfaVitaY2K2026-06-08
★ 10/10
Rating 10/10 John Travolta and Christian Slater star as Air Force pilots in this loud, stylish, and relentlessly entertaining blockbuster. The film is packed with spectacular helicopter action, intense chases, brutal hand-to-hand fights, and John Woo’s signature flair for balletic gunplay and over-the-top set pieces. It’s big, dumb, fun inventive escapism with strong lead chemistry, massive scale, and 90s practical-stunts energy. Not the deepest movie ever made, but it delivers exactly what it promises with original plot. Broken Arrow is part of the "Big Four" '90s Action Movies. Broken Arrow is the first entry in an unofficial quartet of extemely entertaining, big budget action blockbusters with original plots from 1996–1997 that defined the era: Broken Arrow (1996) The Rock (1996) Con Air (1997) Face Off (1997) These four movies share the same DNA: huge explosions, charismatic movie-star performances, inventive plot premises, and maximum entertainment value. John Travolta and Nicolas Cage became unexpectedly action superstars through this run, powering these films with their larger-than-life screen presence and turning them into cult classics of action movies from XX century.

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