Delta Force Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1986

Delta Force was inspired by the 1985 hijacking of a TWA passenger plane and sets forth to provide a fictional recreation of the event. Since the potent duo of Golan and Globus (Cannon Films) was responsible for this high-adrenaline flick, it should come as no surprise that eventually American tough guy icons such as Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin and Steve James are unleashed on the heartless terrorists, setting the stage for some excessive and entertaining 80's action.

During the opening moments/credits of the film viewers are subjected to a quick action scene where Captain Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris) bravely rescues a fallen compatriot, despite orders from his commanding officer, Col. Nick Alexander (Lee Marvin), to disengage from the battlefield. The scene doesn't really contribute anything to the movie… I suppose it's there just to prove the loyalty and heroism of those within the Delta Force.

Then the movie kicks into high gear as a pair of Palestinian terrorists led by Abdul (Robert Forster) hijack an American airline departing from Athens, Greece. Watching the two take control of the airplane is both shocking and captivating, for the hijack is handled with such realism and respect that we can almost imagine being in the passengers' situation. The terrorists are clearly evil and violent men, but like true humans there are occasional shades of humanity that flicker through, such as when one gently gives a young, frightened girl her doll. This decision to make the terrorists human rather than cardboard cutouts lends the scenes a strong intensity unmatched by typical 80's action faire.

The President of the U.S. calls in the Delta Force, an elite counter-terrorism branch of the Army, to address this threat. With the assistance of Israeli intelligence, the U.S. Special Forces track the Palestinian terrorists and their American hostages to Beirut, culminating in a daring rescue filled with swarms of bullets, bloodshed and explosions.

Ironically, although Delta Force is clearly billed as a high-testosterone action film, it's the excessive action itself that drags the movie's intensity down a notch. The first half of the film is so powerful, tense and well executed that

In fact the first hour is so strong that the latter half of the film almost becomes a disappointment in comparison. There is no doubt audiences at this point are looking for the big payoff where the Americans take down the terrorists and win the day, but it's done in such an over-the-top fashion that it almost seems as if the film has a split personality. Whereas I applauded the depth and rabid humanity granted to the terrorists in the first hour, all such character building is ended in the second half when the Delta Force and terrorist armies face off. The Palestinians are depicted purely as crazed martyrs that wish to take America down, whereas the Delta Force are depicted as stereotypical invincible 80's action stars.

Now I should say that although some disappointment with the way the second half was executed is evident above, by no means was it done poorly. I'm a huge fan of mindless 80's action, and you'll see plenty of that in Delta Force. Were this standard 80's action faire from start to finish I wouldn't have a thing to criticize, in fact, but since there was a noticeable shift in the film's direction midway I was left wondering how strong this movie would have been had it maintained its gritty realism to the end.

That said, when you're looking for frenetic action flicks they just don't get much better than Chuck Norris' offerings. His roles never change much from movie to movie, but who cares? He gets the job done with his portrayal of an elite Delta Force commando stomping any terrorists that dare threaten the lives of Americans. Lee Marvin performs well as his grizzled counterpart. The 80's may have been the twilight of Marvin's life, and it shows in this movie, but he still managed to pull through one more memorable tough guy performance before passing away a year later.

Robert Forster rises above all others with his depiction of Abdul, the cold, calculated and dangerous leader of the terrorist organization that commandeered the plane. His character carries himself with a certain dignity and calmness, but it's clear that a murderous ferocity lies underneath the surface just waiting to strike at his foes. What is most impressive most of all is that Forster, a white American actor, actually performed better as a Palestinian terrorist than those with Middle East backgrounds.

Delta Force is a remarkable movie with a cast of renowned actors too numerous to mention in this review. The sudden shift in the film does hurt it a bit, but since both "personalities" of the movie are so well done the overall result is still thoroughly satisfying for 80's action fans.

Movie rating: 7 stars

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