Iron Eagle (1986)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers:

Kevin Elders (written by)
Sidney J. Furie (written by)

Release Date:

17 January 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Break the sound barrier. Break the speed barrier.

Plot:

When Doug's father, an Air Force Pilot, is shot down by MiGs belonging to a radical Middle Eastern state...

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | Radical | Colonel | Pilot | Fuel

Cast

Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Jason Gedrick	...	Doug Masters
Tim Thomerson	...	Col. Ted Masters
Larry B. Scott	...	Reggie
Caroline Lagerfelt	...	Elizabeth Masters
Jerry Levine	...	Tony
Robbie Rist	...	Milo
Michael Bowen	...	Knotcher
Robert Jayne	...	Matthew (as Bobby Jacoby)
Melora Hardin	...	Katie
David Greenlee	...	Kingsley
Michael Alldredge	...	Col. Blackburn
Tom Fridley	...	Brillo
Rob Garrison	...	Packer
Chino 'Fats' Williams	...	Slappy

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #28010) | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

This film was originally intended to be released in the summer of 1986, but the release was pushed up to January to avoid competition and confusion with Top Gun (1986).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The cockpit and controls of a real F-16 are nothing like they appear in this movie.

Quotes:

[after destroying an oil refinery]
Doug Masters: Looks like they'll be importing oil this year, Chappy.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Marksman (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Road of the Gypsy

Not as bad as some people make it seem

This movie is not quite as bad as some of the comments want you to believe. It does have some serious reality flaws. But that's exactly where it excels. This is not a story about a kid trying to rescue his dad. This is a story about the flying fantasies of youth. I grew up playing quite a few flight simulators on computers, and this added to my fantasy of someday flying a fighter jet. This is exactly what this movie's about, a kid completely enthralled with flight simulations that he becomes a good pilot.

They should have left it at that though. The kid's fantasy of rescuing his dad (also a pilot) from some mysterious middle eastern base should not have been brought to reality. Reality should not have extended past his races in his single-engine crop-duster with a motorcycle. Throughout the movie, the kid does not see the world as a dangerous place. He still sees it as one big simulation. This is exactly how you should watch the movie, otherwise, it will seem like a ridiculous plot that's out-of-touch with the real world.