Plot: A team of specialists is dispatched to protect the leader of a Middle Eastern country from a neighboring dictator who has designs on his country.
Counterforce is a fun, old-school action picture with an impressive cast that includes George Kennedy, Isaac Hayes, Jorje Rivero, Robert Forster and Louis Jourdan. It doesn’t have massive production values but it still manages to pack in plenty of shoot-outs and an impressive car chase, so it never really lets up the pace for its tight 90 minutes.
The story is perfect men on a mission fodder with our group of “specialists” tasked with protecting deposed leader Mohumar Kassar (Louis Jourdan) from the attacks from The Dictator (Robert Forster) who has taken control of his country. George Kennedy and Robert Forster both worked together previously on The Delta Force, so this makes for a cool reunion picture even if they don’t share the screen together.
It’s a little jarring that Robert Forster is meant to be playing someone from the Middle East but he actually does a decent job and makes for a hateful antagonist although he could have had a little more to do.
The funny thing is about our squad of heroes is that they’re hilariously arrogant at times and yet they’re also mostly a bit shit at their jobs; they are meant to protect Kassar from his enemies but he ends up getting shot twice and then his wife and son get kidnapped. Why are you being arrogant when you can’t even do your jobs properly?
Still, that’s all part of the fun and you can never go wrong with Isaac Hayes being a badass and spouting a few one-liners. The script is hardly amazing but it’s serviceable and does the job to progress the story forward.
Joel Goldsmith provides the score and although very 80’s it’s still awesome with a catchy little theme tune which is still going through my head as I write this.
Overall, Counterforce is huge fun with regular shoot-outs and a car chase which takes place around the half way mark is an action highlight with some impressive stunts too. We’ve got a great cast who look like they’re enjoying themselves even if Robert Forster’s Dictator is a little jarring today.
