Series star Louis Gossett Jr. Is once again in the thick of things in his role as flying ace Chappy Sinclair. This time, he and his friends / fellow aces, played by Horst Buchholz ("The Magnificent Seven"), Christopher Cazenove ("Eye of the Needle"), and Shin'ichi Chiba ("The Street Fighter"), come to the aid of the very sexy and very tough Anna Morales (female bodybuilder Rachel McLish, "Raven Hawk"). Her people are being exploited and abused by a Latin American drug cartel led by a maniacal German named Kleiss (Paul Freeman, Belloq from "Raiders of the Lost Ark").
Series veteran Kevin Elders wrote the silly script, complete with reams of silly dialogue. But most of us who would watch something like this would never watch it for the story. We watch it for the large-scale death and destruction, and "Aces: Iron Eagle III" delivers on that front. Directed by John Glen, a veteran of the James Bond franchise whose credits include "Octopussy" and "Licence to Kill", it *does* feature excellent flying sequences, and a pleasingly high body count. One debit was the character of Tee Vee (Phill Lewis, "City Slickers"), a homeboy who lends Chappy some assistance in a rough neighborhood and then believes this has earned him the right to tag along on the mission. Lewis isn't unlikable, but his comedy relief really doesn't work.
Although they've certainly had better material to work with during the course of their careers, it's a top cast full of familiar faces that is the most watchable element of this sequel. The stunt casting in key roles is a good hook. Co-starring are lawyer-turned-actor-turned-politician Fred Thompson ("Die Hard 2"), "Lethal Weapon" villain Mitchell Ryan, Rob Estes ('Melrose Place'), J. E. Freeman ("Miller's Crossing"), Tom Bower ("River's Edge"), Juan Fernandez ("The Collector"), boxing legend Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini ("Timebomb"), Bob Minor ("Forced Vengeance"), and Branscombe Richmond ("Hard to Kill").
With a rousing score by Harry Manfredini (best known for his scores for the "Friday the 13th" series) as accompaniment, "Aces" makes for passable entertainment, goofs and all. It's the kind of thing you can enjoy without having to tax your brain too much. It IS appealing seeing war veterans from different nations who are friends and who unite for a noble purpose.
Six out of 10.
Series veteran Kevin Elders wrote the silly script, complete with reams of silly dialogue. But most of us who would watch something like this would never watch it for the story. We watch it for the large-scale death and destruction, and "Aces: Iron Eagle III" delivers on that front. Directed by John Glen, a veteran of the James Bond franchise whose credits include "Octopussy" and "Licence to Kill", it *does* feature excellent flying sequences, and a pleasingly high body count. One debit was the character of Tee Vee (Phill Lewis, "City Slickers"), a homeboy who lends Chappy some assistance in a rough neighborhood and then believes this has earned him the right to tag along on the mission. Lewis isn't unlikable, but his comedy relief really doesn't work.
Although they've certainly had better material to work with during the course of their careers, it's a top cast full of familiar faces that is the most watchable element of this sequel. The stunt casting in key roles is a good hook. Co-starring are lawyer-turned-actor-turned-politician Fred Thompson ("Die Hard 2"), "Lethal Weapon" villain Mitchell Ryan, Rob Estes ('Melrose Place'), J. E. Freeman ("Miller's Crossing"), Tom Bower ("River's Edge"), Juan Fernandez ("The Collector"), boxing legend Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini ("Timebomb"), Bob Minor ("Forced Vengeance"), and Branscombe Richmond ("Hard to Kill").
With a rousing score by Harry Manfredini (best known for his scores for the "Friday the 13th" series) as accompaniment, "Aces" makes for passable entertainment, goofs and all. It's the kind of thing you can enjoy without having to tax your brain too much. It IS appealing seeing war veterans from different nations who are friends and who unite for a noble purpose.
Six out of 10.