By Ernie Magnotta
In the late 1970s and up until the mid-80s,
six-time, undefeated world karate champion Chuck Norris was making quite a name
for himself as a martial arts cinema superstar. By 1985, he would begin to tone
down the amount of karate used in his films and he soon became known simply as
an action movie hero. One of the films which helped this transition was the successful
and exciting 1986 action flick with an all-star 70s disaster movie-like cast
called The Delta Force in which he
starred as Scott McCoy. Norris then went on to make three more enjoyable films
before finally returning to the role of McCoy in 1990’s Delta Force 2.
When the brilliant, wealthy and ruthless drug
kingpin Ramon Cota (Billy Drago, Pale
Rider, 1987’s The Untouchables)
captures a group of undercover American DEA agents and makes them prisoners at his
South American drug compound where he eventually plans to execute them, Colonel
Scott McCoy (Norris) and his fearless Delta Force spring into action and attempt
to free the hostages as well as put an end to Cota’s lucrative drug cartel
before any more of its cocaine shipments can reach the United States.
Shot in the Philippines, directed by Chuck’s
brother, Aaron Norris (Braddock: Missing
in Action III), and written by Lee Reynolds (Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold), Delta Force 2, which continued Chuck’s association with now legendary
film studio The Cannon Group, has, over the years, been labelled a bit of a
misstep in Chuck’s filmography. First of all, it has been said that the film
isn’t really a sequel to the original Delta
Force. It just uses the title and Chuck’s character name from the first
movie, but that’s about it. I guess that’s true. Next, the script usually comes
under fire for containing many predictable scenes/action movie clichés. These
include the overly-happy partner with the perfect (and pregnant) wife who we
just know will both meet a bad end early on as well as re-working scenes and
ideas from not only other films, but from other Norris adventures as well (part
of the plot seems to be taken from Chuck’s 1984 hit Missing in Action and there are also slightly re-worked scenes from
1987’s The Untouchables and 1979’s Moonraker). While all of this is also
true, these sequences and ideas are done with just enough variation that we let
them slide and still thoroughly enjoy the film. The man responsible for making
these scenes work is director Aaron Norris who films many well-directed and
exciting action sequences and keeps the movie engaging and fun. The last bit of
criticism this movie gets usually has to do with the acting which has been
labeled sub-par. This is just another critique I disagree with. While no one’s
performance in this film would be considered for an Academy Award (it’s not
that type of film, critics), the amazingly talented cast does very well with
the material given to them.
Of course, the main reason any
self-respecting action aficionado would spend almost two hours watching this
film is due to the presence of the man himself, Chuck Norris. What more can
really be said about Chuck? He’s low-key, likeable, sometimes humorous, yet
believably deadly when necessary. As usual, he’s perfect for this type of film
and his enormous fan base will not be disappointed.
A cinematic action hero is only as good as
his nefarious adversary and when it comes to vile villains; it’s tough to top
Billy Drago. The extremely talented Drago, who also acted alongside Chuck in
both Invasion U.S.A. and Hero and the Terror, plays amoral drug dealer Cota in a totally convincing way and,
throughout the film, exudes ice-cold, creepy evil. Drago really makes you hate
his character which works all the more once Chuck’s Colonel McCoy gets the
upper hand on him.
The impressive acting doesn’t stop there, as
the enjoyable film is loaded with even more top-notch talent. To begin with,
the always welcome John P. Ryan (It’s
Alive, Runaway Train) gives an extremely likeable and humorous performance
as a US General who just loves to kick ass. Fans of 60s and 70s cinema will be
happy to see the great Richard Jaeckel (The
Dirty Dozen, The Devil’s Brigade, Grizzly, Day of the Animals) as a
tough-as-nails DEA agent. Next up, is Paul Perri (Manhunter) as Chuck’s ill-fated partner; not to mention the highly
recognizable Mark Margolis (Scarface,
Breaking Bad) as evil General Olmedo. Last, but not least, legendary
actor/stuntman Dick Warlock (Jaws, 1981’s
Halloween II) shows up briefly (blink
and you’ll miss him) as a DEA agent on stakeout.
During filming, a helicopter crash killed
four crew members and the pilot. The movie is dedicated to their memory.
Delta Force 2 (which is also known
as Delta Force 2: The Colombian
Connection and Delta Force 2:
Operation Stranglehold) has been
released on a region one Blu-ray by Kino Lorber and is presented in its
original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The beautiful HD transfer boasts sharp, crystal
clear images as well as just as clear audio. Other than the original theatrical
trailer along with trailers for Chuck’s extremely entertaining actioners An Eye for an Eye and Hero and the Terror (which are both available
on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber), the disc contains no special features. However, if
you’re in the mood to sit back, relax, not think too hard and just watch our
man Chuck almost singlehandedly mop up the floor with the bad guys, then Delta Force 2 certainly delivers the
goods.
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