Review: Iron Eagle III

These days my son likes playing War Thunder. And when I say “like,” I mean – to the point where he needs to be reminded of his personal hygiene. It’s basically a flight simulator with dogfighting WW2-era propeller planes.

This theme of dogfighting WW2-era planes reminded me of a movie I saw back in summer 1992, while I was visiting France for the second time.

“Aces: Iron Eagle III” was a thoroughly nonsensical movie, though that was rendered moot (for me) by the incomprehensible dubbed-French dialogue. Propeller planes vs. drug dealers and their foyrth-generation-fighter-flying state sponsors?

Somewhere between the concept and the translation, there was something that didn't make sense. Whatever. It had Louis Gossett Jr in it – the Samuel L. Jackson of movies before Samuel L. Jackson. (Enemy Mine, An Officer and a Gentleman, etc.)


Given that the movie is both 30 years old and too stupid to be anything more than completely obscure, the only way to see it is to buy it. So that’s what I did ($10 on Amazon), if only to provide an excuse for a father/son moment.

Watching it with the original English dialogue, I understand now that I didn’t miss anything the first time. It’s just as I remembered it. On the plus side, it did provide material for some wonderful MST3K-style commentary.

In my opinion, it was $10 well-spent.