If i am having a bad day, no matter what the reason, i close my eyes and think about Cannon Films, also known as The Cannon Group. The greatest 80´s film studio if you ask me, even if bigger studios such as Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, Touchstone Pictures and others, also released a lot of good 80´s films as well. The thing about Cannon Films was that they focused more on making B movies, and they made a lot of films. No matter if you loved ninjas, big weapons, martial arts, slasher films, naked women, Cannon Films had something to everyone to enjoy. The two Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yorum Globus really took this company under there wings, and pursued their Hollywood dreams. The list of films that Cannon Films have made over so many years is incredible, but lets just mention a few titles in a short list:
Schizoid
The Apple
Deathhouse
Enter The Ninja
Death Wish II
10 To Midnight
Young Warriors ( The Graduates Of Malibu High )
Revenge Of The Ninja
Breakin´
Exterminator 2
Ninja III: The Domination
Missing In Action
Lifeforce
American Ninja
Invasion U.S.A.
Invaders From Mars
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Avenging Force
I think you get the picture, what other film company would have made quality films such as these, if not Cannon Films? And this is just a few of the films, there are a lot more titles i could mention. Since we are speaking about Cannon Films, let´s bring up one of the films that remember seeing on VHS back in the 90´s, and that is the 1987 film Assassination with legendary action actor Charles Bronson. I remember when i rented this film back in 1991 at the VHS store, and i was actually 14 years old, and you had to be 15 to rent Assassination. But since the guy who worked there knew that i rented a lot of films, he let me rent this one ( i believe i also rented Predator 2 at the same time ). Assassination tells the story of Jay Killian ( Charles Bronson ) who is a senior member of the Secret Service. On the day before Inauguration of the new president, Killian is given a new assignment, to protect the First Lady, Lara Royce Craig ( Jill Ireland ). Assassination is a classic action thriller, where Charles Bronson deliver classic dialogue, and some great action scenes as well. I should probably ,mention that this was the last film director Peter Hunt directed, ( who also directed the Charles Bronson film Death Hunt ) If you enjoy action films in general, Assassination is worth picking up on DVD. As some of you might know, legendary action star Chuck Norris was a big name in the 80´s for Cannon Films, where his trilogy of Missing In Action made an impact, as well as Invasion U.S.A. And in 1986, he released an action film that actually would turn out to be one of his most beloved classics called The Delta Force. This year it is 35 years ago since The Delta Force was released, and i decided to revisit the film, since i last saw it back in 2005 ( that´s when i bought the film on a DVD box, together with Missing In Action 1 & 2 ). Has this film still a lot of entertainement value, of have The Delta Force aged too much and don´t feel relevant anymore, in todays society?
The year is 1985, and a group of Lebanese terrorists hijack American Travelways Airlines Flight 282, a Boeing 707 flying from Cairo to New York City via Athens and Rome. Taking all 144 passengers, and the flight crew as hostages, the pro-Khomeni New World Revolutionary Organization, is led by two terrorists named Abdul Rafai ( Robert Forster ) and Mustafa ( David Menahem ). The terrorists force Captain Roger Campbell ( Bo Svenson ) and his crew to fly the 707 to Beirut, where they make demands to the United States government that, if they don´t do as they are told, passengers will be executed. The only solution to save the passengers, is to call in the special operations force known as The Delta Force.
Since action films are not as straight forward today, as some of the action films were in the 80´s, it is nice to get a throwback to the glory days of Cannon Films in the company with The Delta Force. This is a film that i guarantee extreme Swedish feminists believe, that this film is demonic, since this film goes against all of their protocols ( i can imagine they explode in anger if they see a poster of Chuck Norris ). And this is why we need The Delta Force in society, to show that it is good for you to see an old school action film where guns, explosions and violence is included, a combination that will make cinema lovers have a good time. After all, there should not be any extreme terrorists alive at all, so i have no problem seeing military forces blowing them all up ( hopefully they will all be finished in the future, hoping for the best ). The plot is very simple, you have the classic terrorist hijacking of an aircraft, with tourists on board. And we get to follow the procedure to make sure that every passenger will be safe, when the Delta Force team is being brought in to take care of this situation. I have seen plenty of terrorist action films over the years, and The Delta Force is actually one of the most classic films in this genre. And the biggest reason for that is thanks to the wonderful cast in this film. You have legendary actors such as Shelley Winters, George Kennedy, Bo Svenson, Joey Bishop, Robert Forster, Lee Marvin, Steve James and many more. They all bring something magical on the big screen with their performances. I especially think legendary actor Robert Forster ( who is fantastic in the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown, a must see ) does a really good performance as terrorist leader Abdul Rafai. The real star of this film is of course action legend Chuck Norris as the character Major Scott McCoy, and he have no problem delivering his classic dialogue, as he takes out terrorists in his own unique way. The action scenes are well done, and the violence is quite effective, especially towards the end when the real action scenes kicks in. Director Menahem Golan really gave us an action feast with this film, and i personally think that this is one of the best films that he directed. The Delta Force is one of those 80´s films that will continue to entertain action lovers worldwide for many generations ahead. If you love action films of the 80´s, The Delta Force is one of those films you have to see, a wonderful action blockbuster for the whole family to enjoy.
Rating: DDDD
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