Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Sorry, this movie sucks

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Air Force brat Doug Masters (Jason Gedrick) finds out that his father has been shot down and captured by a brutal Middle Eastern regime and embarks on a crazy plan to rescue him, which involves stealing multi-million dollar jet fighters.I loved this movie as a kid and I still do. That said, from a technical standpoint (which is where my ratings come from) it's just not good.The writing stretches verisimilitude to its limit, the acting is just barely at par and the flow is, to be polite, non-existent. This movie has too much filler. It could be cut down to 45 minutes so it could air in a one hour time slot on television and the essential elements would remain intact.There are some good elements in the movie. There's some good action and chase sequences and the last 20 minutes were fantastic and make this movie worth watching. The overall cinematography and effects were done well, though not outstandingly so.In all, it's a fun movie to watch if you like jet and/or military movies.

Sidney J. Furie directed this action-adventure that stars Jason Gedrick as Doug Masters, a willful young man whose father Col. Ted Masters(played by Tim Thomerson) is shot down by MIGs over a hostile Middle Eastern country, where he is taken hostage by the belligerent and ambitious leader(played by David Suchet) who loves sticking it the the U.S. Enraged at government inaction, Doug enlists the help of Air Force Col. 'Chappy' Sinclair(played by Louis Gossett Jr.) to train him to improve his piloting skills, then helps him "borrow" two fighter jets from the military to go into the country, battle the enemy in the air, rescue Ted, and make their escape. Granted that this film has a most unlikely premise, it is put across in such an entertaining, patriotic manner that it remains a guilty pleasure. Great fun, though I haven't seen the sequels...

Hmmm... Depending on how you wish to see it, this film is either going to be a great teen/action/vigilante flick or a really bad war movie.I prefer to see it a great teen/action/vigilante film. Despite their being many flaws (Israeli Aircraft instead of American and Iranian ones, ordnance appearing and then disappearing again and again from under the aircraft, as well as the idea that two Air Force planes can be stolen fully armed so easily and not only flown but landed in hostile territory is I admit - Far Fetched)! OK, so I got the cynical stuff out of the way. So what is so good about this film? It is fun, a teens father is shot down over a Middle Eastern country (Iran?), and will be executed by a given time and date if certain demands are not met. Of course the Government won't play ball and the kid gets frustrated and talks a Senior Officer into helping him organise a 2 plane rescue mission.Great fun if you just go with it all.

This movie is the proverbial 80s flick that shows the viewer that as long as he or she tries at something, they can be better than the pros. The main character, Doug, showed off his skills in flying a Cessna aircraft, which somehow equated to being fully capable of flying a jet aircraft and being able to kill people. We all would like to have a few million dollars to play with... maybe make a good investment, donate, buy a few things, but the directors of this movie decided to make Iron Eagle... not once... not twice... not even three times; yes, four times. The thing to look most forward to are the multitude 'hollywood endings' in this movie. Just when you think the movie is going to end after a cheesy end sequence, there's another cheesy end sequence. Then another. Definitely a movie one must watch to believe... and maybe own just to remind oneself of how awesome the 80s must have been.