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The Delta Force

The Delta Force

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $11.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Reagan-era artifact strangely more relevant today
Review: Wow. I recently watched this one on cable recently, and must applaud the elements that make it a tremendous bad movie. One is the direction and production itself from that powerhouse duo--Golan/Globus. These guys have an amazing resume of 80s action films--they banged out about a dozen flicks a year during their prime. You'll be hard pressed to find filmmakers who more consistently made crowd pleasers by preying on paranoia (be it Russians invading, Arabs, 'Nam, street gangs taking over, or some other injustice), glorifying violence, giving us the revenge we crave, all the while casting credibility, writing, and acting to wind in favor of R-rated A-Team-esque violence.

If they ever make a War on Terror box set, The Delta Force would be a prime offering. This is a very curious cultural artifact from that genre of 80s action films that has disappeared. I'm betting the current administration owns a copy of this.

Where to begin? The story is about terrorism and the crack anti-terrorist group, Delta Force. Palestinian terrorists (note that Golan and Globus are Israeli) hijack a plane (taking advantage of that old standard in lax airport safety--Athens, Greece) and re-route it to favorite 80s locale Beirut. It's up to the Delta Force to stop them.

The cast? Brilliant. How many times will you find a movie with Lee Marvin, Chuck Norris (alumnus of numerous Golan/Globus outings), Joey Bishop(!), Steve James, and a variety of faceless actors playing sweaty and fanatical Arab terrorists who like to swear on Allah when being questioned? Also note Martin Balsam, who, a year previously, appeared in Golan/Globus' greatest contribution to mankind: Death Wish 3.

The early portions of the hijacking all recall the famous TWA hijacking of the previous year, and they play out decently in an attempt to echo reality, all so reality can be ripped up and thrown away later on.

What's really jaw-dropping is the ending. I first saw this film as a child, and then it seemed like the solid 80s action fair I expected, with heinous bad guys, bad-ass good guys, plenty of violence, and the bad guys getting theirs, but good. Upon recent viewing, whole new angles opened up. The final assault on the terrorists and the plane is stupefying. Norris drives a motorcycle straight from GI Joe, complete with nifty, sharp rockets in the front (that mysteriously reappear after being fired), tiny but eerily accurate machine guns, and some kind of rear-end firing grenade launchers that symbolize a metaphorical flatulence as Norris destroys the baddies with his back turned. Nice. The faintly pleasant and incredibly cheesy, heroic music pipes in at the end as low paid extras who refused to cut their hair for the film play Delta Force commandos who favor black knit ski caps in the heat of Beirut and issue orders like "C'mon, let's go!"

The oeuvre of Golan/Globus is begging for a critical re-examination, and arguably a boxed set. Hunker down with gems like this, Invasion U.S.A, Death 3(and 2 and 4) and Cobra, and watch in awe. The marriage of profit and cheap gratification is perhaps unmatched in the history of cinema.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not Always Believable, But I've Seen Far Worse
Review: It's been nearly eighteen years since THE DELTA FORCE was first unleashed, back in early 1986. Time has actually been good to this shoot-'em-up which, while it often seems like another standard issue good guys/bad guys action flick set against the fictional recreation of an actual 1985 TWA hijacking, actually manages to be quite tense and suspenseful much of the time.

Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin head up the elite Delta Force (which is an actual counterterrorist unit, though it has never been used in reality) as it is put into action following the hijacking of an American Travelways flight out of Athens, Greece. Onboard this plane, the hijackers, led by Robert Forster (a chilling performance from him here), demand the release of Palestinean political prisoners or they will blow the plane up. To ram home their point, they separate all the Jews onboard from the rest of the passengers and, when the Delta Force fails to nab them in Algiers, kill a U.S. marine (as actually happened in the '85 skyjacking).

But Norris and Marvin are not far behind. Although the film does become something of a conventional shoot-'em-up in its final forty minutes, THE DELTA FORCE turns out to be far better than most films of its ilk.

Complete with an all-star cast that includes Joey Bishop, Martin Balsam, George Kennedy, Susan Strasberg, and Shelley Winters, one is reminded to some extent of the all-star disaster films that were so successful during the 70s. But instead of being an encumbrance, this kind of casting actually keeps THE DELTA FORCE from degenerating completely into a comic-book bloodbath. Bo Svenson also gives a good performance as the ATW pilot. And Norris proved himself here to be a far better actor in such films than Schwarzenneger, Stallone, or Seagal could ever have dreamed of being.

But what really keeps the film on track is the presence of Marvin, THE veteran tough guy in Hollywood, who was making his last big-screen appearance here. His gaunt weariness and tough professionalism displayed here, as they were in films like THE DIRTY DOZEN, POINT BLANK, and BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK, are what made him a Hollywood legend in every sense of the word.

It's these things that make THE DELTA FORCE eminently watchable, even in this post-9/11 world. It's not always believable, but I've seen far worse.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: As American As Apple Pie
Review: Who do you call when arab terrorists(led by the white Robert Forster) hijack a plane and threaten the American way of life? You call the Delta Force, coz they'll make mincemeat out of those heathen hijackers! Yes, those saints at Cannon give us one of the most butt kickin', finger lickin', chicken pickin' action flickins of the 80s. The first half of the film is actually quite well done and suspenseful as we watch the events unfold on the hijacked airplane. After the plane lands and the Delta Force makes it's move, we're thrown headfirst into CannonLand, where the blood and carnage flow like wine. Chuck Norris is his invincible self, taking out whoever gets in his path with guns, fists and a motorcycle equipped with a built in machine gun(a Cannon favorite coz this ridiculous contraption pops up in other Cannon films). Lee Marvin kinda hangs back and directs the rescue, but soon becomes quite the butt kicker himself. If you missed it the first time around(which is impossible if you have TNT), it's not too late! Keep the bad action movie alive.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: one of the best
Review: i first saw this movie in kuwait when iraq invaded kuwait and all of us expatriates(i'm an indian) were stuck there.and believe me we really enjoyed this movie because of our situation then.acquiring this movie on DVD was something.but there are two disapointments.this DVD doesn't have a dolby digital 5.1 sound system.it's just a dolby surround 2.0 which makes the sound quality less and it's not widescreen.other than that the movie's perfect.i really enjoyed the terrorists getting creamed by the delta force.this will always be one of my favourite action movies.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Delta Force DVD rocks EXCEPT FOR ONE THING
Review: The Delta Force starring Chuck Norris is a great movie but the DVD lacks one crucial thing and that is thing is subtitles thorughout the film, whether they are translations for the bad guys or to let the audience know where they are, date and time.

The VHS version has them so why does the DVD lack something so important as to just what the hell the baddies are talking about, I honestly hope that MGM decides to fix this problem by re-releasing The Delta Force again on DVD with the missing subtitles and maybe even in widescreen.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: They don't negotiate with terrorists - they blow them away!
Review: Need another Eighties' film to reminisce about? Well, don't forget Menahem Golan's "The Delta Force." At first glance, this film might just appear to be another one of those assembly-line, action-adventure productions released by Cannon Films, but closer inspection reveals that this genre entry actually has some fascinating insights into the political landscape of the period and story elements that eerily resonate with events in the modern day.

After an airliner is hijacked by terrorists, Colonel Nick Alexander (Lee Marvin) is summoned and told to assemble his Delta Force team to deal with the situation. Just before leaving their home base, former member Major Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris) rejoins the team for the crucial mission. After an initial attempt to take the plane fails, the Delta Force is forced to play a waiting game before embarking on their second attempt. Finally, the terrorists are found and dealt with thanks to information provided by an informant. Eventually all of the remaining passengers who had not been previously released with the women and children are found and liberated.

"The Delta Force" was inspired by the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner and many of the scenes in the film were lifted from events that actually happened in the real world. While the fictional rescue of the passengers unfold in the best Hollywood wish-fulfillment manner, the film deserves special recognition for the authentic feeling of dread it produces in recreating the hijacking. You can almost taste the terror of the passengers as they are abducted and faced with the possibility of death. While Marvin, Norris, and Robert Forster as the lead terrorist, are all outstanding, the supporting cast of George Kennedy, Shelley Winters, Martin Balsam, Joey Bishop, Lainie Kazan, and Hanna Schygulla all perform admirably as the frightened hostages. In light of recent events, "The Delta Force" is as relevant as it was when it first came out. Watch it with a distinguishing eye and be surprised at just how insightful and enlightening it is.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Only 1 minor disappointment
Review: The only thing wrong with this DVD is that it is not in widescreen. Otherwise this is as close as you can get to a perfect action movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Drop-dead laughter
Review: By far, the most stupid movie I have ever seen in my entire life. I was literally dying of laughter when the opening credits were going. My God! Watch this if you want to laugh your ... off. Otherwise don't bother with a silly, panzy, half-... job of trying to make a home movie gone bad.

(By the way, if there were anything below a 'one-star' I would give it like [-]500,000 stars)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: 5 Star film 3 star DVD
Review: This is without a doubt my favorite Chuck Norris flick. The film also stars the late great Lee Marvin as Colnel Nick Alexander. The film is loosely inspired by a 1985 hijacking that much I know (I was only 7 when it happened). The film has a "happy" ending but I do think that the film is overly long at 2HRS 8MINS. The dvd is lacking in a widescreen format (only fullscreen) the region 2 dvd is widescreen No subtitles only English but only when the baddies are speaking Arabic?? I think they also translated the tower when the plane was hijacked so the subtitles for that are a plus. The sound is a little soft in places. MGM need to remaster this it is a good dvd that replaces my old worn out vhs video but there is room for improvment. The bike and dune buggies were cool too I want one. I got Delta Force for under $10 so I'm happy as pie oh the music by Alan Silvestri is one of my favorite film scores (soundtrack reissue anyone?)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: one of the best chuck norris films
Review: this is a verry good norris movie i think his second best film
(best film is lone wolf mcquade)the action is verry good , and chuck is in realy top condition also a good part of lee marvin
the dvd looks real good , good clear picture and a verry good sound for a 16 year old movie.
this one you must buy if you are a chuck norris fan.


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