Iron Eagle has a plot, but it only exists to establish the flimsiest of premises before the dog fighting starts. Col. Masters of the U.S. Air Force is shot down and put on trial by the Arabic fictional country of Bilya, sentenced to be hung in three days. Meanwhile, his son, Doug, rejected by the Air Force Academy, finds a Vietnam vet, Chappy (played by Louis Gosset Jr., in what might be his most successful role), who reluctantly agrees to help the hotheaded teen steal a fighter jet and embark on a daring rescue mission.
The two, in stolen F-16 Fighting Falcons, fly into Bilya and go against the entire enemy air force. Yes, it’s absurd, yes, it’s stupid, but I love this movie.