Operation Delta Force

THE STORY: A few years ago I used to get these applications for Special Forces a lot. Sometimes I wish I had done it. To be honest, I might have done it if I was a few years younger and single. Nahhhh....who am I kidding? Special Forces, Delta force, Navy SEALS, those guys have a tough job and really tough training. I'm a technician. I'm not happy unless I'm parked in front of a monitor. This movie wasn't too bad though. Hokey, yeah, but I kind of enjoyed it.

Just as Major Tipton  (Ernie Hudson) is about to pick up some vials of a deadly virus from a UN facility in Africa, right wing south African extremists led by Johann Nash (Joe Lara) attack. They kill all of the scientists and steal the virus and the antidote. Delta force, led by Captain Lang (Jeff Fahey) is sent to recover it. They pick up Tipton and we discover that Tipton was once a member of Delta force but quit after some accident that caused the death of Lang's brother. We never find out exactly what happened but needless to say Lang has a grudge against Tipton. Also a female south African military officer, Lt. Yonker (sp?) joins the team. Delta force chases Nash and his men around, on a train and then to a small village named Kabonga. Nash manages to escape with his men time after time. finally while chasing the bad guys on a river Nash loses the vial with the virus. Lang recovers it and Delta Force is called back in. Admiral Henshaw, the Delta's commander tells them he has been ordered not to pursue Nash any longer, even though the pentagon knows that Nash is heading for a boat somewhere off the coast. While flying home on a C-130, Delta Force hears the news that Kabonga is being wrought with a virulent disease. Tipton checks the vial. Its the deadly virus and even delta Force is affected. convinced that their superiors are going to firebomb the village and dispose of them, Delta Force heads back to the coast. They attack the boat where Nash is holed up and recover the antidote. Lt. Yonker brings the cure to the village. I guess that Delta force used some of it to cure themselves. Lang and Tipton have a heart to heart and reconcile their differences.

I'm wondering if this wasn't a made for TV movie or an HBO produced movie. It was a decent diversion if you can get over some of the gunplay. I mean, when they were on the train bullets were flying and none of the seats seemed to get hit. I don't think a train seat would protect anyone from all that gunfire either. Admiral Henshaw was played by Hal Holbrook.

Best Lines: "I''ve had just about enough of that kafir [unwrite]!"-Tipton as he kills Nash. I'm not sure if its spelled right, but 'kafir' is the south African word for, well, 'nigger'. God, I hate racists.

1.) The UN experiments in Germ Warfare! hmmmm....probably.

2.) Captain Lang is pretty rough on Major Tipton at first. I just don't believe that a Major would take that kind of lip from a captain. Hell, Tipton even says once "Don't forget I outrank you!"

3.) Delta Force intercepts Nash on a train. But they get out of the chopper at the bottom of a bridge and climb up the trestle and wait for the. Why not get out on top of the bridge?

4.) The train tunnel is blown up by stock footage! There's a lot of stock footage of military aircraft in this movie by the way.

5.) Lang walks right into an ambush by Nash in the village. I'm sorry, I just don't see the real Delta Force being so stupid. Even I anticipated that...and as I said I'm a technician.

6.) Lang throws a grenade that explodes a fair distance from a guy and the guy still jumps in the air as if he is in the blast radius. Couldn't they have just shot that scene over?

7.) Wait a ding dang minute! The Pentagon knows where Nash's boat is but doesn't want an international incident so they won't attack it? This is before Nash is even on the boat so they could have cut him off. No way! In real life the miltary would have blasted the boat into smithereens. Better yet, a few Navy SEALS could probably have taken the boat and capured Nash when he came aboard

NUDITY AND SEX: None

HUH?: Kabongo? The village is named Kabongo? Is this the same universe as George of The Jungle? Well, maybe there is a place named Kabongo in Africa or something close to Kabongo...but it sounds funny. Does Quick Draw McGraw vacation there? (El Kabong...oh, forget it.)

When Lang decides to disobey orders and go attack Nash and recover the antidote Delta Force is already on the plane heading home. So I guess the pilot decided to disobey orders too. Just like that. (That may be the case...theoretically the pilot is infected too.)

THE TALLY: If you like A-team type action then this movie might do you well. Not too bloody, no nudity and a pretty even story. Plus I'm happy Ernie Hudson didn't die. By the way...has anyone else noticed a trend in straight to video movies involving african countries? Guess we've mined out the ol' middle eastern terrorist cliche'.