Iron Eagle on the Attack

Although I was aware of the first two Chappie-centric sequels to Iron Eagle, this direct-to-video turkey has flown under my radar for more than 30 years. I simply had no idea that Iron Eagle on the Attack existed. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Retconning the events of Iron Eagle II, Doug Masters survives being shot down overseas spending years tortured in a Russian prison. Now back in the U.S., and played by a smarmier Jason Cadieux, Doug's life is going nowhere fast. Re-enter Chappie (Louis Gossett Jr.) who enlists Doug's help training a group of juvenile delinquents (most notably Joanne Vannicola) to fly planes. Far from eager, Doug sticks around long enough for the group to get caught up in a military conspiracy which will force the fighter pilot back into action.

With what appears to be a TV-movie budget, everything here feels cheaper and less interesting the fourth time around and far, far more convoluted. Say what you want about the ridiculousness of the first Iron Eagle, but the plot was straightforward and relatively simple allowing the on-the-ground shenanigans, the relationship between Doug and Chappie, and the battles in the air to carry the day.

Stuck win overcomplicated plot that attempts to mashup an afterschool special with a terrorist conspiracy, Iron Eagle IV is just a mess, and not a particularly well acted or well shot one either (although the arial shots are mostly fine). The movie killed the franchise, and, given what we see here, deservedly so, but it has no real impact on my love of the original.

• Title: Iron Eagle on the Attack
• IMDb: link