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The Delta Force

Play trailer Poster for The Delta Force R Released Feb 14, 1986 2h 8m Action Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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15% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Five years after Maj. Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris) resigned from the U.S. Delta Force due to bureaucracy issues, he returns with Col. Alexander (Lee Marvin) to take down Lebanese terrorists who have hijacked a Boeing 707. Terrorist leader Abdul Rifi (Robert Forster) takes the crew and passengers hostage as he reroutes the plane to Beirut. When McCoy and Alexander attempt to save the hostages once the plane lands, they are forced to battle a terrorist group that's larger than expected.
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The Delta Force

Critics Reviews

View All (13) Critics Reviews
Paul Attanasio Washington Post The unoffended will find that the movie doesn't even deliver on its own sordid level. Jan 4, 2018 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The Delta Force settles down into a well-made action film that tantalizes us with its parallels to real life. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Peter Canavese Groucho Reviews A dated and morally dubious propaganda film. [Blu-ray Special Edition] Rated: 1/4 Sep 3, 2022 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews The Delta Force suffers from a midsection that grows less and less interesting (and more and more interminable) as time progresses... Rated: 1.5/4 Dec 24, 2020 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Rated: 1/5 Sep 13, 2007 Full Review Chuck O'Leary FulvueDrive-in.com Works equally well as a tense, powerful hostage drama and a rousing action film. The Delta Force gets my vote as Chuck Norris' best movie. Rated: 8/10 Feb 14, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Andy B If my rating for this film was based on how much I laughed during it, it would be a 10. This is an action film with a smattering of recognisable actors, a potentially engaging premise and the gold nugget of being “based on reality”. It is as close to reality as Braveheart is to fact, in that the situation may have existed, but certainly not in the way portrayed on screen. Most of the film is laughably obvious, with recognisable character tropes from disaster movies cropping up instead of actual characters. The only moments where the film shows a shred of intelligence - where the German stewardess begs not to have to pick out the Jewish passengers due to the associations with the Holocaust - is overshadowed by one overblown cliche after another. There are some effective combat scenes, but there is a level of stupidity in the writing that is clearly there just so Chuck Norris can be heroic. The decision to have everyone turn their radios off before an assault is a particularly entertaining one. Surmounted only by one man on a motorbike being deemed sufficient to take out an entire convoy of bad guys. But then, the guy on the motorbike is Chuck Norris, so why was I worried? And then, just as I thought it couldn’t get any lower, the rescued hostages burst into a chorus of America the Beautiful after having been issued cans of Budweiser! Watch with friends and considerable quantities of alcohol. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/28/24 Full Review Kurt H One of the greatest action movies of all time. Must see. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/24 Full Review Michael S Big, dumb action flick from that can't get more '80s: Chuck Norris vs. Muslim terrorists. Littered with good actors slumming it for a paycheck as well as some before-they-were-stars roles. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/25/24 Full Review Red T I'm no military man but I have a gut feeling a lot of this isn't historically accurate how Delta Force operates. Also don't why it's called THE Delta Force but I know this has tons of problems. First the music isn't good. It feels like slightly different tracks of the same thing on fast quick loop and it sounds like a Sega Genesis soundtrack, not for a major motion picture. It's so boring, over the top, and forgettable at the same time somehow. The editing isn't tha good not because the story doesn't make sense but mainly because this tries being a hostage thriller, war thriller, and Chuck Norris movie and never makes them work together in a cosheive way. This actually starts out good when the 2 terrorists are on the plane at first. There is tension, good acting with the hostages, and a good claustrophobic setting. Once we leave that though and focus on the Delta Force guys it loses all of that completely. The soldiers are all one dimensional except for Lee Marvin who is solid and the best actor in this. Chuck Norris plays Chuck Norris basically in this. The cinematography is a mediocre mess and so is the pacing. The longer this goes the more it goes off the rails by dragging the plot out and Chuck Norris doing over the top laughably ridiculous action stunts that almost have to be seen to be believed. The bad guys are generic and forgettable, the core hostage rescue plot is very stnadard stuff, and unfortunately for the rest of the film after they get the plane we forget about the great hostage supporting cast and they don't utter any words again. The action is so ridiulous classic example of 80's over the top excess mostly for worse. I can't recommend this really to anyone except hardcore Chuck Norris fans. This would have been signifacntly better if Chuck Norris character/action scenes weren't in this and Lee Marvin was the main focus. This isn't good. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/14/23 Full Review DanTheMan 2 With a story that's ripped straight from the headlines of its era, The Delta Force is not going to satisfy those looking for answers to the complex geopolitical problems of the Middle East but is more indulging to those looking for much more than your typical Cannon actioneer due to its convincingly grim evocation of historical reality. It offers a powerfully terrifying hostage drama, recreating moments from its inspiration in fierce detail, before switching gears halfway through into that of a rousing action film about heroism, optimistic flights of dancy and revenge fantasy is certainly a choice, but it's one that director Menahem Golan delivers well. Tooled with Alan Silvestri's equal parts thrilling and cheesy musical score just as much as its great cast that includes the likes of Robert Vaughan George Kennedy, Martin Balsam and Lee Marvin in his final film, Delta Force may take on a more black and white view on morality but allows Norris and company to really go for it. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/07/23 Full Review David W If you're in the mood for some go America, jingoistic but highly enjoyable sabre rattling then you're in luck as this delivers it in spades. It's almost two films in one, a tense hijick and then Norris/Marvin take over with the gung-ho action. Subtle and nuanced it is not but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

The Delta Force

The Delta Force: Official Clip - Sleep Tight, Sucker The Delta Force: Official Clip - Sleep Tight, Sucker 1:35 The Delta Force: Official Clip - It's About Time The Delta Force: Official Clip - It's About Time 2:08 The Delta Force: Official Clip - One Man, One Motorcycle The Delta Force: Official Clip - One Man, One Motorcycle 1:53 The Delta Force: Official Clip - Surprise Party The Delta Force: Official Clip - Surprise Party 2:09 The Delta Force: Official Clip - Going Somewhere? The Delta Force: Official Clip - Going Somewhere? 2:08 The Delta Force: Official Clip - Prepared to Die The Delta Force: Official Clip - Prepared to Die 2:11 The Delta Force: Official Clip - Bye, Bye Abdul The Delta Force: Official Clip - Bye, Bye Abdul 1:04 The Delta Force: Official Clip - McCoy Doesn't Negotiate The Delta Force: Official Clip - McCoy Doesn't Negotiate 2:05 The Delta Force: Official Clip - Liftoff! The Delta Force: Official Clip - Liftoff! 2:02 The Delta Force: Official Clip - Jewish Passengers The Delta Force: Official Clip - Jewish Passengers 2:09 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Five years after Maj. Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris) resigned from the U.S. Delta Force due to bureaucracy issues, he returns with Col. Alexander (Lee Marvin) to take down Lebanese terrorists who have hijacked a Boeing 707. Terrorist leader Abdul Rifi (Robert Forster) takes the crew and passengers hostage as he reroutes the plane to Beirut. When McCoy and Alexander attempt to save the hostages once the plane lands, they are forced to battle a terrorist group that's larger than expected.
Director
Menahem Golan
Producer
Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus
Screenwriter
James Bruner, Menahem Golan
Distributor
Cannon Film Distributors
Production Co
Golan-Globus
Rating
R
Genre
Action, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 14, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.9M
Runtime
2h 8m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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