[1] The film's main themes include the theft of two American nuclear weapons, the attempts of U.S. military authorities to recover them, and the feud between Travolta and Slater's characters.

Major Vic "Deak" Deakins and Captain Riley Hale, pilots from Whiteman Air Force Base, are flying a stealth bomber with two B83 nuclear bombs on a secret exercise.

A USAF team led by Chief Master Sergeant Rhodes is sent to find the missing warheads, and a "Broken Arrow" situation is declared.

Rhodes tries to disable the warheads, but is killed by the other search team survivor, Master Sergeant Kelly, who is a mole for Deakins.

Hale and Carmichael carjack the Humvee carrying the warheads, escaping to a nearby abandoned copper mine.

After a gun battle deep in the mine, Deakins shortens the countdown of the armed warhead while leaving Hale and Carmichael trapped.

The resulting nuclear electromagnetic pulse downs an approaching NEST helicopter, allowing Deakins to escape.

Hale sabotages the helicopter's fuel pump, causing it to explode and leaving Deakins and Kelly stranded with the ticking bomb.

Hale sneaks up on them during their bickering and kicks Kelly out of the boxcar to his death before engaging in a gun battle with Deakins.

Hale eventually overpowers Deakins despite losing a boxing match at the start, acquires the remote detonator, disarms the warhead, and leaps out of the train.

An expanded double-disc limited set of the music score was released by La-La Land Records in February 2011.

[2][3][4] The famous riff from "Rope-A-Dope" was played by guitarist Duane Eddy, who Zimmer brought in for the entire Broken Arrow scoring session.

And it was great fun.“ He concludes by: “My intent was just make the film fun, when there's no real story to tell.“[6] In July 1993, it was reported that 20th Century Fox had made a deal with Speed screenwriter Graham Yost for his next script later revealed to be Broken Arrow and also produced by Speed producer Mark Gordon.

Six weeks of filming on the forty mile track were required to capture all the stunts, helicopter action, gun battles, high falls and special effects sequences.

[16] Ebert called it "a slow, talky action thriller that plays like a homage to the Fallacy of the Talking Killer."