The Delta Force is a 1986 American film starring Chuck
Norris and Lee Marvin as leaders of an elite squad of Special Forces troops
based on the real life U.S. Army Delta Force unit. It was directed by Menahem
Golan and featured Martin Balsam, Joey Bishop, Robert Vaughn, Steve James,
Robert Forster, Shelley Winters, and George Kennedy. The film was produced in
Israel. Two sequels were produced entitled Delta Force 2: The Colombian
Connection and Delta Force 3: The Killing Game. The Delta Force was Lee
Marvin's last film.
Story:
The film opens up on Operation Eagle Claw, the American
operation to rescue American hostages being held at the U.S. embassy to Tehran.
The operation is being aborted after a fatal helicopter crash, with the U.S.
Delta Force evacuating to their C-130 transports. Among them is Major Scott
McCoy (Chuck Norris), who, against orders, rescues his wounded comrade Pete
Peterson (William Wallace) from the burning helicopter before the team finally
evacuates. McCoy expresses his disgust for the politicians and military
hierarchy that forced the mission to launch despite the risks, and announces he
is resigning his commission.
Five years later, a group of Lebanese terrorists armed with
a Colt M1911, PM-63 machine pistol and AK-47s hijack American Travelways Boeing
707 (ATW) Flight 282 that is on a flight from Cairo, Egypt to Athens, Greece to
Rome, Italy and then to New York City.
Taking all 144 passengers and crew hostage, the group, the
pro-Khomeini New World Revolutionary Organization, led by Abdul Rafai (Robert
Forster) and Mustafa (David Menachem), forces Captain Roger Campbell (Bo
Svenson) and his crew to fly the plane to Beirut, Lebanon, where they make
demands to the United States government that, if not met, will result in the
death of the hostages. During the crisis, they separate the Jewish passengers
from the Americans by forcing the flight attendant to identify them, who is
hesitant to do so because she is German. Unbeknownst to the authorities, the
Jewish hostages are then taken off the plane and transported to a
militant-controlled area of Beirut, while a dozen additional henchmen are
brought on board. The plane departs for Algiers, where the terrorists release
the female hostages and children. Meanwhile Delta Force, led by Colonel Nick
Alexander (Lee Marvin) and McCoy, recalled to duty and promoted to Major, are
deployed to resolve the crisis. Once the female hostages are evacuated, they
launch their assault, only to discover too late that there are additional
hijackers and inadvertently alert the terrorists. Abdul kills one hostage, a US
Navy diver named Tom, and forces the pilots to return to Beirut, taking the
remaining male passengers with him. Delta Force gives chase to rescue the
hostages.
Upon landing again in Beirut, the terrorists transport the
passengers to a separate location, while the pilots remain in the aircraft.
Using a sympathetic Greek Orthodox priest, Israeli Army Intelligence prepares
an operation to free the hostages. In a prolonged campaign against the
terrorists, Delta Force bides their time to identify the terrorist leaders and
the locations of the hostages. Once their locations are discovered, Delta Force
assaults the terrorist holdouts, freeing the hostages and evacuating them to
the airport. During the battle, McCoy, Peterson and their team hunt down Abdul
and his men, killing most of the militants before Abdul shoots Peterson,
gravely injuring him. McCoy chases Abdul and tracks him down to an abandoned
home. He then engages him into a vicious hand-to-hand fight, breaking Abdul's
arm. As the terrorist leader prepares to shoot McCoy, he is killed after McCoy
launches a rocket into his car.
With the hostages and rescue teams secured, the team seizes
Flight 282 by secretly infiltrating the airfield through a cotton field. Using
silenced weapons, Alexander and the Delta team assassinates the terrorist
guards including the last hijacker and saves the crew, ordering them to fly to
Israel. The team boards the plane with all of the hostages, taking off just as
McCoy is the last one to board the plane after having destroyed several
terrorist jeeps on the runway with his motorcycle armament. On board the team
tends to the wounded passengers and Pete who is now dying. After having
confirmed that the hostages are safe and en route home, Pete says his farewells
to McCoy before succumbing to his wounds. In the main cabin the ex-hostages and
Delta commandos join together in a rousing rendition of "America The
Beautiful", not knowing about Pete's death. In Israel, the plane lands
safely and the hostages are greeted by their families, while Delta Force
disembarks with Pete's body in tow. The team concludes their operation and
departs for the United States amidst celebrations by the people.