"Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target" qualifies as a sincere, above-average, but threadbare-budgeted, testosterone-laden actioneer about an elite U.S. Military Unit that incurs the wrath of a major Colombian-based cocaine kingpin after they demolish one point eight billion dollars worth of his powdery product. South African director Mark Roper, who helmed "Live Wire 2: Human Timebomb" and went on to helm the fourth entry in the "Operation Delta Force" franchise, displays an obvious knack for orchestrating exciting action sequences involving guys blazing away with assault rifles at other guys; colorful explosions blossoming like high octane orchids, and loads of other late 1990's, state-of-the-art technology. Unfortunately, the main drawback is the bare-bones budget that Roper contends with to perform miracles, but even the miniatures look decent. Of course, the U.S.S. Roosevelt submarine that figures prominently in the Tom Clancy style plot is clearly a miniature lensed in a tank, but it appears passable in appropriately murky underwater scenes. The opening fire-fight in Colombia on the Magdalena River, North of El Banco, looks cool as our heroes cruise in after dark. The setting looks suitably eerie with heavy cloud banks, and Roper keeps our heroes jumping through hoops as they blast away at their antagonists. Moments before this initial shoot'em up scene, Admiral Henshaw, the officer in charge of the team, learns to his chagrin that the DEA dispatched two missions with twelve-man teams against the Colombians that failed miserably to achieve their objective. Cinematographer Johan Scheepers does a good job of composing images of the bridge as explosions erupt during the night. For the record, the body count piles up double-digits as our guys blast their way into an underground facility when the narcotics are stashed. One of the guys in the unit refers to it as "a coke head's wet dream."
Basically, "Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target" looks like a warm-up act for "The Expendables" with our amazingly resilient team of Americans performing the virtually impossible as they wage a war against a vast criminal organization that has the foresight to take on America's sophisticated computer technology with a wise-acre hacker. Our unit of clean-cut, clean-squawking commando types abhor the senseless war on drugs that they are ordered to fight until one of their own guys, Lombardi (David Dukas), perishes in a firefight at the outset because he trips a booby-trap and freezes up. These square-jawed, one-dimensional dudes declare their own war on the chief villain, Umberto Salvatore (Danny Keogh of "Invictus"), who in turn seeks to punish America for Uncle Sam's interference in his unsavory business affairs. They pay a hacker to help them capture a silent attack submarine. Once they acquire the U.S.S. Roosevelt, the bad guys load up the missile silos with lethal mustard gas and threaten to launch deadly Tomahawk rockets on a major U.S. metropolis. The destination turns out to be New York City on the day that the United Nations celebrates their war of drugs. This part of "Operation Delta Force" scenarist David Sparling's screenplay, based on a story by Danny Lerner, who produced the "Expendables" epics, reminded me of the Sean Connery movie "The Rock." Derivative as it is, "Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target" is designed primarily for action-movie junkies who thrive on action galore with only a veneer of authenticity. Although the commando unit consists of cardboard characters, the actors compensate somewhat with charismatic performances, and they are later joined by a dame who is an expert in all things cyberspace. The criminal organization that our heroes are pitted against are reminiscent of James Bond's adversary SPECTRE. Talk about small beginnings, one of the unit soldiers named Sparks is played by future "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" director Gavin Hood. Suffice to say, Roper knows how to stage a firefight and he manages to keep all the disparate plot elements clearly delineated, so I thought "Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target" was an enjoyable guilty pleasure.
Basically, "Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target" looks like a warm-up act for "The Expendables" with our amazingly resilient team of Americans performing the virtually impossible as they wage a war against a vast criminal organization that has the foresight to take on America's sophisticated computer technology with a wise-acre hacker. Our unit of clean-cut, clean-squawking commando types abhor the senseless war on drugs that they are ordered to fight until one of their own guys, Lombardi (David Dukas), perishes in a firefight at the outset because he trips a booby-trap and freezes up. These square-jawed, one-dimensional dudes declare their own war on the chief villain, Umberto Salvatore (Danny Keogh of "Invictus"), who in turn seeks to punish America for Uncle Sam's interference in his unsavory business affairs. They pay a hacker to help them capture a silent attack submarine. Once they acquire the U.S.S. Roosevelt, the bad guys load up the missile silos with lethal mustard gas and threaten to launch deadly Tomahawk rockets on a major U.S. metropolis. The destination turns out to be New York City on the day that the United Nations celebrates their war of drugs. This part of "Operation Delta Force" scenarist David Sparling's screenplay, based on a story by Danny Lerner, who produced the "Expendables" epics, reminded me of the Sean Connery movie "The Rock." Derivative as it is, "Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target" is designed primarily for action-movie junkies who thrive on action galore with only a veneer of authenticity. Although the commando unit consists of cardboard characters, the actors compensate somewhat with charismatic performances, and they are later joined by a dame who is an expert in all things cyberspace. The criminal organization that our heroes are pitted against are reminiscent of James Bond's adversary SPECTRE. Talk about small beginnings, one of the unit soldiers named Sparks is played by future "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" director Gavin Hood. Suffice to say, Roper knows how to stage a firefight and he manages to keep all the disparate plot elements clearly delineated, so I thought "Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target" was an enjoyable guilty pleasure.