Movie Review: The Delta Force (1986)

First, let me be honest: while I have immense respect for Chuck Norris as a person, I usually find his cinematic enterprises entirely unwatchable.  He simply does not engage me as an actor.

That being said, and given the fact that “The Delta Force” is Golan-Globus production (a group known more for their volume of productions than their quality), this is what modern American cinema should aspire to be.  There are none of the NAZI-sympathizing “sensibilities” of movies like “Munich”, nor the politically-correct bullshit that gutted Tom Clancy’s “Sum of All Fears” of its Arab Mohammedan villains.

For the budget that it had, it actually did a very good job of representing the groups involved.  The terrorists are NOT sympathetic characters; they are irrational murderers motivated by hatred of everyone not Mohammedan.  The U.S. military is not full of spineless, drug-addicted cowards and psychotic mass-murderers.  Regular people can be cowards, but they can also stand up to the bad guys.

Certainly, the action scenes in this move tend to be cinematized (motorcycle-borne missiles, anyone?).  On the other hand, it does a good job of representing military strategy sessions and operational training.  I’m sure Mr. Norris’ military experience was a huge benefit there.  Some of my favorite scenes actually happen in the beginning, with a German stewardess who refuses to pick out the Jews for the Mohammedan terrorists (until they threaten to kill everyone on board), and a Catholic priest (played by George Kennedy) who walks to the front of the plane with the Jews and tells the terrorists that if they are taking the Jews, they will have to take him, too.

Interestingly, the terrorists are also socialists–in the 1980’s, I think this was probably a play on FARC…  But socialism is the second-biggest motivator of terrorism worldwide (after Mohammedanism), and “CommunIslam” is a growing movement.  It may have been a case of cinematic prophecy.

A bit cheese, but highly recommended–especially for Hollywood producers.  There is more need for this sort of cinematic honesty today than there was in 1986, yet it is nowhere to be found.