Death Before Dishonor (1987)

Very well executed

Overrated

A lot of fun.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Rugged U.S. Marine Jack Burns (Fred Dryer in excellent hard-nosed form) defies the orders of his commanding officers by going after a band of savage terrorists who have abducted his beloved superior officer Col. Halloran (a sturdy and engagingly gruff portrayal by Brian Keith). Director Terry Leonard, working from a compact script by Jon Gatliff and Lawrence Kubik, keeps the mean'n'lean narrative hurtling along at a brisk pace, maintains a serious gritty tone throughout, really lays on the gung-ho patriotism and testosterone-soaked machismo something thick, and stages the thrilling action set pieces with rip-roaring brio. The sound acting by the capable cast keeps this movie humming: The gorgeous Joanna Pacula as crusading photo journalist Elli, Paul Winfield as a stuffy by-the-book ambassador, Peter Parros as the eager James, Rockne Tarkington as the ferocious Jihad, Daniel Chodos as the wormy Amin, Mohammad Bakri as the vicious Gavril, and Kacey Walker as the ruthless Maude Winter. The jolting moments of brutal violence pack quite a harsh punch while the picture's fiercely jingoistic sensibility radiates a certain lovably crude 80's period charm. Brian May's lively score hits the rousing spot. The polished cinematography by Don Burgess supplies a pleasing crisp look. A fun flick.

Sergeant Burns reports for duty the American Embassy in the Middle East. Due to the 'enlightened' views of the Ambassador, the marine security detachment he is in charge of is severely restricted in their functions and presence to avoid upsetting the host government. As a result, when terrorists attack the compound, they are able to kidnap hostages and escape with little opposition. Burns ignores the Ambassador's restrictions, as he becomes a one man army in an attempt to rescue the hostages, and wipe out the terrorists.....This has been one of those films I've been curious about since I saw it on a video shelf in 1989, and I finally got the chance to see the film after 24 years. Lets just say it might have been good when I was 12, but seeing it now, it didn't entertain.Its basically a poor mans Heartbreak Ridge, with Dryer playing the grizzled lead who turns into Rambo come the end. For a generic action movie, its pretty violent and some if the scene are shocking, so kudos to the makers for that.But the rest of the film is dull, and not very exciting. You've seen one explosion you've seen them all, you've seen the enemy shot a hundred rounds, and the hero firing one, yep, it happens here all the time.If your a connoisseur of eighties action movies like myself, you'll be clock watching around the thirty minute mark.

This movie is an ultra patriotic, one-dimensional all-American military hero movie from the Reagan era. Do we like this kind of stuff? YES! It's great for relaxation at home. It's not great by any means, the action is OK/mediocre, the acting is (just forget about the acting), the story is standard, in total it's nothing we haven't seen before. I guess you have to be a fan of this type of movie to enjoy them. The movie itself knows what it is and doesn't try to do anything else than stick to it's safe formula. At least you know what you'll get from this.6 out of 10

This was typical of the one-sided, unintentionally funny, and jingoistic action movies that came out during the Reagan Administration, and as such, clearly shows its age.See Edward Zwick's "The Siege" instead.