My son will save me?

 

Iron Eagle (1986)

Directed by Sidney J. Furie

What if I told you there was movie that was just like Top Gun but really different and very poorly done but it has a much more kick ass name? Well Iron Eagle is almost like the pre crazy Tom Cruise movie, it's just missing the sex scene, Ice Man, Goose dying and the all around good feel of Gun. But Iron Eagle does have a bad ass sound track and a punk kid that steals a fighter plane to save his dad. This just shows how lax the security is at an air force base. It was the 80's and when kids wanted to get even they would just break into shit.

Back in the hay days of the 80's these movies were everywhere. You know the ones where the kids fight the evil bad guys around the world, in a funny way of coarse. This movie is no different than the other crop of 80's communist ass kicking films.

This one is about Doug Masters played by the wonderful Jason Gedrick, from such flicks as The Heavenly Kid and the first five seconds of Iron Eagle II. His dad is a great fighter pilot that gets shot down behind enemy lines, okay so maybe he isn't that great. The air force in all their wisdom decides to let good old dad rot rather than save him. U - S - A!!! This is where Doug, he looks 35 by the way, decides hey I'll go get him, I've flown a simulator before.

Off we go on one hell of a ride to rescue dad. This is where Louis Gossett Jr. comes into play, he plays Chappy the old and wise ex-fighter pilot. After some begging Chappy decides,"hey it is a good idea to steal a plane and save your dad!" 

So Doug heads off to train and learn to become a fighter pilot in the span of like 3 montages I would say. Just enough time to learn to be the best. Doug gets his scrappy group of friends together to break into the base and get a plane and maps and the whole chicken. Thank god for smart underachieving kids. Some of the kids in the movie, and I use the term "kids" very loosly. Larry B. Scott, from Space Camp* and Revenge of the Nerds plays Reggie, the black kid. He looks like he has two kids in this movie. We also have the very hot Shawnee Smith, she plays the girl of the group and is hot. I had a very big crush on her when I was a kid, an actually kid not some 40 year old kid.

This movie has it all action, adventure, old looking teenagers and Lou Gossett. For those of you who haven't seen it, please do, you will not be disappointed. For those of you that have, watch it again, just buy the damn thing. Great music and a very 80's feel to it with a great fuck you to communist around the world.

Till the next forgotten classic...

7/10

Video Junkie Extra:

Tim Thomerson plays the elder Masters in Iron Eagle. You might be saying to yourself, "who the hell is Tim Thomerson?" He is a legend of the B movie world and a pretty good actor. He is a lesser Bruce Campbell, and if you don't know that name just shoot yourself. Go ahead I'll wait...... Good. Thomerson was in such movies as Trancers, Near Dark, Cherry 2000 and Who's Harry Crumb. So please look this guy up and enjoy his flicks.

 *Check out my review of Space Camp