Delta Force 2 (1990)

Delta Force 2: the Columbian Connection
Delta Force 2: Operation Stranglehold

Cast:

Chuck "In the eyes of the Ranger, the unsuspecting stranger had better know...." Norris is Col. Scott McCoy
Billy "From being the evil criminal mastermind to Cyborg 2" Drago is Ramon Cota
John P. "I was in the killer baby movie, It's Alive?" Ryan is Gen. Taylor
Richard "Battled a killer Grizzly and Green Slime" Jaeckel is DEA Agent John Page
Begońa Plaza is Quiquina Esquintla

What the box says:

Chuck Norris ("Walker, Texas Ranger") is in peak form in this explosive action/adventure that brings back one of his most unforgettable characters, Delta Force Colonel Scott McCoy, for a daring mission to destroy a deadly South American drug cartel.

When the notorious drug lord Ramon Cota (TheUntouchables' Billy Drago) captures a team of American narcotics agents - as well as a memeber of McCoy's elite Delta Force commando unit - and impriosns them in his remote San Carlos compund, the Delta Force charges into action, waging war against Cota's powerful cocaine empire. Against all odds, McCoy and his squad must fight their way to a blistering final battle to free the hostages and destroy the ruthless criminal mastermind in this lightning-paced and "outrageously exciting" (Video Movie Guide) turbo-charged adventure!

Plot:

In Rio during Carnival, a surveillance group spots the infamous drug lord Billy Drago. Going after him, Drago’s goons mow them down.

Elsewhere, in a Chinese restaurant, Chuck Norris handles some drunken guys who are hassling some elderly guy.

Billy Drago heading to his estate, suspects a DEA mole is in the organization. We get to see how evil Billy Drago is by killing the baby of one of his coco pickers. He kills her husband, decides to let the woman experience his Untouchables, and is going to stuff the baby for a drug package.

Colonel Chuck and his friend, Bobby, meet DEA officials. They need Delta Force to stop the cocaine flow and capture Billy Drago. The DEA mole has passed some info to Colonel Chuck. Billy Drago is leaving the country of San Carlos to fly to Switzerland and will pass through US airspace.

Colonel Chuck and Bobby have infiltrated the airplane. They grab Billy Drago and get ready to parachute from the plane. Billy Drago refuses to cooperate and gets tossed out of the plane. Colonel Chuck skydives and reaches up to Billy Drago.

Later, in the court, Billy Drago’s lawyer tries all the legal tricks to no avail. However, he does get bail that angers Bobby enough to punch out Drago.

At a basketball game, Bobby, his wife, and Colonel Chuck watch Bobby’s son. All is well. Later, Drago’s goons shoot Bobby’s son and wife. Colonel Chuck and Bobby find Bobby’s dead family. Bobby swears a Klingon blood oath for Drago. Colonel Chuck tries talking him down but gets knocked out.

San Carlos, Billy Drago is at a polo match. Some guys grab Bobby. They’re DEA agents. However, suddenly, Drago’s goons surround them.

Drago’s board of directors is meeting. In the Al Capone Untouchables-style moment, Billy Drago stabs the DEA mole. Drago only let the information about his travel plans to the mole. He gasses Bobby to death.

At a military press conference, it is revealed the DEA hostages are in San Carlos. General Taylor accuses San Carlos of drug problems how that country’s President is totally ineffective.

Colonel Chuck is told of the hostages and is shown the video of Bobby being gassed.

The Colonel Chuck training montage begins.

"I don't sleep, I WAIT!!!"

General Taylor briefs Colonel Chuck about Drago’s compound.

You'll really be impressed with this timeshare, Chuck my boy... They’ll only have 1 day to destroy Drago’s drugs and rescue the DEA agents and will go in a week.

The training montage resumes. Apparently, Drago has learned of the plan and threatens to execute the hostages if the US gets involved. The new plan is for Chuck to go 48 hours earlier and scale a mountainside to reach the compound. As he gets his equipment, he’s told about his contact: the girl whose baby was killed and used to ship drugs.

General Taylor meets the San Carlos liaison officer who’s the smarmy martinet as expected.

Colonel Chuck after being dropped in reaches the village and the girl. They trod through the jungle. Reaching the foot of the mountain, let the climbin’ ensue.

Who's the better actor to show emotion: Chuck Norris or the granite mountain?

Billy Drago goes to the village because of hearing about a parachuting man.

Ernesto, the liaison officer explains how the US mission was cancelled. General Taylor is waiting for Presidential confirmation. He has the chopper take off.

Colonel Chuck radios Taylor. The chopper is loaded for bear and the commando fu ensues with a bit of gunship fu, too.

Awwwwwwwwwww, muy malo es terribley....

General Ometa learns about the US attacking his drug fields and sends in his troops.

Colonel Chuck frees the DEA agents and goes after Billy Drago. Chuck meets a goon and layeth the smackdown on him when more goons surround him. He is placed in the gas chamber. Things aren’t looking too good until the US chopper launches at Drago’s mansion which enables Chuck to escape.

One of the DEA agents helps Chuck who grabs the unconscious Billy Drago. They drive off and are chased down the mountain road.

The chopper picks up the DEA agents and the troops.

Let the drug fields explode. General Ometa wants the limo destroyed.

After crashing the heavily armored limo, Chuck, DEA guy and Billy Drago escape. General Ometa’s chopper is shot down by Taylor.

AT the village, the goons are approaching. Chuck radios Taylor. The goons surround the village when the chopper flies in. Billy Drago escapes. The girl goes after him as more massive fireball explosions ensue.

In the jungle, Drago provokes the girl and gets her machete. Stabbing her as Chuck runs ups.

Chuck Norris versus Billy Drago. Chuck knocks him out and carries him away.

Taylor is about to head out before the San Carlos military can catch him when Chuck radios in. A harness is lowered to carry them away. The goons try to shoot the harness to cut Drago free but to no avail. Chuck and Drago are strapped in and being airlifted out. In the sky, Drago is bragging about how he’ll get away. Chuck notices how Drago’s harness is weakening and isn’t bothered by Billy Drago falling to his death.

What I say:

I'm not sure how this will sound and frankly I don't care. I don't post reviews in the order they're finished. Got some movies that have been sitting around for years to be reviewed. So, Delta Force 2 has been sitting around until I got around to review it. I've never dedicated any review to anyone before but this is certainly for someone who deserves far better than anything I can write. A few months after my grandmother died last year, I finally got the Delta Force 2 DVD. She was possibly the biggest Chuck Norris fan anyone could imagine. How big? If you ever had to videotape at least 2 episodes of Walker: Texas Ranger a day during the week for someone, that speaks for itself. For her, this isn't any kind of insult against Chuck Norris.

Delta Force, which back in the day was played on TBS almost as much as Beastmaster, did manage to inspire a sequel: Delta Force 2. This movie was directed by the less famous Norris: Aaron, Chuck's brother. I refuse to make any nepotism jokes. An accident during a stunt resulted in the deaths of 5 crew members. That was enough for Chuck to turn down the idea of a third Delta Force movie. There technically is a Delta Force 3 without Chuck. A few years alter, the direct to video market started to release the Operation Delta Force movies.

The original Delta Force had a far better cast: Lee Marvin, Martin Balsalm, George Kennedy, Robert Vaughn, etc. With a cast like that, in the 1970s, you'd expect a disaster movie like Airport. After having such a supporting cast, ou'd thing the sequel would at least be a bit more memorable than a couple of character actors like Richard Jaeckel and Billy Drago. Richard Jaeckel just pops up a few times more than a cameo but even less than a supporting character. Unfortunately, in a few short years later, pseudo-series sequel: Operation Delta Force was being released direct-to-video.

Billy Drago is just a flat-out creepy guy. He's got creepy got down pat. He may be best know as John Bly in Bruce Campbell's Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. or one of the many low budget movies like Cyborg 2. Funny how the bit with Billy attacking the mole was so reminiescient of the Robert DeNiro Al Capone baseball bat scene in the Untouchables which also has Billy Drago as Frank Nitti. Movie connections are such a small world.

Chuck Norris, he may not have the inherent charisma of Bruce Lee. But was one of Bruce Lee's pallbearers. At least, he doesn't have the arrogance of Steven Segal. Chuck doesn't really have anything more than the typical 1980s action hero scenes. Lots of shooting with a little martial arts thrown in to separate the gun fights. .Don't expect any John Woo style action. However, Delta Force 2 had plenty of competent action, that is still better than movies like Phantom Raiders.

The dangers of drugs according to 1980s movies. Yes, it was released in 1990, but Delta Force 2 has the infamous Golan Globus feel. Anyone with any knowledge of the 1980s better know about Golan-Globulus and Cannon studios. This was the couple of cousins that brought such forgettable horrible movies like Alien From LA, Superman IV: the Quest for Peace, and the Lou Ferrigno Hercules movies along with some of the unforgettable cheezy movies like Sly Stallone's Cobra, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogalo, Lifeforce, and the memorable Ninja III: the Domination. That is better than a 1980s hat trick.

Point to Ponder

Love how one of the subtitles for this movie is the Columbian Connection but the movie is set in the fictional country of San Carlos.

Quotable Dialogue
"I gave a motivational seminar."
"Do we have a go?"
"And when death calls, you'll be screaming like a baby."
"Don't hit, McCoy."
Morals of the Story
Chuck Norris loves Chinese food.
Drug lords don't offer maternity leave for their drug field pickers.
Polo is a wild sport.
Mourning requires a primal rage of scream.
The Figure Four Leglock is a martial arts movie.
Drug lords own bulletproof limos.