Iron Eagle ** (1986, Louis Gossett Jr, Jason Gedrick, David Suchet) – Classic Movie Review 10,188

Sidney J Furie scores a 1986 Top Gun-style hit with Iron Eagle, starring Jason Gedrick as young pilot Doug Masters.

Director Sidney J Furie’s 1986 Iron Eagle stars Jason Gedrick as Doug Masters, a 18-year-old lad who pinches an F-16 fighter plane and jets to the Middle East to rescue his US Air Force colonel father, who has been shot down and snatched as a hostage.

He manages to engineer the safe passage of his plane and gets retired US Air Force Colonel Charles ‘Chappy’ Sinclair (Louis Gossett Jr) to help him to beat the complex security system.

Iron Eagle is a busy, worrying flag-waving action adventure thriller movie. It is hardly a good moral example, but it has a certain vigour in the writing, acting and especially Furie’s handling.

It is fair enough that this gung-go action drama is an often-exciting story of bravery, friendship and determination. But some of its dim script’s hawkish attitudes are worryingly nationalistic and unrealistic.

Costing $6,104,754 and grossing, $24,159,872, it was a big hit and Iron Eagle II (1988), Iron Eagle III and Iron Eagle IV followed. Louis Gossett, Jr stars again in Iron Eagle II, also directed by Furie, with Jason Gedrick appearing only in an uncredited cameo.

Also in the cast are David Suchet as the Minister of Defense, Tim Thomerson, Larry B Scott, Caroline Lagerfelt, Jerry Levine, Robert Jayne, Robbie Rist, Melora Hardin, David Greenlee, Michael Alldredge, Tom Fridley, Rob Garrison and Michael Bowen.

Iron Eagle is directed by Sidney J Furie, runs 117 minutes, is made by TriStar Pictures, Delphi Films and Falcon’s Flight, is released by TriStar Pictures (1986) (US), is written by Kevin Elders and Sidney J Furie, is shot in Metrocolor by Adam Greenberg, is produced by Ron Samuels and Joe Wizan, is scored by Basil Poledouris, and is designed by Robb Wilson King.

The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai actor Rob Garrison died at 59 in September 2019.

Canadian film director Sidney Joseph Furie turned 85 on 28 February 2018. He is also known for The Ipcress File, Gable and Lombard, The Leather Boys, The Entity and The Boys in Company C.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,188

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