Taglines: The Hijack….The Ordeal….The Rescue…
The Delta Force movie storyline. When the terrorists Abdul Rafai and Mustafa hijack a Boeing 707 in Athenas with 144 passengers and crew, they use a grenade to force Captain Campbell to fly to Beirut, Lebanon, instead of to Rome and New York. Meanwhile the Delta Force commanded by Colonel Nick Alexander and Major McCoy are assigned to resolve the situation. Abdul and Mustafa separate the Jewish and Marine passengers and they are transported to Beirut, while twelve other terrorists embark on board.
Then they fly to Algiers, where the women and children are released. McCoy and the Delta Force team are prepared to attack the plane when Alexander learns that there are now fourteen terrorists on board and not only two, and he aborts the mission. Abdul kills a Marine and returns to Beirut with the male passengers on board. Now the Delta Force needs to act in two locations crowded of terrorists to release the hostages.
The Delta Force is a 1986 American action–thriller starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin (in his final film appearance) 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 the direct-to-video Delta Force 3: The Killing Game. The Delta Force was “inspired by” the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.
About the Story
Operation Eagle Claw is being aborted after a fatal helicopter crash, with the U.S. Delta Force evacuating to their C-130 transports. Among them is Captain Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris), who, against orders, rescues his wounded comrade, Peterson (William Wallace), from the burning helicopter before the team finally evacuates. McCoy expresses his disgust for the politicians and the military hierarchy that forced the mission to launch despite the risks, and announces his resignation.
Five years later, a group of Lebanese terrorists hijack American Travelways Flight 282, a Boeing 707 flying from Cairo, Egypt to New York City via Athens, Greece and Rome, Italy. Taking all 144 passengers and crew hostage on the Athens-Rome leg, the pro-Khomeini New World Revolutionary Organization, led by two terrorists named Abdul Rafai (Robert Forster) and Mustafa (David Menahem), force 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 each 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 of her German heritage. 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 (who has been 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 onboard. When the Delta Force blow their cover, Abdul kills a United States Navy Diver named Tom Hale (Charles Floye). He then forces the pilots to return to Beirut and takes the remaining male passengers with him.
The Delta Force (1986)
Directed by: Menahem Golan
Starring: Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin, Martin Balsam, Joey Bishop, Robert Forster, Lainie Kazan, Hanna Schygulla, Susan Strasberg
Screenplay by: James Bruner, Menahem Golan
Production Design by: Luciano Spadoni
Cinematography by: David Gurfinkel
Film Editing by: Alain Jakubowicz
Costume Design by: Tami Mor
Set Decoration by: Ladislav Wilheim
Music by: Alan Silvestri
Distributed by: Cannon Films
Release Date: February 14, 1986
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