Iron Eagle

Iron Eagle
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by	Sidney J. Furie
Produced by	Ron Samuels, Joe Wizan, Lou Lenart, Kevin Elders
Written by	Kevin Elders, Sidney J. Furie
Starring	Louis Gossett, Jr., Jason Gedrick, and Caroline Lagerfelt
Music by	Basil Poledouris
Cinematography	Adam Greenberg
Editing by	George Grenville
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)	January 17, 1986
Running time	117 Minutes
Country	USA / Canada
Language	English
Followed by	Iron Eagle II

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Iron Eagle is a 1986 action film. The films stars Jason Gedrick and Academy Award winner Louis Gossett, Jr. as Col. Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair and features the hit songs "One Vision" (by Queen) and "We're Not Gonna Take It" (by Twisted Sister) as part of its soundtrack. A young Shawnee Smith appears as one of Doug's friends. The film grossed $24,159,872.

Background

The US Air Force has a long-standing policy about not cooperating on any film involving the theft of an aircraft.^{[citation needed]} Consequently, the film-makers turned to the Israeli Air Force for the necessary aerial sequences.

The delta-winged hostile aircraft featured in the movie are identified as MiG-23s, but are actually IAI Kfirs, used by the Israeli Air Force. (The US Navy and United States Marine Corps used to use Kfirs as adversary aircraft, simulating Soviet aircraft.)

Iron Eagle was released in the same year as another popular aviation-based action film, Top Gun, thus forcing a shift in release dates as to avoid competition at the box office with each other. The film was followed by three sequels: Iron Eagle II, Aces: Iron Eagle III and Iron Eagle IV.

Plot

Two U.S. jet fighters patrolling over the Mediterranean Sea near Mid-Eastern countries are suddenly approached by some enemy MiG-23 jet fighters, engaging them in a dogfight. One of the U.S. jet fighters is damaged and returns to the base while the other one tried to shoot down four remaining enemy jet fighters. After gunning down three jet fighters, the U.S. jet fighter was shot down and its pilot, Col. Ted Masters (Tim Thomerson) ejected safely only to be caught by the enemy.

The captured pilot had a teenage boy named Doug Masters (Jason Gedrick) who had just finished his study term and was waiting for his graduation ceremony. On the day his father was captured, bullies challenged him to play "Snake" (flying an aircraft below 50 ft and trying to reach a finish line as quickly as possible) after they knew that Doug was not admitted to a United States Air Force Academy to be a jet fighter pilot. Although one of Doug's friend died in attempting the feat, he accepted the challenge. While the bully rode on his motorbike on the road, Doug flew a small Cessna. Despite having his aircraft sabotaged, Doug won the challenge.

After landing on the ground, Doug learned about his father. Although the situation was not explained to him, he forces his way to get it from his father's friend who explained that the enemy claimed that the U.S. jet fighters entered their territory, and so the enemy had the right to attack them. Since there was no concrete action from Washington to save his father, Doug decides to save his father himself.

While drafting the plan, he meets a decorated Air Force Reserve fighter pilot Col. Charles "Chappy" Sinclair (Louis Gossett, Jr.) whom he asked to help him save his father, but Chappy rejects his request. The following day after Doug's graduation ceremony, he received the news that his father was going to be executed in three days. At this, he decides to act by gathering intelligence data for Chappy to force Chappy to help him. Because Chappy was a friend of Doug's father, he agrees to help Doug when he realized that Doug's father was not going to be rescued officially.

Having been training himself in a simulator more frequently than regular pilots and having some friends that can tap into many facilities of the air force base because of their fathers who worked there, Doug arranges for Chappy and himself to pilot two American F-16 fighter jets embarking on a heroic rescue mission to save Doug's father, a prisoner of war being held in a hostile, unnamed Middle-Eastern nation.

At the end, Doug successfully rescues his father and meets Chappy who had been gunned down during a dogfight in the rescue mission. Doug was also granted an admission to a United States Air Force Academy to follow his father's steps as a jet fighter pilot.

Soundtrack

• King Kobra - "Iron Eagle (Never Say Die)"
• Eric Martin - "These Are the Good Times"
• Katrina & the Waves - "Maniac House"
• George Clinton - "Intense"
• Dio - "Hide in the Rainbow"
• Helix - "It's Too Late"
• Adrenalin - "Road of the Gypsy"
• Urgent - "Love Can Make You Cry"
• The Jon Butcher Axis - "This Raging Fire"
• Queen - "One Vision"
• Twisted Sister - "We're Not Gonna Take It"*
• Ike and Tina Turner - "Proud Mary"*
• The Spencer Davis Group - "Gimme Some Lovin'"
• Rainey Haynes - "Old Enough to Rock and Roll"
• James Brown - "There Was a Time"
• Eric Martin - "Eyes of the World"

"*" Songs were featured in the movie but not included on the official soundtrack.

External links

• Iron Eagle at the Internet Movie Database
• Iron Eagle at Allmovie