Editing Iron Eagle

{{Short description|1986 action film}}
{{about|the motion picture|the military slang|Iron Eagle (military slang)|other uses|Iron Eagle (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Ian Eagle}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Iron Eagle
| image          = Iron eagle.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Sidney J. Furie]]
| writer         = [[Kevin Alyn Elders]]<br />Sidney J. Furie
| producer       = Ron Samuels<br />Joe Wizan<br />Lou Lenart<br />Kevin Alyn Elders
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Louis Gossett Jr.]]
* [[Jason Gedrick]]
* [[David Suchet]]
* [[Larry B. Scott]]
* [[Caroline Lagerfelt]]
* [[Tim Thomerson]]
}}
| narrator       =
| cinematography = [[Adam Greenberg (cinematographer)|Adam Greenberg]]
| editing        = George Grenville
| music          = [[Basil Poledouris]]
| distributor    = [[TriStar Pictures|Tri-Star Pictures]]<br>[[Nelvana|Nelvana Limited]]
| released       = {{Film date|1986|1|17}}
| runtime        = 117 minutes
| country        = United States<br/>Canada
| language       = English
| budget         = $10 million<ref name="AFI">{{cite web |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57377-IRON-EAGLE |title=Iron Eagle (1986) |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=September 17, 2023 |archive-date=October 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011030621/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57377-IRON-EAGLE |url-status=live }}</ref>
| gross          = $24 million (US/Canada)<ref name="Mojo">[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ironeagle.htm "Box office: Iron Eagle."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919150855/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ironeagle.htm |date=2010-09-19 }} ''BoxOfficeMojo'', November 3, 1986. Retrieved: May 20, 2019.</ref> 
}}
'''''Iron Eagle''''' is a 1986 [[action film]] directed by [[Sidney J. Furie]] who co-wrote the screenplay with [[Kevin Alyn Elders]], and starring [[Jason Gedrick]] and [[Louis Gossett Jr.]]<ref name="L.A. Times">Mann, Roderick. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-02-02-ca-3246-story.html "Sidney Furie leads the cheer for 'Iron Eagle'."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011200648/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-02-02-ca-3246-story.html |date=2023-10-11 }} ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', February 2, 1986. Retrieved: October 27, 2010.</ref>  The film is unfavorably compared to the similarly-themed ''[[Top Gun]]'' released the same year.<ref>https://backtothefab80s.wordpress.com/2024/04/16/iron-eagle/</ref> ''Iron Eagle'' was followed by three sequels: ''[[Iron Eagle II]]'', ''[[Aces: Iron Eagle III]]'', and ''[[Iron Eagle on the Attack]]'', with Gossett being the only actor to appear in all four films.<ref>Orriss 2018, p. 180.</ref>
{{TOC limit|limit=2}}

==Plot==
Doug Masters, son of veteran [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] pilot Colonel Ted Masters, is a hotshot civilian pilot hoping to follow in his father's role. He receives a notice of rejection from the [[United States Air Force Academy|Air Force Academy]], and his father has been shot down and captured by the fictional Arab state of Bilya while patrolling over the [[Mediterranean Sea]].

Though the incident occurred over [[international waters]], the Arab state's court finds Colonel Masters guilty of trespassing over their territory and sentences him to [[Hanging|hang]] in three days. Deciding that the U.S. government will do nothing to save his father's life, Doug devises his own rescue mission. He requests the help of Col. Charles "Chappy" Sinclair, a [[Vietnam veteran]] pilot currently in the [[Air Force Reserve]], who, though not knowing Colonel Masters personally, had a favorable run-in with him years before meeting Doug and "knew the type." Chappy is initially skeptical, but Doug convinces him that, with his friends, he has full access to the airbase's intelligence and resources and can give him an [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16 fighter]] for the mission. To Doug's surprise, Chappy had already begun planning a rescue operation after learning the outcome of Colonel Masters's trial. The team of Chappy and Doug devise a meticulously planned mission and the procurement of two heavily armed F-16B jets, with Doug flying the second unit.

On the day of Colonel Masters's scheduled execution, Doug and Chappy fly their jets to the Mediterranean Sea and cross into Bilyan airspace. The Bilyan military responds, and in the ensuing battle, Doug and Chappy take out three [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23|MiG-23]] fighters and destroy an airfield, with Chappy's plane being hit by anti-aircraft fire. He tells Doug to climb to a high altitude and play the tape he made the night before. Doug then listens as Chappy's engine fails and crashes into the Mediterranean Sea. Chappy's recorded voice gives Doug encouragement and details that help him to complete the mission and rescue his father. Making the enemy believe he is leading a [[squadron (aviation)|squadron]], Doug threatens the enemy state into releasing his father for pickup.

Before Doug lands his F-16, Colonel Masters is shot by a sniper, causing Doug to destroy the airbase and engulf the runway with [[napalm]] to keep the army at bay while he lands and picks up his wounded father. Just as they take off, Doug and his father encounter another group of MiGs led by Col. Akir Nakesh, himself an [[ace pilot]]. The lone F-16 and Nakesh's MiG engage in a [[dogfight]] until a missile from Doug finishes off Nakesh. Low on fuel and ammunition, the F-16 is pursued by the other enemy MiGs when a flight of U.S. Air Force F-16s appears, warding off the MiGs before escorting Doug and his father to [[Ramstein Air Base]] in [[West Germany]].

While Col. Masters is being treated for his wounds, Doug is reunited with Chappy, who had ejected from his plane and was picked up by an [[Egypt]]ian [[fishing trawler]]. The two are summoned by an Air Force judiciary panel for their reckless actions. Seeing that any punishment for the duo would expose an embarrassing lapse in Air Force security, the panel forgoes prosecution as long as Doug and Chappy never speak of their operation to anyone. In addition, Chappy convinces the panel to grant Doug admission to the Air Force Academy. Days later, a plane assigned by the President returns to the U.S., reuniting Doug, Chappy, and Colonel Masters with family and friends.

==Cast==
{{div col}}
* [[Louis Gossett Jr.]] as Colonel Charles "Chappy" Sinclair
* [[Jason Gedrick]] as Doug Masters
* [[David Suchet]] as Ministry of Defense Colonel Akir Nakesh
* [[Shawnee Smith]] as Joenie
* [[Melora Hardin]] as Katie
* [[Larry B. Scott]] as Reggie
* [[Lance LeGault]] as General Edwards
* [[Tim Thomerson]] as Colonel Ted Masters
* [[Caroline Lagerfelt]] as Elizabeth Masters
* [[Robert Jayne]] as Matt Masters
* [[Jerry Levine]] as Tony
* [[Robbie Rist]] as Milo Bazen
* [[Michael Bowen (actor)|Michael Bowen]] as Knotcher
* [[David Greenlee]] as Kingsley
* Tom Fridley as Brillo
* [[Rob Garrison]] as Packer
* [[Michael Alldredge]] as Colonel Blackburn
{{div col end}}

==Production==
According to writer/director [[Sidney J. Furie]], the film's working title was ''Junior Eagle''. Furie and co-writer [[Kevin Alyn Elders]] were inspired by the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="AFI"/> The script was turned down by every studio before it was picked up by Joe Wizan, former head of [[20th Century Fox]]. Wizan then handed the script to producer [[Ron Samuels]], who likened it to the old [[John Wayne]] westerns.<ref name="L.A. Times"/> Pre-production work began in late 1984.<ref>Orris 2018, p. 180.</ref>

Although F-16s are featured in the movie poster, the [[United States Air Force]] has a long-standing policy about not cooperating on any film involving the theft of an aircraft.<ref>Powell, Larry. "The Making of Iron Eagle." ''Air Classics'', Volume 22, No. 2, February 1986, p. 72.</ref> Consequently, the filmmakers turned to the [[Israeli Air Force]] for the necessary aerial sequences. The filming in [[Israel]] took six weeks, with the flight sequences choreographed by Jim Gavin, whose earlier works include ''[[Blue Thunder]]''.<ref name="L.A. Times"/>

Filming took place at both California and Israeli locales. To simulate the above-ground facilities of a typical USAF base, a combination of hangars and barracks at [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]] and the [[Planes of Fame Air Museum]] at [[Chino, California]] were employed. Most Israeli airbases are situated in underground hangars, maintenance shops and crew quarters.<ref>Powell, Larry. "The Making of Iron Eagle." ''Air Classics'', Volume 22, No. 2, February 1986, p. 73.</ref> Filming in Israel took six weeks in and around "regular Israeli training missions".<ref name="AFI"/>

The aircraft used for both the American and the Bilyan air forces were Israeli jets: single-seat F-16As, two-seat F-16Bs, and [[IAI Kfir|F-21/C-2 Kfir]]s simulating MiG-23s, painted with fictional national markings.<ref>Beck 2016, p. 122.</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Main|Iron Eagle (soundtrack)}}
The soundtrack album was issued by [[Capitol Records]] on LP and cassette, and later on compact disc. It features songs by [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[King Kobra]], [[Eric Martin (American singer)|Eric Martin]], [[Dio (band)|Dio]], [[Adrenalin (band)|Adrenalin]], [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] and more.

In 2008, [[Varèse Sarabande]] released the original musical score by [[Basil Poledouris]] as part of their CD Club.

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Iron Eagle'' opened at [[List of 1986 box office number-one films in the United States|number one at the U.S. box office]] with a gross of $6,104,754 from 1,080 screens.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=January 22, 1986|page=5|title='Iron Eagle' Nests In Top Spot At Natl B.O.; Overall Action Up|last=Greenberg|first=James}}</ref> It went on to gross $24,159,872 at the U.S. and Canadian box office.<ref name="Mojo"/> Although the movie was not a major success at the cinema, it generated $11 million in home video sales, enough to justify a sequel.<ref>[http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-01-16/features/8701040030_1_ron-samuels-shooting-site-tri "Cassette sales help `Iron Eagle II` to fly."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524102340/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-01-16/features/8701040030_1_ron-samuels-shooting-site-tri |date=2012-05-24 }} ''[[New York Daily News]]'', January 16, 1987. Retrieved: May 20, 2019.</ref>

===Critical response===
Film reviewers were generally negative; [[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Kevin Thomas]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called the film "ludicrous", "preposterous", and "a total waste of time", saying it "achieves a kind of perfection of awfulness that only earnest effort can produce".<ref name="L.A. Times 1">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-17-ca-773-story.html |title='Iron Eagle': Middle-east rescue mission |author=Thomas, Kevin |author-link=Kevin Thomas (film critic) |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=January 17, 1986 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=May 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531011611/http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-17/entertainment/ca-773_1_iron-eagle-middle |url-status=live }}</ref>

Film historian and reviewer [[Leonard Maltin]] dismissed the film as "a dum-dum comic-book movie [...] full of jingoistic ideals and dubious ethics, along with people who die and then miraculously come back to life. Not boring, just stupid."<ref>Maltin 2006, p. 660.</ref>

Joe Kane of "The Phantom of the Movies" said "''Iron Eagle'' boasts the hottest rock score of any war film since ''[[Apocalypse Now]]''. Alas, the similarity ends there. Forget the picture and buy the soundtrack album instead; King Kobra's titular music video, ''Never Say Die'', is better made than the movie itself."<ref>The Phantom's Ultimate Video Guide, 19</ref>

''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine commented that the film has "breakneck action and some dandy dogfights", but the dialogue is "simply laughable".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117792029?refcatid=31 |title=Review: 'Iron Eagle' |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=December 31, 1985 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106163623/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117792029?refcatid=31 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2012 |access-date=February 19, 2020}}</ref>

[[Janet Maslin]] of the ''[[New York Times]]'' gave the film a favorable review, saying it has a "fun-loving feeling" and "something for everyone", appealing to teenagers and military aviation buffs for the "skillfully done" aerial combat sequences, along with the heartwarming, fatherly-like interracial relationship between Chappy and young Doug.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/18/movies/screen-iron-eagle-a-tale-of-teen-age-miltary-eescue.html |title="Iron Eagle", a tale of teen-age military rescue |author=Maslin, Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 18, 1986 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309022037/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/18/movies/screen-iron-eagle-a-tale-of-teen-age-miltary-eescue.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On review aggregation site [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has a score of 20% with an average rating of 4/10, based on reviews from five critics.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/iron_eagle |title=Iron Eagle |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=May 20, 2019 |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430131055/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/iron_eagle |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Home media==
''Iron Eagle'' was released on [[VHS]], [[Betamax]], and [[LaserDisc]] by [[20th Century Home Entertainment|CBS/FOX Video]] in 1986. On October 1, 2002, it was released on [[DVD]] and on February 3, 2009, it was reissued on DVD by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] in a double-feature set with the 1993 film ''[[Last Action Hero]]''.<ref>[http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7803807 " 'Last Action Hero'; 'Iron Eagle' DVD."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102102721/http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7803807 |date=2012-11-02 }} ''CDUniverse.com'', February 3, 2009. Retrieved: May 20, 2019.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Beck, Simon D. ''The Aircraft-Spotter's Film and Television Companion''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2016. {{ISBN|9-781476-663494}}.
* Maltin, Leonard.  ''Leonard Maltin's 2007 Movie Guide''. New York: New American Library, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-451-21916-9}}.
* Orriss, Bruce. ''When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Post World War II Years''. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 2018. {{ISBN|978-0-692-03465-1}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Film}}
* {{IMDb title|0091278|Iron Eagle}}
* [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/iron-eagle-am22747 ''Iron Eagle'' at AllMovie]
* {{TCMDb title|id=79405|Iron Eagle}}
* {{AFI film|id=57377|title=Iron Eagle}}
* {{mojo title|ironeagle}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|iron_eagle}}

{{Iron Eagle}}
{{Sidney J. Furie}}
{{Sony franchises}}

[[Category:Iron Eagle (film series)]]
[[Category:1986 films]]
[[Category:1986 action films]]
[[Category:American action films]]
[[Category:American aviation films]]
[[Category:American coming-of-age films]]
[[Category:Canadian action films]]
[[Category:Canadian aviation films]]
[[Category:Cold War aviation films]]
[[Category:English-language Canadian films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Sidney J. Furie]]
[[Category:Films scored by Basil Poledouris]]
[[Category:Films set in fictional countries]]
[[Category:Films set in the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:Films set in the United States]]
[[Category:Films shot in California]]
[[Category:Films shot in Israel]]
[[Category:Films about the United States Air Force]]
[[Category:TriStar Pictures films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:1980s Canadian films]]
[[Category:English-language action films]]