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I love Iron Eagle. It's heavily slated as a "Top Gun rip-off" but in truth it certainly is not that.

Sure, Iron Eagle doesn't have the babes or the budget that Top Gun had, but who cares? It's still a fantastic fun movie to watch, no matter how unrealistic it is.

Lou Goussett Jr, Jason Gredick and David Suchet all put on blinding performances. The chemistry between Lou and Jason is great, believeable at times.

Iron Eagle in my honest opinion is better than Top Gun, many say it isn't but I think it is...it certainly has the better action scenes and a cool thumping soundtrack.

More of a "lads" movie, probably the pinnacle of an 80's nostalgic film.

Legendary, if underrated. Move over Top Gun.

8/10

Back in 1986 I was a sixteen year old boy, when I first saw this film, I thought back then that this movie was one of the coolest I've ever seen. Just the other night at a friends house, my friend said "how about a trip down old memory lane", he busted out an old dusty VHS tape and I could see it was the original Iron Eagle movie. He slapped it into his VCR and off we went. Now I am a 36 year old man, not the boy I was many years ago. As I watched the film, I could see flaws in detail, flaws in the special effects and a corny script and plot line. Now don't get me wrong, it's still a good film, if you are like stuck in the 80's! The only true thing I could get into with this film was the pretty good soundtrack. I am a big fan of the rock group Queen, they made parts of this film good enough to at least sit tight and watch. Good film back in the days, good film now, just a whole lot of corny! "Thank you for your time" Aaron Grace

I remember seeing this movie in the theater when it first came out. I think I saw it three or four times. It was the best air combat movie I had seen at the time.

I hear this movie compared to Top Gun a lot. In my opinion there is no contest. Iron Eagle is far better than Top Gun. Here's why. Top Gun had very good aerial combat sequences. Some of the best I've still ever seen. However, the plot of Top Gun was AWOL. All I remember of Top Gun is, they practiced, he got the girl, his pal died and he was the hero at the end. Iron Eagle had a good plot. However the aerial combat scenes are pretty fake and tame. Sure it was unbelievable that they could pull it off but there was a plot and a good one.

Iron Eagle's fun lies in it's youthful angst and comedy. Louis Gossett Jr. shows his veteran acting skill in this movie as the veteran pilot. Jason Gedrick was good as the young upstart pilot with too much testosterone. They chemistry between the actors was good. There is one scene where they young pilot asks for Chappy's help and he turns him down and Louis Gossett's acting skills become quite evident. One of the best scenes in the movie is the race between the motorcycle and the Cessna with a pounding rock song in the background. It is one of the best done flight sequences I've seen in a move and is not fake like the combat scenes. Another scene is when the kids use their dupe their parents and other military personnel into getting them what ever they want from the base, including two F-16s. But more than these scenes, it's really the soundtrack that makes the movie. There are songs by Queen(One Vision), Dio(Hide in the Rainbow) and The Spencer Davis Group(Gimmie Some Lovin), what a combo! Not only does the music sound good to our young pilot, it also makes him fly and fight better! While I can't say that Iron Eagle is a masterpiece, it is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Iron Eagle is out on DVD! Now I finally have and excuse to buy a DVD player!

Rayvyn

Ahhh, to be twelve years old again. I'm pretty sure if I was still that age, I would have loved this preposterous medley of bad acting, copious amounts of Queen's "One Vision" and senseless explosions. Sadly (and I do mean that), I've grown up and can recognize IRON EAGLE for what it is... and while it's not god-awful, it's not all that good, either.

IRON EAGLE is the story of new high school grad Doug Masters (Jason Gedrick, whom you'd recognize from CROSSING THE BRIDGE and ONE EYED KING had you ever heard of those movies). His fighter pilot dad has been captured by an evil Middle East country for illegally entering its territory (imagine that!). Now papa's gonna be hung and nobody in the US of A is ready to do anything about... 'cept Doug. So our hero steals military intelligence and an F-16 fighter jet (it's quite easy, really... just get your friends to distract army dudes by 'accidentially' spilling juice on their shirts and stuff). With the help of bright spot Louis Gossett Jr., he soars in to save the day.

IRON EAGLE actually starts out promising. You might even be willing to forgive its ludicrousness, but it gradually morphs into a meaningless series of fireballs and clichéd dialog. It seems perfectly content to dish out cheap thrills to violence-obsessed boys, and do nothing more. It's also too long and at times borders on the laughable. The film still has a certain charm, but unless your night is slower than molasses, you'll want to skip it.

When US Airforce pilot Col Ted Masters is shot down over waters claimed by a hostile Middle Eastern country he is captured, put on trial and sentenced to death! His eighteen year old son Doug, a skilled Cessna pilot hoping to join the Air Force, is horrified to learn the military will be doing nothing to save his father. He decides to lead his own rescue mission. He enlists the help of Col. Charles "Chappy" Sinclair, a Vietnam veteran who is now in the Air Force Reserve... they plan the mission; appropriate two fully armed F-16 fighters and set off for the Middle East to rescue Doug's father.

To say this film is cheesy and unrealistic is an understatement... I can see why the USAF wanted nothing to do with it as it makes it look easy for kids to get classified information on an air base not to mention the stealing of two F-16s! That said if you can put your brain in neutral it is quite fun. There is plenty of action and the flying sequences are spectacular with the Israeli Air Force proving F-16s and Kfirs; the latter standing in for enemy MiGs. The effects aren't the best; it is clear that destroyed aircraft and buildings are models. The makers clearly liked explosions ... even a mast falling on a tent causes an explosion! Much of the acting is pretty hammy but Louis Gossett Jr adds a touch of quality as Chappy. Overall I wouldn't call this a must see unless you are on an '80s nostalgia trip or, like me, have to run to the window every time you hear a fast jet overhead!