The Delta Force (1986)

Directed by Menahem Golan. Starring Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin, Robert Forster, Bo Svenson, George Kennedy, Joey Bishop, Martin Balsam, Shelley Winters, Lainie Kazan, Steve James, Hanna Schygulla, David Menahem, Avi Loziah, William Wallace, Robert Vaughn, Kim Delaney. [R]

It’s like two (bad) movies in one: first hour is mostly reminiscent of an Airport-style disaster flick when terrorists hijack a commercial airliner and have to deal with “colorful” and none-too-bright passenger-types; second hour is a cartoonish, rah-rah military actioner as Marvin’s US Delta Force saves the day. Uncomfortably drags real world events, conflicts and politics into the schlocky mix, and fails to entertain much even on the comic book level—lots of stuff blows up, but it’s not especially visually exciting—unless you count laughing at the silliness, especially when Norris pauses for one of his oh-so-serious stares. In addition to Marvin, cast also includes Balsam, Kennedy and Winters as hostages; rarely have so many Oscar winners gone slumming together so deeply. Alan Silvestri’s score is incessant-yet-nondescript enough to become interminable before the credits roll. Liam Neeson and Mykelti Williamson can both be briefly spotted as members of the Delta Force team.

31/100