| Director | Mark L. Lester |
|---|---|
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $57.5 million |
In upstate California, former United States Army Special Forces colonel John Matrix is informed by his former superior Major General Franklin Kirby that unknown mercenaries have killed all the other members of his former unit. The assassins attack Matrix's secluded mountain home and kidnap his young daughter, Jenny. While trying to intercept them, Matrix is tranquilized and abducted by the mercenaries, led by Bennett, an ex-member of Matrix's team discharged for excessive violence. Bennett had faked his death and is now working with the mercenaries as revenge against the latter. Matrix is taken before their commander, Ernesto Arius, a former South American dictator whom Matrix removed from power. Arius blackmails Matrix into carrying out a political assassination in his home country of Val Verde, where he wishes to lead a military coup.
With Jenny's life on the line, Matrix seemingly agrees to fulfill the demand. After boarding a flight to Val Verde, Matrix kills his guard, Henriques, and jumps off the plane just as it is taking off. Realizing that Arius will kill Jenny, regardless of whether or not he does the job, and approximately 11 hours before the plane is scheduled to land, Matrix sets out after Arius's associate, Sully. Matrix enlists the aid of an off-duty flight attendant named Cindy, whom he saw Sully harass, and instructs her to follow Sully to a shopping mall. Cindy initially assumes that Matrix is a madman, but after seeing Sully pull a gun on Matrix in the ensuing shootout during which Sully's contact is killed, she promises to assist him in his endeavor. After a lengthy car chase, Matrix catches up with Sully and interrogates him on Jenny's whereabouts by dangling him over a cliff face. Sully tells Matrix that Cooke understands Jenny's whereabouts and Matrix drops him off the cliff to his death. After taking a motel key from Sully's pocket, Matrix goes to the motel where Cooke, a former Green Beret in Arius's employ, is staying. The two fight until Matrix impales Cooke on a table leg. He then attempts to interrogate Cooke on Jenny's whereabouts but Cooke dies before he can answer.
With evidence discovered in Cooke's car, Matrix and Cindy break into a nearby warehouse owned by Arius that supplies weapons for his army. They learn where Jenny is being held after tracing Arius's island (San Nicolas Island) base using a coastal region map. Matrix breaks into a surplus store to equip himself with military weaponry, but is arrested by the police. Cindy helps him escape, and after commandeering a seaplane from a nearby Arius-controlled marina, Matrix and Cindy land the plane off the coast of Arius' island hideout. Matrix instructs Cindy to contact General Kirby and then proceeds to Arius's villa, killing Arius and his army. Jenny escapes to the villa's basement but is eventually recaptured by Bennett. Matrix tracks them down, and after a lengthy showdown, Matrix finally kills Bennett by impaling him with a steam pipe. Kirby arrives with a military detachment and asks Matrix to rejoin the unit, but Matrix declines and departs the island aboard the seaplane with Jenny and Cindy.