Black Thunder (1998)

When the top secret prototype of the Nova Stealth fighter has been stolen, the Pentagon launches big alarm; the plane shouldn't come into hostile hands. There is only one man who can get ... See full summary »

Director:

Rick Jacobson

Writer:

William C. Martell

Stars:

Marcus Aurelius, Catherine Bell, Michael Cavanaugh

Cast

Credited cast:
Marcus Aurelius	...	Hinkle
Catherine Bell	...	Lisa
Michael Cavanaugh	...	Barnes
Michael Dudikoff	...	Vince
Frederic Forrest	...	The Admiral
John Furey	...	Moore
Landon Hall	...	Eileen
Gary Hudson	...	Jannick
John Lafayette	...	Demuth
Robert Madrid	...	Stone
Robert Miranda	...	Rojar
Richard Norton	...	Rather
Dean Scofield	...	Captain Jones
Sonny Surowiec	...	Alias
Marc Vahanian	...	Radio Operator

Storyline

When the top secret prototype of the Nova Stealth fighter has been stolen, the Pentagon launches big alarm; the plane shouldn't come into hostile hands. There is only one man who can get back the plane; the test-pilot Vince Conners. He and his partner Jannick pursues the Nova to Libya but when they land at the site their mission fails. Jannick has been captured and Conners is on the run. Without friends or allies they have to try to find the Nova without falling into the hands of the military regime and before Libyian terrorists uses the plane to bomb a meeting of the United Nations in Paris, with nerve gas.

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a nude woman | woman murders a man | nudity | two word title | military | 

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Taglines:

The World's Most Powerful Jet Fighter Is In Enemy Hands. Only One Man Can Steal It Back.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shots of the SR-71 taking off are from Michael Dudikoff's Strategic Command (1997), and the scenes on board the aircraft carrier are from Dudikoff's Crash Dive.

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Goofs

The sound of gunfire is the same for all kinds of guns, either it is a handgun or an assault rifle.

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Connections

Remade as Flight of Fury (2007)

User Reviews

worst air-action movie ever

Most air-action movies are riddled with errors. Very often the aircraft required (ultra-modern, soviet) are unavailable. Of course using other aircraft makes sense (Using a F-100 as stand-in for a Mig-21 in `Skyjacked' for instance). Alternatives are to use models (as was very well done in `Firefox') or use computer graphics. So, F-16s are shown as US fighter jets. Nothing unusual. To depict the `Nova Stealth' a IAI Kfir is used although the intro shows a Mirage 2000. The angular lines of the Kfir do not make a realistic modern fighter. Ok, the choice is limited. Using the F-16 again as the `B-3' bomber (without any external stores) is confusing. It gets even more confusing as the villain pursues our hero using again a F-16 (supposed to be Libyan). The airfield from which the villain started has a line-up of Kfirs. Why the Libyans have several of this modern stealth `Nova' aircraft is not explained. There is supposed to be a single prototype of this aircraft! Maybe the viewer will not recognize the similarity? Ok, using a SR-71 to pursuit a fighter aircraft is ridiculous, but landing this aircraft in the Libyan dessert (not shown) is probably more science fiction than the supposed stealth technology. The `Nova' is completely invisible, except the infrared for some minute.

The acting is really deplorable. The action (non aircraft) is worse than done in the `A-Team' television series.

The aircraft action probably consists entirely of existing footage, making this a very cheap movie to make. Some footage (as the low-pass of the Kfir/Nova) is shown at least three times!

This move is definitely a must-see for aircraft buffs. If only, to have a good laugh.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Thunder

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Concorde-New Horizons, Royal Oaks Entertainment Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color