Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990) – Review

2 1/2 Stars

This follow up to the rousing 1986 hit, The Delta Force, is lackluster in too many aspects to rank as one of the perpetually bearded legends’ best. From the opening sequence set during Carnival in Rio, it is apparent we are going to be treated to a sequel of dubious quality. Not to say there isn’t a level of enjoyment to this cheap looking installment, the opening 25 minutes move well, and Norris is finally, a real presence in front of a camera. Stepping in for the late Lee Marvin is veteran actor John P. Ryan, who portrays Norris’s commanding officer General Thayer. Ryan is a crack-up and injects some much welcomed personality to the standard role of bureaucratic leader.

Ramon Cota is a Escobar like drug kingpin ruling the cocaine trade in Columbia. Unbeknownst to him is that his right hand man is actually an informant for the United States drug enforcement agency. With information supplied by the informant, McCoy and his partners hijack Cota from an airliner forcing him to skydive while temporarily over American airspace. This is a particularly thrilling sequence that features some wonderful aerial footage. It is also the only passage that comes close to rivaling anything in the original.

Aaron Norris makes his directing debut here and it’s an ominous beginning. It would take a few more attempts before scoring with the stylized theatrics of 1991s The Hitman. Scenes aren’t staged so much as captured. A sequence designed to showcase Norris working out with his military brothers are oddly inserted in to the film at a misjudged moment. Once the second act starts the film clings by a thread to the lower rungs of respectability. With a running-time close to two hours, Delta Force 2 runs on far too long and runs out of intriguing ideas early on. Not one of Norris’ best, but he has done much worse.

Director: Aaron Norris
Stars: Chuck Norris, John P. Ryan, Billy Drago