Extreme Ops
Release Date:
November 27, 2002
This production was originally known as The eXtremists, but has recently switched off to the current title. We haven't been able to confirm if there was a problem with the syndicated TV show of the same name or not. Michael Zaidan makes his feature-film debut with the screenplay for this film, based on a story by Timothy Scott Bogart and Mark Mullin.
The movie is about a film crew that travels to the Austrian Alps near the border with the former Yugoslavia. They are planning to film three extreme-sports enthusiasts trying to outrun an avalanche for the ultimate Superbowl commercial. However, they don't realize that they're filming near the secret hideout of a Serbian war criminal. They accidentally catch him on film and end up in a life-and-death chase through the mountains. From there, this movie becomes a stuntman's paradise. They try to elude him with skiing, white-water rafting, snowboarding, and vehicles including helicopters and motorcycles.
Production took place in early 2001 on this picture. The filming occurred in such extreme-sports locations as the Rocky Mountains and the Austrian and Swiss Alps. Other shooting happened in Vancouver and Berlin. The budget of the film has been reported as $40 million. One other production note: Producer (and professional skier) Werner Koenig was killed in an avalanche while scouting locations for this film in Switzerland, eerily much like the plot of the film. (Marty Doskins/BOP)
