Iron Eagle II

(Sidney J. Furie, Canada/Israel, 1988)

Although this standard air-warfare film starts out with a bit of good old, American paranoia about the "dirty Soviet Commies", it quickly moves to a more contemporary point of political enlightenment: pitting Americans and Russians in an uneasy alliance against the 'real' enemy in the Middle East.

In the mode of Top Gun (1986) and Heartbreak Ridge (1986), the film mixes black and white soldiers, young rebels with gruff father figures, training with combat, and teen movie-style glamour and romance with disgusting, gung-ho militarism.

© Adrian Martin December 1992