

A daring prison break from an airliner at 30,000 feet leaves U.S. Marshal Pete Nessip mourning a brother and gunning for revenge. After being ordered to turn in his badge, he seeks out Jessie Crossman, a noted skydiver, and offers to sponsor her crew for the annual Independence Day parachuting show in Washington, D.C., if she trains him. Meanwhile, the mastermind behind the mid-air jailbreak is planning a daring computer theft on Independence Day.
Practical Effects
Real skydivers filmed actual freefall sequences—no greenscreen cowards here
Stunts
Mid-air plane transfers and terminal velocity fights still slap
Acting
Gary Busey as unhinged villain Ty Moncrief—career peak unhinged

Director
John Badham
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director John Badham insisted on real skydivers for all major sequences; Wesley Snipes did limited jumps but most close-ups use doubles.
This film rode the early-90s extreme sports wave alongside Point Break, directly inspiring actual skydiver recruitment spikes in 1994-95.