Iron Eagle
1986 · Directed by Sidney J. Furie
An Air Force kid steals an F-16 to rescue his POW dad. Queen on the soundtrack. Lou Gossett Jr. as the wise mentor. Cinema's most committed dad-rescue mission until Taken.
Why It's Cult
Iron Eagle has no business being good and isn't, but at some point in 1986 it became the platonic ideal of a Sunday-afternoon-on-cable movie. The dogfight footage is catnip. The premise — a teenager flying combat sorties unaided — is geopolitically insane and contributes to the charm. If you grew up watching this on TBS, it has a power over you that no amount of cinematic literacy can dispel.
The Plot, Officially
When Doug's father, an Air Force Pilot, is shot down by MiGs belonging to a radical Middle Eastern state, no one seems able to get him out. Doug finds Chappy, an Air Force Colonel who is intrigued by the idea of sending in two fighters piloted by himself and Doug to rescue Doug's father after bombing the MiG base. Their only problems: Borrowing two fighters, getting them from California to the Mediteranean without anyone noticing, and Doug's inability to hit anything unless he has music playing. Then come the minor problems of the state's air defenses.
Starring
Louis Gossett Jr., Jason Gedrick, David Suchet
Where to Watch
via JustWatch →
