I thought this was going to be a complete joke of an action movie. I guess even though I have seen Chuck Norris films before and I'm way more likely to appreciate an 80s action movie than most people, the modern idea that he is to be laughed at still influenced my expectations.

The Delta Force is such a fun and uplifting action movie. It's incredible that it's so patriotic. You almost want to high-five your way through watching it. It's so quintessentially 80s, which means it's serious, action-packed, and no expense was spared in terms of special effects, pyrotechnics, and crew. It even has some other names besides Norris, which again I did not expect. Robert Vaughn and Lee Marvin bolster the supporting ranks nicely. I suppose it's not surprising considering the studio that funded it.

The film is not just a one-man army as you might think either (or as you might not think if you study its title for more than two seconds). It's a team effort, and while Chuck leads that team and the action is all a little far-fetched, the film is well-made and genuine. Everything up until the gung-ho action begins (such as the hijack, treatment of hostages, etc.) is thoroughly decent, and you could be mistaken for thinking it's not "nonsense 80s action movie". The Delta Force feels a bit like a Chuck Norris version of The Dirty Dozen. It's actually a terrorist heist movie. It's bloody, and it's oddly accurate in light of the last 20 years of terrorism from that religion/area of the world. It also has its hero moments, some of which are hilarious, and with Silvestri's score kicking in it's a blast. Chuck has a few one-liners but it's not wink-wink like Arnold. It's more monotone and dry.

The film is a little uneven in terms of editing and plot at times, but nothing major. And the blood used is bright red. But apart from that I have no problem honestly including The Delta Force as one of the great 80s action movies.

I can't wait to watch the sequels very soon.

This marks only the third Chuck Norris movie I've seen. I mean real Norris movies, not Way of the Dragon or The Expendables 2. I've now seen this, Silent Rage, and Lone Wolf McQuade. I may have seen parts of the others and I'm aware of them all by their various covers and trailers I've seen, but I was never into Norris as I was Van Damme or even Seagal so I think I never actually chose to watch one of his movies - there is one where he trains a kid which was in the rental shop every time and we always picked it up but never rented it.