History YMMV / TheDeltaForce

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The main theme by Music/AlanSilvestri is so good, it was adopted as the background music for Paul Page's famous teases for ABC's coverage of the Indianapolis 500 from 1988 to 1998, and again in 2001, though that particular tease was narrated by Al Michaels. When NASCAR's Brickyard 400 started in 1994, similar teases were done for that until 1996, and again in 1998. The final 400 tease was narrated by Bob Jenkins. So associated with Page are these teases, that he wouldn't let ABC do them for the 500 anymore unless ''he'' narrates them. ABC lost broadcasting rights for the 500 after 2018; its successor, NBC, whom Page actually called races for in the 1980s, is unlikely to reach out to him, as the tease for their first 500 in 2019 centered around the 50th anniversaries of the moon landing, and Mario Andretti's lone Indy 500 win. When Page replaced Mike King as the lead announcer on UsefulNotes/IndyCar Radio in 2014, he carried the main theme with him. It was used as the network's theme for its Indy 500 coverage for 2014, before returning to the modern instrumental of The Singing Hoosiers' 1961 tune, "The 500", in 2015.

* AcceptableTargets: The film centers around a plane hijacking by a group of Lebanese terrorists.

* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: Despite being a typical caricature bad guy, future Academy Award-nominee Creator/RobertForster, better known for playing heroes like in ''Film/TheBlackHole'', plays a very convincing role as a Lebanese terrorist who is not just a BigBad scumbag (who [[EvenEvilHasStandards pales in comparison to the]] [[CompleteMonster later villain Cota]] in the sequel ''Film/DeltaForce2TheColombianConnection''), [[{{Brownface}} but appears so Lebanese with the accent that masks his distinctive Brooklyn drawl and speaking some of the language that]] [[FakeNationality Caucasian American actor Forster complete with the mustache]] was so absolutely unrecognizable from his usual appearance and other acting roles that people forget he's in this film. While he's the villain, Forster gives him genuine depth as a man who doesn't enjoy violence but sincerely believes in what's doing and has some humanizing moments, refusing to harm women and children if he can help it. For his part, Forster loved the role, describing Golan as one of the best directors he'd ever worked with.

* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: Despite being a typical caricature bad guy, future Academy Award-nominee Creator/RobertForster, better known for playing heroes like in ''Film/TheBlackHole'', plays a very convincing role as a Lebanese terrorist who is not just a BigBad scumbag (who [[EvenEvilHasStandards pales in comparison to the]] [[CompleteMonster later villain Cota]] in the sequel ''Film/DeltaForce2TheColombianConnection''), [[{{Brownface}} but appears so Lebanese with the accent that masks his distinctive Brooklyn drawl and speaking some of the language that]] [[FakeNationality Caucasian American actor Forster complete with the mustache]] was so absolutely unrecognizable from his usual appearance and other acting roles that people forget he's in this film.

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: While the movie does have the coat and full on image of being a cut and dry AmericaSavesTheDay WishFulfillment movie, there is a strong undercurrent that goes over the indulgent or overtly political minded that this is a movie in exercise of showcasing [[ShaggyDogStory human futility and a tendency to make matters worse and bigger than they are]], and especially in global politics and military affairs. The namesake Delta Force at times drop hints that they know many of the conflicts they are sent out to is only done by them for their sake of duty rather than any glorious cause, and are only the faults of the government that they are made to clean up, which is one major reason that gets Chuck Norris's character to go into retirement. The terrorists in the movie, as lowdown dirty they are shown at times, also are shown to perceive their cause as righteous and good as much as America, have loved ones and comrades they are fighting for, and that they are not merely just one note villains who do evil things for the sake of evil. When the male hostages are in Beirut, one of them kindly remarks that Lebanon was once "the Las Vegas of the Middle East", showing how such a dilapidated and war torn country is not merely a constant area of barbarianism and backwards zealotry, and it is a human nation as much as anywhere else, being a place that has historic reason for why it is such the place as it is today. Finally, the entire conflict is but a hostage situation with some extreme measures that the Delta Force sympathizes with and seeks to end immediately, and when it is all said and done, the namesake Delta Force don't join in the rather ostentatious and vainglorious celebrations hyped up by the media, instead lamenting over their fallen comrades and reflecting on the state of the world, and what possibly awaits it into the future. As such a lot of this undercurrent asks themes of why the world must be like this, the nature of conflict into the modern day, and that this situation is ''both'' sides's fault than just the Lebanese terrorists's.

*** Also, after the stewardess list her account of the horrors of UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, notice the look of sorrow and discomfort on Robert Forster's face when his character forces her to do this. [[IronyAsSheIsCast Despite the anti-Semitic nature of his character and staying in character during the scene, Forster himself is ironically Jewish-American]] [[EnforcedMethodActing and likely had his heartstrings pulled listening to her when the stewardess breaks down in front of him]].

* HarsherInHindsight:
** Seeing Creator/RobertForster during the final fight with Creator/ChuckNorris getting several punches to the face and even roundhouse kicked across the head is more wincing as Forster would later pass away in 2019 from brain cancer.
** Speaking of, this film's BigBad's portrayer Forster and the [[Film/DeltaForce2TheColombianConnection sequel]]'s BigBad's portrayer Creator/BillyDrago would both pass away in the same year of 2019.

** Same can be said for TheDragon, who during his screen time, especially during the hijacking part, was able to show off some EvilVirtues that prompts him to PetTheDog like his kindness towards the little girl who reminded him of his daughter aside from being a ruthless terrorist who had KickTheDog like the aforementioned moment with the purser, though it can be said the latter's likely out of his brand of jingoism towards his commitment. However, he is ultimately given an anti-climatic UndignifiedDeath under the bed ("Sleep tight, sucker") and forgotten very quickly afterwards.

** Same can be said for TheDragon, who during his screen time, especially during the hijacking part, was able to show off some EvilVirtues that prompts him to PetTheDog like his kindness towards the little girl who reminded him of his daughter aside from being a ruthless terrorist who had KickTheDog like the aforementioned moment with the purser, though it can be said its likely out of his brand of jingoism towards his commitment. However, he is ultimately given an anti-climatic UndignifiedDeath under the bed ("Sleep tight, sucker") and forgotten very quickly afterwards.

** Same can be said for TheDragon, who during his screen time, especially during the hijacking part, was able to show off some EvilVirtues that prompts him to PetTheDog like his kindness towards the little girl who reminded him of his daughter aside from being a ruthless terrorist who had KickTheDog like the aforementioned moment with the purser. However, he is ultimately given an anti-climatic UndignifiedDeath under the bed ("Sleep tight, sucker") and forgotten very quickly afterwards.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The main theme by Music/AlanSilvestri is so good, it was adopted as the background music for Paul Page's famous teases for ABC's coverage of the Indianapolis 500 from 1988 to 1998, and again in 2001, though that particular tease was narrated by Al Michaels. When NASCAR's Brickyard 400 started in 1994, similar teases were done for that until 1996, and again in 1998. The final 400 tease was narrated by Bob Jenkins. So associated with Page are these teases, that he wouldn't let ABC do them for the 500 anymore unless ''he'' narrates them. ABC lost rights to the 500 after 2018; its successor, NBC, whom Page actually called races for in the 1980s, is unlikely to reach out to him, as the tease for their first 500 in 2019 centered around the 50th anniversaries of the moon landing, and Mario Andretti's lone Indy 500 win. When Page replaced Mike King as the lead announcer on UsefulNotes/IndyCar Radio in 2014, he carried the main theme with him. It was used as the network's theme for its Indy 500 coverage for 2014, before returning to the modern instrumental of The Singing Hoosiers' 1961 tune, "The 500", in 2015.

** Seeing Robert Forster during the final fight with Chuck Norris getting several punches to the face and even roundhouse kicked across the head is more wincing as Forster would later pass away in 2019 from brain cancer.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Despite being a typical caricature bad guy, future [[Film/JackieBrown Academy Award-nominee Robert Forster]], better known for playing heroes like in ''Film/TheBlackHole'', plays a very convincing role as a Lebanese terrorist who is not just a BigBad scumbag (who [[EvenEvilHasStandards pales in comparison to the]] [[CompleteMonster later villain Cota]] in the sequel ''Film/DeltaForce2TheColombianConnection''), [[{{Brownface}} but appears so Lebanese with the accent that masks his distinctive Brooklyn drawl and speaking some of the language that]] [[FakeNationality Caucasian American actor Forster complete with the mustache]] was so absolutely unrecognizable from his usual appearance and other acting roles that people forget he's in this film.

** Robert Forster's character's top henchman swears that he (or one of his allies) will drive a truck full of explosives straight to the White House one day, then comes ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', where Forster would voice the President of the United States. Also, Forster would play the United States Army Chief of Staff General Edward Clegg in ''Film/OlympusHasFallen'' where terrorists has seized the White House.

* {{Tearjerker}}: [[spoiler: Pete's death right after the team has escaped with all the hostages safely rescued]].

** Same can be said for TheDragon, who during his screen time, especially during the hijacking part, was able to show off some EvilVirtues that prompts him to PetTheDog like his kindness towards the little girl who reminded him of his daughter aside from being a ruthless terrorist who had KickTheDog like the aforementioned moment with the purser. However, he is ultimately given an anti-climatic UndignifiedDeath under the bed ("Sleep tight, sucker") and forgotten very quickly afterwards.

** Speaking of, this film's BigBad's portrayer Forster and the [[Film/DeltaForce2TheColombianConnection sequel]]'s BigBad's portrayer Billy Drago would both pass away in the same year of 2019.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The main theme by Music/AlanSilvestri is so good, it was adopted as the background music for Paul Page's famous teases for ABC's coverage of the Indianapolis 500 from 1988 to 1998, and again in 2001, though that particular tease was narrated by Al Michaels. When NASCAR's Brickyard 400 started in 1994, similar teases were done for that until 1996, and again in 1998. The final 400 tease was narrated by Bob Jenkins. So associated with Page are these teases, that he won't let ABC do them for the 500 anymore unless ''he'' narrates them. When Page replaced Mike King as the lead announcer on UsefulNotes/IndyCar Radio in 2014, he carried the main theme with him. It was used as the network's theme for its Indy 500 coverage for 2014, before returning to the modern instrumental of The Singing Hoosiers' 1961 tune, "The 500", in 2015.

** [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust For obvious reasons]], this is a special MoralEventHorizon for her nationality, and she's being dragged across it against her will. It is utterly ''agonizing'' to watch. Especially when the second-in-command terrorist, ironically the same one who had [[PetTheDog shown kindness towards the Jewish American child passenger]], utterly unsympathetic in contrast to his boss's [[SympathyForTheHero brief soft-spoken moment of some pity towards her reasons ("Deeply sorry lady.")]] and only fanatically concerned with his and Abdul's mission and cause, [[KickTheDog snaps at her that six million dead Jews was]] ''[[KickTheDog not enough.]]''

** [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust For obvious reasons]], this is a special MoralEventHorizon for her nationality, and she's being dragged across it against her will. It is utterly ''agonizing'' to watch. Especially when the second-in-command terrorist, ironically the same one who had [[PetTheDog shown kindness towards the Jewish American child passenger]], utterly unsympathetic in contrast to his boss's [[SympathyForTheHero brief soft-spoken moment of some pity towards her reasons]] and only fanatically concerned with his and Abdul's mission and cause, [[KickTheDog snaps at her that six million dead Jews was]] ''[[KickTheDog not enough.]]''