5 stars of blistering eighties Chuck Norris action.
The Delta Force is written by James Bruner (An Eye For An Eye, Missing In Action) and co-written and directed by Menahem Golan (Over The Top, Bloodsport), both major players in the field of eighties action films.
Originally released in 1986, this classic Chuck Norris film has been carefully transferred onto Blu-ray using the original film elements by MGM.
The Delta Force is set against a backdrop of US struggles against terrorism in all it’s forms, something very much in the forefront of American consciousness at the time. It was made a year after the hijacking of the Achille Lauro near to Egypt and also the hijacking of TWA Flight 847, the main basis for the story of this film.
In the film, the plane in question is the ATW Flight 282, which is hijacked en route from Athens to New York City, by Lebanese terrorists demanding that the plane be diverted and taken to Beirut.
Enlisted to rectify the situation and rescue the hostages are Major Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris – Walker; Texas Ranger, The Hitman) and, in his last screen role, Colonel Nick Alexander (Lee Marvin – The Dirty Dozen, The Big Red One).
Following a previous botched attempt at a similar rescue, the team are determined that they will “really go for it this time”. Interestingly, right up until the explosive and thoroughly gratifying end sequence, featuring all the Chuck Norris fight action you could possibly handle on a Saturday night, the film actually remains true to the events of the hijacking on which it is based. 
As in the film, the Israeli passengers were segregated, the pilot was interviewed by the press at gun point, and the air hostess, Ingrid (Hanna Schygulla – Dead Again, Katzelmacher) is based on Uli Derickson, who was responsible for saving lives aboard Flight 847, and later became the subject of another film, The Taking Of Flight 847 -The Uli Derickson Story.
There are plenty of special features available with this new conversion;
- Genre Hijackers: Mark Hartley on Cannon Films – The filmmaker discusses the explosive legacy of Cannon Films and legendary producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus
- Chuck Norris Scribe: An interview with James Bruner, the writer behind numerous Cannon blockbusters including The Delta Force and Invasion U.S.A.
- May The Delta Force Be With You! – An interview with Commandant Christian Prouteau, founder of the French GIGN and instructor of the first Delta Force
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphrey
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author John Kenneth Muir and a contemporary article on Cannon Films, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.
Quite simply, this is a glorious eighties action fest, with big guns, fireballs and lots and lots of fighting. There’s nothing here not to love, a must see for when you’re in the mood for a bit of destruction and mayhem.
Chuck Norris! That is all.
The Delta Force is available to buy now on Blu-ray.
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