The Delta Force Reviews

Americans hate terrorism. This is not an audacious statement considering America's "War On Terror" throughout the early 2000s and beyond, but terrorism has been loathed as far back as the '80s. Currently during the early 21st Century, an intricate system of intelligence is utilised to track down terrorists and an intricate system of weaponry is used to blow them to hell. Back in the mid-80s, the Americans didn't have the benefit of such advanced technology... Instead, they relied on Chuck Norris. In 1986's The Delta Force, the Chuckster is portrayed dispatching Arab terrorists using an array of Norris-esque weaponry, ranging from his martial arts skills to large bazookas to a motorcycle that fires rockets. The film is unbelievably cheesy, often unintentionally hilarious, and rather pro-American.

After an introductory combat sequence which demonstrates the skills of the American protagonists, the action moves onboard a large passenger airplane. A pair of Arab terrorists hijack this plane, taking all passengers hostage and ordering the captain to reroute to Lebanon. These terrorists claim to be freedom fighters for a revolutionary organisation, but their cause is unknown...they just have a thing against America. A group of elite American commandos known as the Delta Force - led by Col. Nick Alexander (Marvin) and Maj. Scott McCoy (Norris) - are sent in to save the hostages and restore American honour. Rather than trying their hand at the fine art of negotiation, the Delta Force cut to the chase and pull out the heavy artillery.

The Delta Force was released in 1986; one year after a real-life plane hijacking in Athens. (This was on a TWA plane. In the film the plane which accommodates the hijacking is an AWT plane... clever.) The first hour of this movie is mostly devoted to retelling the events of this hijacking, but the second hour (when the macho Americans show up) has little basis in reality. This final half sends the message home that the best way to execute foreign policy on America's part is to shoot or blow up all terrorist threats. All this gung-ho business is like a different film altogether. It's full Chuck Norris territory: lots of machismo, gunfire and explosions. It's all very patriotic with the Americans saving the day and the hostages singing the American anthem. That's the '80s for you.

Considering this is an '80s action film with Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin, one expects The Delta Force to be chock-full of terrorist ass-kicking goodness and brainless action. Alas, the meaty action doesn't commence until the first hour has passed. Even with a plenty of action as the climax nears, the unusually long runtime of over two hours will prove a serious test of anyone's Chuck Norris attention span. The running time might've been more tolerable if the film provided interesting exposition, a compelling story or meaningful character development...but The Delta Force provides none of this - it's instead packed with filler. Empty threats against obnoxious hostages and hollow, repetitive dialogue does not make gripping cinema.

The Delta Force also exploits blatant stereotypes - there's the disillusioned soldier who returns to action because of his noble sense of duty, the abuse of a kindly priest, and even a pregnant lady who could go into labour at any moment. Meanwhile the terrorists have no legitimate motive or objective. At times, the depiction of these Arab terrorists is borderline racist - they're single-mindedly scheming, vicious, and they look very grubby.

If nothing much else, The Delta Force can be admired for its star-studded cast. Chuck Norris, as usual, just plays himself. The bearded action icon usually delivers his dialogue in a subdued fashion with no great conviction...but he's still watchable. This film marked the final screen appearance of Lee Marvin. He's pretty badass, though he's never given a chance to test his acting abilities. Also in the cast is a Who's Who of B-Movie star-power: Martin Balsam, George Kennedy (star of those Airport films from the '70s), Robert Forster (sporting dark hair, dark skin, a little moustache and a thick accent as the head Arab terrorist), Robert Vaughn, Shelley Winters, Steve James, Bo Svenson, and many others. The direction by Menahem Golan is adequate, and Alan Silvestri's score alternates between intense and cheesy power pop.

All in all, The Delta Force is your standard American cheerleading propaganda flick, with Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin holding the pompoms. The action is at times thrilling and the novelty value of seeing the Chuckster in '80s mode never wears off, but that's all there is to this one. For a film which lacks anything even resembling an intricate story or deep characterisations, there sure is plenty of talking. And considering this is a Chuck Norris movie, this is a problem. There's a far more agreeable 80-minute actioner lying somewhere within this somewhat tedious 125-minute feature.

4.9/10