RA: The Delta Force

Last Updated on July 27, 2021

THE DELTA FORCE (1986)

Rating: 2 on 4 /

Buy the DVD here

Tag Line: They don’t negotiate with terrorists… they blow them away!

Directed by Menahem Golan
Starring Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin, Robert Forster, Steve James

THE PLAN When terrorist take over a 747 jet, holding over 100 passengers hostage in order to teach America a lesson, it’s up to one team of a highly trained military force, known as The Delta Force, to stop them!

THE KILL: In today’s post-9/11 world, an action movie about Arab terrorists taking over an airplane would never happen–in fact, we may never see it happen again. For those looking to fill this void of cinematic entertainment, I urge you to take a dip into the action flick of yesteryear with the Chuck Norris action piece THE DELTA FORCE. If you do, you’ll realize that sometimes the good guys DO win, that terrorists don’t always get away with it, and that America’s military can jump into action and make a difference.

I suppose it’s fitting that I’m writing this week’s RA on the 7th anniversary of September 11th–what better way to spend the day of remembrance watching a movie where Chuck Norris saves the day by killing every single terrorist responsible for the plane hijacking depicted in the movie. Now that’s what I call justice!

Nothing gay about these guys!

Chuck Norris stars as Major McCoy, a Major in America’s last line of defence, The Delta Force. Under the direct order of Colnal Alexander (Lee Marvin), the Delta Force (which also includes AMERICAN NINJA’s Steve James) takes on the lead Arab terrorist played by non other than legendary white actor Robert Forster. He does such a good job that, if you didn’t know it was him, you wouldn’t have guessed it until the end credits!

While I enjoyed the final half an hour of THE DELTA FORCE, I can’t honestly say I enjoyed the movie as a whole. Why? Because it was long and lacked non-stop action. That’s right, clocking in at just over 2 hours, the action doesn’t really start until about an hour and a half into it–with the first kill of the movie showing up at around the 1 hour mark.

With a ride like this, who cares how fluffy your hair is?!

What kind of action movie doesn’t start the action until an hour in? I found myself waiting and waiting and waiting for the Delta Force to jump into action, for the gun fights to bang me over the head, for the team of commandos to start using brutal military force–anything! So, clocking in around an hour and ten minutes, a gun fight / car chase involving Chuck Norris and a VW bus ensues through the streets of Beirut–I cheered! Not because it was an amazing piece of action, but because I was so starved for action that anything was welcomed!

Let’s focus on the action, though. When the Delta Force finally raid the terrorist hide out the guns come blazing, explosions blow aplenty, and a few fun toys show up to boot (where can I get a motorcycle with duel rocket launchers????). Chuck Norris shoots first, kicks ass later, and blows the terrorist scum away–he even sheds a tear or two for his fallen comrades. Talk about acting–Chuck gave his all for THE DELTA FORCE and it showed!

Marvin did a fine job as the salty leader of this crew of commandos, and even used a bazooka or two to take out the trash. Forster played the leader of the Arab terrorists with the same style as Al Pacino did in SCARFACE–I think he even wore the same suite. If you’re familiar with the man’s work, you won’t even recognize him here.

What do you mean there’s no movie on this flight???

Besides the last 30 minutes of action, the other high points of THE DELTA FORCE was Alan Silverstri’s impeccable score. It’s booming, it’s patriotic, it’s played so much throughout that you won’t be able to get it out of your head for days afterward. Now there’s an action score! I felt a rush of American pride come up everytime it came up–it’s a score for the record books.

At the end of the day, I can’t say I really liked THE DELTA FORCE. Yes, I enjoyed the little action it provided, but didn’t like the long run time or the excruciatingly long build up. That said, watching Chuck Norris ride that killer bike of his was nice, and seeing all the responsible terrorist blown away was a reminder that, at least in the movies, sometimes the good guys do win.

The trailer for THE DELTA FORCE!

TOP DEATH: Three words for you: motorcycle rocket launcher. Chuck and his handy motorcycle with front and rear rocket launchers gives it to main Arab baddie Forster with a coolness that can’t be matched. In fact, it’s done in such a way that it’s almost a surprise… I said almost!

What’s more badass than Chuck Norris? How about his bike!

TOP ACTION SCENE: Maybe not the best action scene, the VW car chase / gun fight through the streets of Beruit was awesome if only because it was the first action scene of the movie, and after an hour of waiting, I was starved for just about anything!

TOP HOMOEROTIC MOMENT: A team of dudes featuring Chuck Norris and Steve James… yeah, nothing gay about that!

FEMALE EXPLOITATION: German film star Hanna Schygulla was pretty hot as a stewardess, but doesn’t show the goods. Other than that, this flick fell hard when it came to gratuitous chick shots—though there was one scene with some belly dancers on the TV.

TOP LINE/DIALOGUE:
Col. Alexander: I didn’t know you speak Arabic.
Major McCoy aka Chuck Norris: If we don’t get out of here, we’re all gonna be speaking Arabic.

[Chuck Norris blows a guy away hiding underneath his bed] Major McCoy aka Chuck Norris: Sleep tight, sucker!

DRINKING GAME: Every time the theme music kicks in to high gear, you have to drink! Better chug some Miller High Life, cause you’re gonna go through a six pack or two before the movie’s over!

TRIVIA:
THE DELTA FORCE was Lee Marvin’s last film—he died in 1987, one year after its release.