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The Delta Force (film)
Encyclopedia
The Delta Force is a 1986 American action film
starring Chuck Norris
and Lee Marvin
as leaders of an elite squad of Special Forces
troops based on the real life U.S. Army Delta Force
unit. It was directed by Menahem Golan
and featured Martin Balsam
, Joey Bishop
, Robert Vaughn
, Steve James
, Robert Forster
, Shelley Winters
, and George Kennedy. The film was produced in Israel
. Two sequels were produced entitled Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
and Delta Force 3: The Killing Game
. The Delta Force was Lee Marvin's last film.
, the American operation to rescue American hostages being held at the U.S. embassy to Tehran
. The operation is being aborted after a fatal helicopter crash, with the U.S. Delta Force
evacuating to their C-130 transports. Among them is Major Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris
), who, against orders, rescues his wounded comrade Pete Peterson (William Wallace
) from the burning helicopter before the team finally evacuates. McCoy expresses his disgust for the politicians and military hierarchy that forced the mission to launch despite the risks, and announces he is resigning his commission.
Five years later, a group of Lebanese
terrorists armed with a Colt M1911, PM-63 machine pistol and AK-47
s hijack
American Travelways Boeing 707
(ATW) Flight 282 that is on a flight from Cairo
, Egypt
to Athens
, Greece
to Rome
, Italy
and then to New York City
.
Taking all passengers and crew hostage
, the group, the pro-Khomeini New World Revolutionary Organization, led by Abdul Rifi (Robert Forster
) and Mustafa (David Menachem), forces Captain Roger Campbell (Bo Svenson
) and his crew to fly the plane to Beirut
, Lebanon
, where they make demands to the United States
government that, if not met, will result in the death of the hostages. During the crisis, they separate the Israeli
passengers from the Americans by forcing the flight attendant to identify them against her will. When the plane lands in Algiers
for refueling, the terrorists bring a dozen additional men on board and surrender the female hostages and children. Meanwhile Delta Force, led by Colonel Nick Alexander (Lee Marvin
) and McCoy, are deployed to resolve the crisis. Once the female hostages are evacuated, they launch their assault, only to discover too late that there are additional hijackers and inadvertently alert the terrorists. Abdul kills one hostage, a US Navy diver
named Tom, taking the other two US divers with them as well as dozens of male Jewish passengers on board to Beirut
. Delta Force gives chase to rescue the remaining hostages.
Upon landing in Beirut, the terrorists gather their hostages and transport them to a militant-controlled area of Beirut
. Using a sympathetic Greek Orthodox priest, Israeli Army Intelligence prepares an operation to free the hostages. In a prolonged campaign against the terrorists, Delta Force bides their time to identify the terrorist leaders and the location of the hostages. Once their location is discovered, Delta Force assaults the terrorist holdout, freeing the hostages and evacuating them to the airport. During the battle, McCoy, Peterson and their team hunts down Abdul and his men, killing most of the militants before Abdul shoots Peterson, gravely injuring him. McCoy gives chase and directly engages Abdul, and after beating him to a pulp finally kills the terrorist leader by launching a rocket into his car.
With the hostages and rescue teams secured, Delta Force seizes Flight 282 by secretly infiltrating the airfield. Using silenced weapons, Alexander and the Delta team kills the guards including the last hijacker and saves the crew, ordering them to fly to Israel
. The team boards the plane with all of the hostages, taking off just as McCoy is the last one to board the plane after having destroyed several terrorist jeeps on the runway with his motorcycle armament. On board the team tends to the wounded passengers and Pete who is now dying. After having confirmed that the hostages are safe and en route home, Pete says his farewells to McCoy before succumbing to his wounds. In the main cabin the ex-hostages and Delta commandos join together in a rousing rendition of "America The Beautiful", not knowing Pete has died. In Israel, the plane lands safely and the hostages are greeted by their families, while Delta Force disembarks with Pete's body in tow. The team concludes their operation and departs for the United States.
, making use of Menahem Golan
and Yoram Globus
's newly opened GG Israel Studios
facility in Jerusalem. The Beirut
, Tel Aviv
and Athens
airport sequences in the film were filmed at Ben Gurion International Airport
in Tel Aviv
, apart from the opening scene where one of the hijackers is seen getting off a taxi at Athens airport, which was indeed filmed at the Eastern terminal of the defunct Athens Ellinikon International Airport
. In some sequences, Hebrew lettering
and Israeli Police emblems are visible on some of the supposed Lebanese
airport barriers. Pentagon and midnight oceanic scenes shot at a warehouse in Jaffa
.
The military aircraft
(notably the Hercules C-130) used in the film was on loan from the Israeli Air Force
. The lease arrangement was similar to that used for Iron Eagle
.
The motorcycle used in the film was a 1985 Suzuki SP600.
's electronic score gained a new life when ABC Sports used it to intro their Indianapolis 500 broadcasts from 1988
–1998
and again in 2001
. It was also used for the intro of the Brickyard 400
until ABC lost the race rights to NBC Sports
in 2001. According to famous Indianapolis 500 anchor Paul Page
, he does not want any ESPN
/ABC anchor to use this music in intros for the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 unless he narrates the intros himself.
it currently has a 20% with a 53% on the "Like It", giving it a 3.9 out of 10. Many reviewers gave it a rotten review, but Top Critic, Roger Ebert
writing for the Chicago Sun Times gave it a positive review giving it a 3 out of 4 stars. Calling it a "a well paced, emotional, and great action movie," Ebert praised "That they were able to make it into an actual movie, rather than making it into an 'action comic book'." On IMDb it has a 5.2 out of 10,
and Down and Out in Beverly Hills
, but beat Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and Youngblood. It earned $
5,959,505 on its opening weekend, with a total gross of $17,768,900. Today, the film is considered one of the best action film's of the eighties.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
starring Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
and Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
as leaders of an elite squad of Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
troops based on the real life U.S. Army Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
unit. It was directed by Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan is an Israeli director and producer. He has produced movies for such stars as Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Charles Bronson, and was known for a period as a producer of comic book-style movies like Masters of the Universe, Superman IV:...
and featured Martin Balsam
Martin Balsam
Martin Henry Balsam was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.- Early life :...
, Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin...
, Robert Vaughn
Robert Vaughn
Robert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
, Steve James
Steve James (actor)
Steve James was an American actor, stuntman and martial artist. He starred mostly in action films such as the American Ninja series, The Delta Force , The Exterminator , and Enter the Game of Death...
, Robert Forster
Robert Forster
Robert Forster is an American actor, best known for his roles as John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool, and as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the latter of which gained him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.- Early life :Forster was born Robert Wallace...
, Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
, and George Kennedy. The film was produced in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Two sequels were produced entitled Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
Delta Force 2 is a 1990 action film, and a sequel to the Chuck Norris film, The Delta Force , also starring Norris as Maj. Scott McCoy...
and Delta Force 3: The Killing Game
Delta Force 3: The Killing Game
Delta Force 3: The Killing Game, also known as Young Commandos and Delta Force 3, is a 1991 Cannon Film. It is the third and final film into the Delta Force trilogy...
. The Delta Force was Lee Marvin's last film.
Plot
The film opens up on Operation Eagle ClawOperation Eagle Claw
Operation Eagle Claw was an American military operation ordered by President Jimmy Carter to attempt to put an end to the Iran hostage crisis by rescuing 52 Americans held captive at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran on 24 April 1980...
, the American operation to rescue American hostages being held at the U.S. embassy to Tehran
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
. The operation is being aborted after a fatal helicopter crash, with the U.S. Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
evacuating to their C-130 transports. Among them is Major Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
), who, against orders, rescues his wounded comrade Pete Peterson (William Wallace
William Wallace (actor)
William Andrew Wallace is a retired American film/television actor, and a retired film producer. He is often called 'Bill Wallace'.-Career:...
) from the burning helicopter before the team finally evacuates. McCoy expresses his disgust for the politicians and military hierarchy that forced the mission to launch despite the risks, and announces he is resigning his commission.
Five years later, a group of Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
terrorists armed with a Colt M1911, PM-63 machine pistol and AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
s hijack
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
American Travelways Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
(ATW) Flight 282 that is on a flight from Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and then to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Taking all passengers and crew hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
, the group, the pro-Khomeini New World Revolutionary Organization, led by Abdul Rifi (Robert Forster
Robert Forster
Robert Forster is an American actor, best known for his roles as John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool, and as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the latter of which gained him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.- Early life :Forster was born Robert Wallace...
) and Mustafa (David Menachem), forces Captain Roger Campbell (Bo Svenson
Bo Svenson
Bo Svenson is a Swedish-born American actor, known for his roles in American genre films of the 1970s and 1980s.-Early life:...
) and his crew to fly the plane to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, where they make demands to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government that, if not met, will result in the death of the hostages. During the crisis, they separate the Israeli
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
passengers from the Americans by forcing the flight attendant to identify them against her will. When the plane lands in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
for refueling, the terrorists bring a dozen additional men on board and surrender the female hostages and children. Meanwhile Delta Force, led by Colonel Nick Alexander (Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
) and McCoy, are deployed to resolve the crisis. Once the female hostages are evacuated, they launch their assault, only to discover too late that there are additional hijackers and inadvertently alert the terrorists. Abdul kills one hostage, a US Navy diver
United States Navy Diver
A Navy Diver refers to a member of the community of Unrestricted Line Officer Officers, Medical Corps Officers and enlisted personnel in the United States Navy who are qualified in underwater open/closed circuit breathing apparatus, deep sea type diving apparatus and saturation diving. Personnel...
named Tom, taking the other two US divers with them as well as dozens of male Jewish passengers on board to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. Delta Force gives chase to rescue the remaining hostages.
Upon landing in Beirut, the terrorists gather their hostages and transport them to a militant-controlled area of Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. Using a sympathetic Greek Orthodox priest, Israeli Army Intelligence prepares an operation to free the hostages. In a prolonged campaign against the terrorists, Delta Force bides their time to identify the terrorist leaders and the location of the hostages. Once their location is discovered, Delta Force assaults the terrorist holdout, freeing the hostages and evacuating them to the airport. During the battle, McCoy, Peterson and their team hunts down Abdul and his men, killing most of the militants before Abdul shoots Peterson, gravely injuring him. McCoy gives chase and directly engages Abdul, and after beating him to a pulp finally kills the terrorist leader by launching a rocket into his car.
With the hostages and rescue teams secured, Delta Force seizes Flight 282 by secretly infiltrating the airfield. Using silenced weapons, Alexander and the Delta team kills the guards including the last hijacker and saves the crew, ordering them to fly to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The team boards the plane with all of the hostages, taking off just as McCoy is the last one to board the plane after having destroyed several terrorist jeeps on the runway with his motorcycle armament. On board the team tends to the wounded passengers and Pete who is now dying. After having confirmed that the hostages are safe and en route home, Pete says his farewells to McCoy before succumbing to his wounds. In the main cabin the ex-hostages and Delta commandos join together in a rousing rendition of "America The Beautiful", not knowing Pete has died. In Israel, the plane lands safely and the hostages are greeted by their families, while Delta Force disembarks with Pete's body in tow. The team concludes their operation and departs for the United States.
Delta Force
- Major Scott McCoy - Chuck NorrisChuck NorrisCarlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
- Colonel Nick Alexander - Lee MarvinLee MarvinLee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
- General Woodbridge - Robert VaughnRobert VaughnRobert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
- Bobby - Steve JamesSteve James (actor)Steve James was an American actor, stuntman and martial artist. He starred mostly in action films such as the American Ninja series, The Delta Force , The Exterminator , and Enter the Game of Death...
- Pete Peterson - William WallaceWilliam Wallace (actor)William Andrew Wallace is a retired American film/television actor, and a retired film producer. He is often called 'Bill Wallace'.-Career:...
- Dr. Jack - Jerry Weinstock
Lebanese terrorists
- Abdul Rifi - Robert ForsterRobert ForsterRobert Forster is an American actor, best known for his roles as John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool, and as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the latter of which gained him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.- Early life :Forster was born Robert Wallace...
- Mustafa - David Menachem
- Jaffer - Avi Loziah
- Jamil - Uri GavrielUri GavrielUri Gavriel is an Israeli actor. He works in Israeli cinema. He has won Award of the Israeli Film Academy and Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2005 as Best Actor in film "What a Wonderful Place".-Film and television credits:-External links:...
- Salim - Adib Jahschan
ATW
- Captain Roger Campbell - Bo SvensonBo SvensonBo Svenson is a Swedish-born American actor, known for his roles in American genre films of the 1970s and 1980s.-Early life:...
- First Officer Dave Hoskins - Marvin Freedman
- Flight EngineerFlight engineerFlight engineers work in three types of aircraft: fixed-wing , rotary wing , and space flight .As airplanes became even larger requiring more engines and complex systems to operate, the workload on the two pilots became excessive during certain critical parts of the flight regime, notably takeoffs...
Jim Montgomery - Bob Levit - Air HostessAir Hostess"Air Hostess" is a song by the British pop trio Busted. Composed by the band with Tom Fletcher of McFly, it was released as the third single from their second album A Present for Everyone in June 2004, reaching #2 on the UK Singles Chart.-Background:...
Ingrid Harding - Hanna SchygullaHanna SchygullaHanna Schygulla is a German actress and chanson singer. She is generally considered the most prominent German actress of the New German Cinema.-Life and career:Schygulla was born in Königshütte, Upper Silesia,... - ATW girl - Susan Ophir
- ATW agent - Jack Messinger
Passengers
- Ben Kaplan - Martin BalsamMartin BalsamMartin Henry Balsam was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.- Early life :...
- Edie Kaplan - Shelley WintersShelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
- Harry Goldman - Joey BishopJoey BishopJoey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin...
- Sylvia Goldman - Lainie KazanLainie KazanLainie Kazan is an American actress and singer.-Personal life:Kazan was born Lanie Levine in Brooklyn, New York City, the daughter of a Russian Ashkenazi Jewish father who worked as a bookie and a Turkish Sephardic Jewish mother, Carole, whom Kazan has described as "neurotic, fragile and...
- Mike Fraser - Aaron Kaplan
- Sally Fraser - Caroline Langford
- Father O'Malley - George KennedyGeorge KennedyGeorge Harris Kennedy, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 film and television productions. He is perhaps most familiar as the convict Dragline in Cool Hand Luke , airline troubleshooter Joe Patroni in the Airport series of disaster movies from the 1970s and...
- Sister Mary - Kim DelaneyKim DelaneyKim Delaney is an American actress best known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series, NYPD Blue. Early in her career, she played the role of Jenny Gardner in the hugely popular ABC daytime television drama, All My Children...
- Sister Ann - Zipora Peled
- David Rosovsky - Yehuda Efroni
- Robert Levine - Jerry Lazarus
- Ellen Levine - Natalie Roth
- Debra Levine - Susan StrasbergSusan StrasbergSusan Elizabeth Strasberg was an American film and stage actress.-Background and career:Strasberg was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of theatre director and drama coach Lee Strasberg of the Actors Studio and former actress Paula Strasberg...
- Ted Bilicki - Jerry Hyman
- Shawn Latta - Dale Payne
- Rosalee Bilicki - Gael Lehrer
- Jay Bilicki - Hank Leininger
- Ed - Howard JacksonHoward JacksonHoward E. Jackson was a noted American kickboxer, point Karate fighter, and professional boxer.- Biography :He was born in 1951 in Detroit, Michigan, the oldest of four children; two brothers died violent deaths, and his parents died early as well, leaving only Howard and his sister Corliss...
- Andy - Eric NorrisEric Norris-Biography:Norris was born in Redondo Beach, California, the son of Dianne and Walker, Texas Ranger star Chuck Norris. He won the 2002 NASCAR Winston West Championship during a limited schedule in major league NASCAR racing....
- Tina - Chelli Goldberg
- Lesley - Chris Ellia
- Tom Hale - Charles GrantCharles Grant (actor)Charles Grant , also listed as Charles Flohe or Charles Floye, is an American actor most notably recognized for his role as Connor McCabe on NBC's soap opera Santa Barbara. He portrayed the role from 1992 to 1993...
- Peter - Panos Nicolaou
Filming locations
The movie was filmed entirely in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, making use of Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan is an Israeli director and producer. He has produced movies for such stars as Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Charles Bronson, and was known for a period as a producer of comic book-style movies like Masters of the Universe, Superman IV:...
and Yoram Globus
Yoram Globus
Yoram Globus Yoram Globus Yoram Globus (born 21 October 1941 in Tiberias, Israel, is an Israeli director and producer who is most famous for his association with Cannon Films Inc., a company he ran with his cousin Menahem Golan....
's newly opened GG Israel Studios
GG Israel Studios
GG Israel Studios is a now defunct film production facility in Jerusalem, Israel. It was owned and operated by the Cannon Group Inc. and Golan-Globus Productions....
facility in Jerusalem. The Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
and Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
airport sequences in the film were filmed at Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport , also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag , is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010...
in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, apart from the opening scene where one of the hijackers is seen getting off a taxi at Athens airport, which was indeed filmed at the Eastern terminal of the defunct Athens Ellinikon International Airport
Ellinikon International Airport
Ellinikon International Airport , sometimes spelled Hellinikon was the international airport of Athens, Greece for sixty years up until 2001 when it was replaced by the new Athens International Airport. It is located south of Athens, and just west of Glyfada...
. In some sequences, Hebrew lettering
Hebrew alphabet
The Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
and Israeli Police emblems are visible on some of the supposed Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
airport barriers. Pentagon and midnight oceanic scenes shot at a warehouse in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
.
The military aircraft
Military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:...
(notably the Hercules C-130) used in the film was on loan from the Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
. The lease arrangement was similar to that used for Iron Eagle
Iron Eagle
Iron Eagle is a 1986 action film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Jason Gedrick and Louis Gossett, Jr. While it received mixed reviews, the film earned US$24,159,872 at the U.S. box office. Iron Eagle was followed by three sequels: Iron Eagle II, Aces: Iron Eagle III and Iron Eagle on the...
.
Historical connections
- The hijacked flight in the movie bears many resemblances with the real-life hijack of TWATwaThe Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
Flight 847TWA Flight 847TWA Flight 847 was an international Trans World Airlines flight which was hijacked by Lebanese Shia extremists, later identified as members of Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, on Friday morning, June 14, 1985, after originally taking off from Cairo. The flight was en route from Athens to Rome and then...
in 1985:- The route is CairoCairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
-AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
-RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. - Two terrorists took over the flight, the third one being arrested in AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. - The flight was diverted to Beirut and AlgiersAlgiers' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. - The lead flight attendantFlight attendantFlight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
(played in the movie by Hanna SchygullaHanna SchygullaHanna Schygulla is a German actress and chanson singer. She is generally considered the most prominent German actress of the New German Cinema.-Life and career:Schygulla was born in Königshütte, Upper Silesia,...
) was GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and was asked by a hijacker to single out the Jewish passengers on board. Also, the flight attendant was based partly on the real-life flight attendant Uli DericksonUli DericksonUlrike Patzelt , better known as Uli Derickson, was a flight attendant during the June 14, 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Organization of the Oppressed on Earth terrorists, a group with alleged links to Hezbollah...
. - Upon landing, one of the hostages, United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
diverUnderwater divingUnderwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...
Robert StethemRobert StethemRobert Dean Stethem was a United States Navy Seabee diver who was killed by Hezbollah militants during the hijacking of the commercial airliner he was aboard: TWA Flight 847...
, was murdered. - A dozen men join the hijackers.
- The fictional airline in the movie, ATW (American Travelways), is an anagramAnagramAn anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of TWATwaThe Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
(Trans World Airlines), however TWA flight 847 was operated using a Boeing 727 while ATW 282 in the movie was a Boeing 707-139(B) (Registration N778PA). Prior to filming in 1985, the aircraft had been operated by Israeli charter-operator Maof Air and was recently retired commercial service in December of 1984. The aircraft was then leased to Golan-Globus Productions in late 1985 while in storage at Tel Aviv(just after the TWA-847 hijacking). Upon completion of the film, the aircraft was sold Omega Air who in-turn sld it to the US Air Force to be parted out for use in the KC-135E. The aircraft was burned up by a welding accident while in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB in 1994.
- The route is Cairo
- The hostage rescue operation was inspired by Operation EntebbeOperation EntebbeOperation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
, which was conducted by Israeli commandos in 1976. It was the subject of another movie by Menahem Golan, Mivtsa Yonatan (released in English as Operation Thunderbolt), in 1977. - The beginning of the film replicated Operation Eagle ClawOperation Eagle ClawOperation Eagle Claw was an American military operation ordered by President Jimmy Carter to attempt to put an end to the Iran hostage crisis by rescuing 52 Americans held captive at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran on 24 April 1980...
, the aborted attempt to rescue American hostages held at the U.S. Embassy in IranIran hostage crisisThe Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
in 1980. - In his book Eric L. Haney claims that Delta ForceDelta Force1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
was indeed dispatched to Algiers by President Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, but similar to the movie they never received the go-ahead to assault the plane. Delta was then to travel to Israel for a planned rescue of the hostages that had been removed from the plane, Operation Round Bottle, but this was cancelled while they were enroute.
The motorcycle used in the film was a 1985 Suzuki SP600.
Music
Alan SilvestriAlan Silvestri
Alan Anthony Silvestri is an American film composer and conductor.-Career:Silvestri is best known for his collaborations with director Robert Zemeckis, having scored Romancing the Stone , the Back to the Future trilogy , Who Framed Roger Rabbit , Death Becomes Her , Forrest Gump , Contact ,...
's electronic score gained a new life when ABC Sports used it to intro their Indianapolis 500 broadcasts from 1988
1988 Indianapolis 500
The 72nd Indianapolis 500 was held Sunday May 29, 1988 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Team Penske dominated the month, sweeping the top three starting positions with Rick Mears winning the pole position, Danny Sullivan on the inside of the front row, and Al Unser, Sr. on the outside...
–1998
1998 Indianapolis 500
The 82nd Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 24, 1998. This was the first Indianapolis 500 fully sanctioned by the Indy Racing League after the IRL relied on USAC to sanction the 1996–1997 races...
and again in 2001
2001 Indianapolis 500
The 85th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 2001. Race rookie Hélio Castroneves led the final 52 laps and won his first Indy 500.-Changes for 2001:...
. It was also used for the intro of the Brickyard 400
until ABC lost the race rights to NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
in 2001. According to famous Indianapolis 500 anchor Paul Page
Paul Page
Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:...
, he does not want any ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
/ABC anchor to use this music in intros for the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 unless he narrates the intros himself.
Reception
The movie had mostly mixed reviews from critics. On the aggervated website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
it currently has a 20% with a 53% on the "Like It", giving it a 3.9 out of 10. Many reviewers gave it a rotten review, but Top Critic, Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
writing for the Chicago Sun Times gave it a positive review giving it a 3 out of 4 stars. Calling it a "a well paced, emotional, and great action movie," Ebert praised "That they were able to make it into an actual movie, rather than making it into an 'action comic book'." On IMDb it has a 5.2 out of 10,
Box office
The Delta Force had opened in 1,720 theaters, and debuted as #3 in the box office losing to The Color PurpleThe Color Purple
The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. It received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction...
and Down and Out in Beverly Hills
Down and Out in Beverly Hills
Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a 1986 American comedy film based on the French play Boudu sauvé des eaux, which had previously been adapted on film in 1932 by Jean Renoir. Down and Out in Beverly Hills was directed by Paul Mazursky, and starred Nick Nolte, Bette Midler and Richard Dreyfuss...
, but beat Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and Youngblood. It earned $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
5,959,505 on its opening weekend, with a total gross of $17,768,900. Today, the film is considered one of the best action film's of the eighties.