Daylight (1996)
Daylight (1996), directed by Rob Cohen and starring Sylvester Stallone, is a high-stakes disaster thriller set primarily in the Holland Tunnel, which connects Manhattan to New Jersey beneath the Hudson River. The film opens with a routine day in New York City as commuters, tourists, and workers enter the tunnel. Among them are a group of criminals attempting to escape with stolen diamonds, a vacationing family, a theater troupe, and other everyday citizens.
Disaster strikes when the criminals’ van collides with a truck carrying toxic waste. The impact causes a massive explosion that ignites a chain reaction, collapsing both ends of the tunnel and trapping a group of survivors in the middle. The blast damages the tunnel’s structure, cutting off communication and threatening imminent flooding and suffocation due to rising toxic fumes.
Kit Latura (Sylvester Stallone), a disgraced former Emergency Medical Services (EMS) chief now working as a taxi driver, is nearby when the explosion occurs. Using his knowledge of the tunnel system and rescue procedures, Kit makes a daring decision to enter the collapsed tunnel through a ventilation shaft. Despite resistance from emergency authorities, he climbs down into the crumbling infrastructure, determined to save the survivors.
Inside, tensions rise among the trapped group, who are injured, scared, and running out of hope. Kit takes charge, using his experience and leadership to calm the group and guide them toward a potential escape route. Among the survivors is Madelyne Thompson (Amy Brenneman), a struggling playwright dealing with her own emotional turmoil. She becomes a key emotional anchor and ally to Kit during the ordeal.
As the conditions worsen—fire, rising water, structural collapses—Kit must make tough decisions to ensure as many people survive as possible. The group navigates a series of life-threatening challenges, including narrow passageways, sudden floods, and collapsing debris. Kit sacrifices opportunities for his own safety to help the group, showing bravery and resourcefulness.
In a final desperate act, Kit risks his life to blow open a path to the riverbed, enabling the group to escape through the water. Though presumed dead, he miraculously survives and is pulled to safety along with the others.
Daylight is a suspenseful, action-packed film that emphasizes themes of courage, redemption, and the human instinct to survive against overwhelming odds. It delivers intense sequences and emotional moments, with Stallone portraying a flawed but heroic figure determined to make a difference, even at great personal cost.
