The Delta Force (1986)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Menahem Golan

Writers:

James Bruner (written by) &
Menahem Golan (written by)

Release Date:

14 February 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

They don't negotiate with terrorists... they blow them away!

Plot:

A 707 aircraft jetliner on its way from Athens to Rome and then to New York City is hijacked by Lebanese terrorists...

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Pilot | Beirut | Priest | Delta Force

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Chuck Norris	...	Maj. Scott McCoy
Lee Marvin	...	Col. Nick Alexander
Martin Balsam	...	Ben Kaplan
Joey Bishop	...	Harry Goldman
Robert Forster	...	Abdul
Lainie Kazan	...	Sylvia Goldman
George Kennedy	...	Father O'Malley
Hanna Schygulla	...	Ingrid
Susan Strasberg	...	Debra Levine
Bo Svenson	...	Capt. Campbell
Robert Vaughn	...	Gen. Woodbridge
Shelley Winters	...	Edie Kaplan
William Wallace	...	Pete Peterson
Charles Grant	...	Tom Hale (as Charles Floye)
Steve James	...	Bobby

Also Known As:

Mahatz Ha-Delta (Israel: Hebrew title)

Runtime:

125 min | 129 min

Country:

USA | Israel

Language:

English | Arabic | Hebrew | Greek

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:15 | West Germany:18 (nf) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) (heavily cut) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Ben-Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel

Company:

Golan-Globus Productions

Trivia:

The Boeing 707 featured in the film was an early production model, ordered by Cubana (which never took ownership) but delivered new as a 707-139 to Western Airlines on May 13th, 1960. It was then sold in 1964 to Pan Am, which operated it for several years before leasing it to several other carriers, including: Aer Lingus, British Cal., El Al, and many others. It was the 108th 707 off the line, with serial number 17903. In 1979, British Caledonian leased it when the DC-10s were grounded after the AA 191 accident. Its last service was in 1986 to Aerocar Aviation, whose livery appears on the aircraft in the film. It was eventually scrapped in Marana, after more than 30 years of service with more than a dozen airlines, mostly in the Middle East.

Goofs:

Continuity: When McCoy is going through the bedroom, a terrorist hits the lens of McCoy's wrist mounted flashlight. Shortly thereafter, the lens is intact.

Quotes:

Abdul: What is your name?
Father O'Malley: William O'Malley.
Abdul: I did not call you.
Father O'Malley: You called for all the Jews. I'm Jewish, just like Jesus Christ. You take one, you gotta take us all.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dangerously Close (1986)

Exciting!

"The Delta Force" is an exciting action picture starring Chuck Norris in one of his best movie roles. The film is about an American airliner en route from Athens to Rome to New York that's hijacked by Middle Eastern terrorists which is loosely based on the real-life hijacking of a TWA jetliner in July 1985. This part of the film is terrifying. These hijackers mean business, and they provide a lot of cruelty to some of the passengers and crew members. When the U.S. government gets word of the hijack, they sent in The Delta Force, a tough team of U.S. commandos led by Lee Marvin and Chuck Norris. Do they get the job done? You'll just have to see for yourself. "The Delta Force" is an excellent film because it delivers plenty of action, plenty of suspense, and plenty of realism. The movie also has an all-star cast. Besides Norris and Marvin, "The Delta Force" also features Robert Forster (a decade before winning an Oscar nomination for Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown") in a very good performance as the lead terrorist; Bo Svenson as the pilot of the hijacked airliner; Hanna Schygulla as the head stewardess of the plane; Robert Vaughn as a U.S. General who gives orders from the U.S. President to the Delta Force; and Martin Balsam, Joey Bishop, Lainie Kazan, Shelley Winters, George Kennedy, Susan Strasberg, and Kim Delaney (a decade before TV's "NYPD Blue") as terrified passengers on the hijacked plane. If your a fan of action movies, you're going to like "The Delta Force".

***1/2 (out of four)