Lamont Dixon (Griffin)is a tugboat captain assigned to deliver and install an oil rig to a well head a few miles off the coast of San Diego. Along for the ride is Eric (Andrews), a little boy, to whom Dix is legal guardian. While Dixon and his crew wait upon the rig for an alignment, the environmental protesters shadowing them use a fire as an excuse to abandon their Earthwatch boat and board the rig, where they grab stashed weapons and take control. Their leader identifies himself as Michael Kittredge (Jones). He has planted enough of his own people on board to outnumber legitimate crew. He claims to want Tymerco Oil to suspend all ocean drilling. He locks up Dixon's crew - unaware that Dixon is still free - and contacts Tymerco Oil CEO William Heller, who calls the FBI, who set up shop at Tymerco Plaza. While FBI Agent Reed (Fox) ponders why "environmentalists" would go to such extravegant and violent extremes, Dixon frees his crew (only to see them shot,) finds and loses Eric, dodges gunfire, is knocked into the water in a helecopter, and ascends back into the rig.
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Reed enlists an Admiral to send in Navy Seals, but they fail to penetrate the rig, thanks to an informant betraying her every move. Saving the day is up to Dixon and Jamal (Meyer), a "terrorist"/"undercover federal agent" who is really neither, and whom neither side is completely sure can be trusted.
As the goons celebrate the arrival to the rig of a huge box, Reed discovers that the real Kittredge, a legitimate environmentalist, is dead; and that the man impersonating him is criminal freelancer Talbert Skyler. Jamal begins to deduce Skyler's real plan when he recognizes what the goons remove from the box; an Electromagnetic Pulse Generator, capable of permanently obliterating any unprotected electronics within a six mile radius; also capable, if launched from high enough, of destroying the entire state of California. With this erasing all records, Skyler's hackers can transfer billions of dollars from California banks without a trace.
Goon Uli fires it up. The launch sequence is committed. Jamal is not in sight. Skyler has Eric in his clutches. And the Admiral, impatient to just take the rig out and be done with it regardless who's on board, has set an air strike in motion. Can Dixon still prevail?
The review of this Movie prepared by vjm
