Ah, nothin' like an 80s-era U.S.-military-kickin'-some-Mid-East-Terrorist-butt actioner brimful of patriotic symbolism set to a military marchin-band fanfare soundtrack to keep me entertained for an hour and a half. Ya got Fred Dryer leadin' the way as a cross between Clint Eastwood's 'Gunny' Highway from 'Heartbreak Ridge' and Rambo-- though a lot closer to the former than the latter, and not quite having the acting ability of either. Then there's the whole hero-and-a-few-allies-storming-the-compound-where-the-hero's-C.O.-is-being-held-hostage bit that makes up the climax, and would be seen again & done a little better in 'The Delta Force' and 'Rambo III'. And if that wasn't enough, there's the usual array of implausible and gravity-defying action scenes. Like for example the chase scene that culminates in a manner that is fleetingly reminiscent of the almost-as-silly climactic tank-vs-doom-chopper showdown in 'Rambo III'. Or the hero and his troops sneaking into the terrorist compound on an open desert where there is almost no cover to be seen... in broad daylight!
On the upside, they made a token effort to ground the movie in reality, if only remotely so. A couple of the good guys do get killed, though not quite as many as the bad guys. Then there's the 'blood-pinning' initiation ceremony for a couple new Marines that would become a real-life scandal in the press over a decade later. Also of note is the suicide car-bombing of the U.S. Embassy scene, reflecting the kinds of terrorist bombings goin' 'round in the Middle East at the time, and are still happening to this day. Speakin' of the embassy-bombing scene: this is one of the few flicks where I've a character played by the late Paul Winfield (he's the U.S. ambassador here) actually survives all the way through the film! Talk about breaking character, hmm? Heh...
Anyhoo, if you're into such 1980s kick-@$$ actioners as 'The Delta Force' or the 'Rambo' trilogy, 'Death Before Dishonor' is worth at least a rental-if only to see Fred Dryer play a role other than Hunter...
'Late
