The Delta Force (1986)

Director:

Menahem Golan

Writers:

James Bruner (written by) &
Menahem Golan (written by)

Release Date:

14 February 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

They don't negotiate with terrorists... they blow them away!

Plot:

A 707 aircraft jetliner on its way from Athens to Rome and then to New York City is hijacked by Lebanese terrorists...

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Pilot | Beirut | Priest | Delta Force

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Chuck Norris	...	Maj. Scott McCoy
Lee Marvin	...	Col. Nick Alexander
Martin Balsam	...	Ben Kaplan
Joey Bishop	...	Harry Goldman
Robert Forster	...	Abdul
Lainie Kazan	...	Sylvia Goldman
George Kennedy	...	Father O'Malley
Hanna Schygulla	...	Ingrid
Susan Strasberg	...	Debra Levine
Bo Svenson	...	Capt. Campbell
Robert Vaughn	...	Gen. Woodbridge
Shelley Winters	...	Edie Kaplan
William Wallace	...	Pete Peterson
Charles Grant	...	Tom Hale (as Charles Floye)
Steve James	...	Bobby
Kim Delaney	...	Sister Mary
Jerry Weinstock	...	Dr. Jack
Marvin Freedman	...	Dave Hoskins
Bob Levit	...	Jim Montgomery
Chelli Goldberg	...	Tina
Chris Ellia	...	Lesley
Jerry Lazarus	...	Robert Levine
Natalie Roth	...	Ellen Levine
Jerry Hyman	...	Ted Bilicki
Gael Lehrer	...	Rosalee Bilicki
Hank Leininger	...	Jay Bilicki
Howard Jackson	...	Ed
Eric Norris	...	Andy
Zipora Peled	...	Sister Ann
Aaron Kaplan	...	Mike Fraser
Caroline Langford	...	Sally Fraser
Yehuda Efroni	...	David Rosovsky
David Menachem	...	Moustapha (as David Menahem)
Shaike Ophir	...	Father Nicholas
Avi Loziah	...	Jaffer
Uri Gavriel	...	George Berri
Panos Nicolaou	...	Peter
Elki Jacobs	...	Bartender
Menahem Einy	...	Issam
Assi Dayan	...	Raffi Amir (as Assaf Dayan)
Jack Cohen	...	Lebanese Minister
Adib Jahschan	...	Salim (as Adiv Gahshan)
Haim Sirafi	...	Samir
Mosko Alkalai	...	TV reporter (as Mosco Alkalai)
Larry Price	...	Journalist
Susan Ophir	...	ATW girl
Jack Messinger	...	ATW agent
Janet Harshman	...	TV announcer
Ezra Kafri	...	Israeli commando
Danny Friedman	...	Israeli commando
Richard Salno	...	Capt. Ross
Andy Shulman	...	Pete's assistant
Joe Sapel	...	Delta pilot
Richard Peterson	...	American ambassador in Algiers
Eugene Klein	...	American ambassador in Tel Aviv
Albert Amar	...	Controller in Algeria
Ben Ami Shmueli	...	Officer with George
Moti Shirin	...	Terrorist in plane
Yitzhak Aloni	...	Amal sergeant (as Itzik Aloni)
Boaz Ofri	...	Gate guard
Albert Iluz	...	Passport inspector
Osnat Vishinski	...	Information agent, El Al
David Leshnik	...	TV announcer

Directed by
Menahem Golan

Writing credits
James Bruner		(written by) &
Menahem Golan		(written by)

Produced by
Yoram Globus	....	producer
Menahem Golan	....	producer
Rony Yacov	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Alan Silvestri

Cinematography by
David Gurfinkel

Film Editing by
Alain Jakubowicz

Production Design by
Luciano Spadoni		(as Lucisano Spadoni)

Set Decoration by
Ladislav Wilheim		(as Ladi Wilheim)

Costume Design by
Tami Mor

Makeup Department
Vittorio Biseo	....	key makeup artist
Esty Kariv	....	makeup artist
Tamy Levy	....	hair stylist
Patrice Morieres	....	hair stylist
Zivit Yakir	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Zion Chen	....	unit production manager
Itzik Kol	....	production supervisor (as Itzhak Kol)
Dov Maoz	....	production manager
Michael R. Sloan	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tony Brandt	....	first assistant director
Michal Engel	....	second assistant director
Carlos Gil	....	second unit director
Shauli Gorodeski	....	third assistant director: second unit
Mike Katzin	....	second assistant director
Avi Mograbi	....	second assistant director: second unit
Avner Orshalimy	....	first assistant director: second unit
Haim Rinski	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Yuda Acco	....	assistant production designer (as Yuda Ako)
Leonardo Coen Cagli	....	set designer
César Díez Álava	....	property master
Batia Grafka	....	property master
David Varod	....	set dresser
Arie Ben Yishai	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Gary Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Bartlett	....	sound effects editor
Ron Bartlett	....	sound editor
George Berndt	....	supervising dialogue editor
David Bifano	....	audio programming
Baird Bryant	....	foley editor
Ed Callahan	....	sound effects editor
Smith Craig	....	supervising foley editor
Keith Critchlow	....	foley editor
Lee Dragu	....	foley editor
Ann Ducommun	....	assistant sound editor
Mark Eiges	....	foley editor
Thomas A. Fucci	....	dialogue editor
Victor Grodecki	....	dialogue editor
Allan Hartz	....	sound effects editor
Chris Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Christopher Jenkins)
Richard King	....	sound effects editor
J.W. Kompare	....	sound effects editor
Cliff Latimer	....	adr editor
David Lebrun	....	dialogue editor
Martin Maryska	....	sound effects editor
Oscar Mitt	....	assistant sound editor
Andrew Patterson	....	dialogue editor
Jerry Ross	....	supervising sound editor
Ruth Schell	....	dialogue editor
Tracey Smith	....	adr editor
Larry Stensvold	....	sound re-recording mixer
Fred Wasser	....	sound effects editor
Eli Yarkoni	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Ian Biggs	....	special effects
Chris Corbould	....	special effects
Neil Corbould	....	special effects
Chris Gant	....	special effects
John Gant	....	special effects
Yoram Pollack	....	special effects
Alon Reuven	....	special effects assistant
Andy Williams	....	special effects
Shemesh Yaron	....	special effects assistant
Yoram Zargary	....	special effects assistant

Stunts
Koby Azarly	....	stunts
BJ Davis	....	stunts (as B.J. Davis)
Mike De Luna	....	stunts
Jon H. Epstein	....	stunt double: Chuck Norris (as John Epstein)
Greg Gault	....	stunts
Don Pike	....	stunt coordinator
Gary Pike	....	stunts
Alberto Vaknin	....	stunts (as Albert Vaknin)
B.J. Worth	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Effi Agami	....	grip
Avi Avrahami	....	electrician
Danny Ben Menahem	....	gaffer
Arik Bernstein	....	camera operator: second unit
Michael Biniaminy	....	focus puller
Yoni Hamenachem	....	still photographer
Mikey Inbari	....	electrician
Avi Koren	....	focus puller
Hans Kühle Jr.	....	photographer: second unit (as Hans Khules Jr.)
Avraham Leibman	....	gaffer
Benny Mali	....	clapper loader
Shimon Sabach	....	key grip
Danny Schneider	....	clapper loader
Danny Sheneor	....	camera operator
Rami Siman-Tov	....	clapper loader
Yuda Tatarko	....	best boy: second unit

Casting Department
Perry Bullington	....	casting: Los Angeles
Tova Cypin	....	casting: Israel
Robert MacDonald	....	casting: Los Angeles

Editorial Department
Anne Couk	....	first assistant editor
Kobi Dagan	....	first assistant editor
Dory Lubliner	....	first assistant editor
Omneya 'Nini' Mazen	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Tom Carlin	....	music editor
Paula Erickson	....	music supervisor
Dennis S. Sands	....	music scoring mixer

Transportation Department
Doron Mizrachi	....	action vehicles
Sam Rubi	....	transportation captain
Meir Sigura	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Wenden K. Baldwin	....	title designer
Raz Chen	....	location manager
Alan Gershenfeld	....	production coordinator: Los Angeles
Sharon Kahn	....	assistant: Menahem Golan
Sophie Kahn	....	unit publicist
Naomi Kol	....	production accountant
Naomi Mayberg	....	production coordinator
James Monaghan	....	army consultant (as Jim Monaghan)
Kyle O'Feere	....	title designer
Avner Peled	....	location manager
Charlotte Rose	....	assistant to production coordinator
Daniel Schneor	....	operator
Burton Sharp	....	adr group coordinator
Jim Taylor	....	production coordinator: Los Angeles
Vivalda Vigorelli	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Golan-Globus Productions

Distributors

• Cannon Film Distributors (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Scotia International Filmverleih (1986) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cannon France (1986) (France) (theatrical)
• Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) (1986) (France) (theatrical)
• Succéfilm AB (1986) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• VMP (1986) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Vestron Video International (1986) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1987) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1988) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (France) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Veronica (2003) (Netherlands) (TV)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• SBS6 (2005) (Netherlands) (TV)
• SBS6 (2006) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Pan-Canadian Film Distributors (198?) (Canada) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• América Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Video Treasures (19??) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Enigma Records  soundtrack released by
• Freeze Frame  titles and opticals
• G.G. Israel Studios Ltd. (I)  production facilities
• Intrada  score album released by (signature edition) (limited edition)
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services

Also Known As:

Mahatz Ha-Delta (Israel: Hebrew title)
Amerika's nieuwe helden (Netherlands) [nl]
Comando Delta (Brazil) [pt]
Delta Force (West Germany) [de]
Delta Force (Finland) [fi]
Delta Force (Spain) [es]
Delta Force (Italy) [it]
Dynami Delta (Greece) [el]
Força Delta (Portugal) [pt]
Styrka Delta Force (Sweden) [sv]
Zafer topu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

125 min | 129 min

Country:

USA | Israel

Language:

English | Arabic | Hebrew | Greek

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:15 | West Germany:18 (nf) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) (heavily cut) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Ben-Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel

Company:

Golan-Globus Productions

Trivia:

The movie was originally to be produced with the cooperation of Delta Force's real-life founder and original commanding officer, Col. Charles Beckwith. The producers wanted to tell the story of Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue the American hostages from Iran in 1979, but they wanted to change the story so that Delta Force completed their mission successfully. Colonel Beckwith left the project in disgust.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Israeli signs, etc at "Beirut" International Airport. Most noticable: El Al planes, 'Meshteret Israel' or 'Israeli Police' at the gate, and 'Brochim Ha Baim" or "Welcome" at the gate.

Quotes:

Maj. Scott McCoy: [after taking out a terrorist] Sleep tight, sucker.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Wrinkle in Time (2003) (TV)

good for the first half, cheesy for the second

THE DELTA FORCE is an odd movie. The first hour of the film is a well written and directed portrait of an airline highjacking. The music is tense and the performances are solid (especially Robert Forster as the head terrorist). Then, when Chuck and Lee show up, the film turns into a patriotic cheesefest where the delta force whips out the terrorists along to cheesy 80s patriotic pop music. The film definitely goes down from here. The director should've realized that the first half was tense and realistic and decided to keep it that way, even if they were going to have the delta force take out the terrorists. I really dont know why they changed the mood of the film so much, because if they had'nt, this could've been an excellent actioner. The second half is still somewhat enjoyable and very unintentionally funny, but those who think that the second half of the film would be as gripping as the first will be disappointed. 3/5