Delta Force 2: (1990)

Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection is a 1990 American action film, and a sequel to the 1986 Chuck Norris film The Delta Force, also starring Norris as Major Scott McCoy. It is the second installment in The Delta Force film series. In this film, McCoy leads his Delta team into the fictional South American country of San Carlos to rescue hostages and stop the flow of cocaine into the United States. Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection was disliked by critics for sparse connections to its predecessor, a clichéd script, subpar acting, and similarities to the earlier Norris vehicle Missing in Action.

Plot.

Ramon Cota (Billy Drago) is a wealthy and powerful drug kingpin who controls the cocaine industry with an iron fist. His drugs pour steadily into America, corrupting the country’s youth and causing a feud between the DEA and San Carlos, Cota’s country of origin. The film opens during a carnival in Rio de Janeiro, as an undercover task force led by several DEA agents conducts surveillance on a private party that Cota is attending (similar to a Mardi Gras ball); however, the surveillance team is ambushed and massacred by Cota’s hitmen, who are masquerading as carnival performers. Due to the Rio fiasco, the DEA enlists the support of the U.S. Army’s Delta Force in order to infiltrate San Carlos. They are aided by an undercover agent within Cota’s drug cartel. General Taylor orders Colonel Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris) and his partner, Major Bobby Chavez (Paul Perri) to bring Cota to court. They pose as airline passengers while Cota is en route to Geneva to deposit his drug money in a Swiss bank account, and are able to capture him during a short interval in which the plane enters U.S. airspace. However, their efforts amount to nothing as Cota is easily able to post bail and escape.

Unable to contain his rage, Chavez furiously lashes out at Cota in court. Cota decides to strike at Chavez by having Chavez’s pregnant wife and brother killed. Out on a personal mission of vengeance, Chavez is captured by Cota’s forces and is tortured and killed. When three DEA agents attempt to go in and bring Cota and his army down, they are taken hostage, and are to be executed. During a press conference, a spokesman for the DEA explains that San Carlos’s president Alcazar fears a coup and is therefore reluctant to crack down on the cartels, while his corrupt generals benefit from the drug trade and are willing to protect Cota from extradition. McCoy is parachuted into San Carlos and sent to rescue the hostages in a stealth operation, while Taylor and the rest of the Delta Force perform surveillance. Their mission is supervised by a delegate from the government of San Carlos, which has entered an agreement with the U.S. government that severely limits the scope of the mission. Meanwhile, McCoy scales a tall cliff and infiltrates Cota’s mansion.

Development.

The film was originally known as Stranglehold. “They’re rewriting the script”, said Norris in December 1988. “It’s better to straighten out the problems in the screenplay now, rather than later. I hate it when you start a movie with a script half done; chances are you’ll end up with a mediocre movie. The first `Delta Force’ was well written.” “I researched drug kingpins during the three years we worked to prepare for this movie”, added Norris, “and much of what I read convinced me that you’re dealing with unconscionable, truly vicious individuals. It’s true, there are some changes in Colombia, but the fighting is still going on, and these people are other places as well. And what you’re fighting is billions of dollars. That much money means an enormous amount of power. That’s why we portrayed our kingpin that vindictively. It happens. They feel they’re above the law, and when you get in their way, they don’t just go after you. They kill your wife, aunts, uncles, all relatives. They eliminate your lineage.” Jean-Claude Van Damme was offered a role in the film but he turned it down to do Cyborg.

Filming.

Filming started in March 1989 under the title Stranglehold: Delta Force 2. Although the film is set principally in South America, most of the scenes set in the fictional South American country of San Carlos and rural Colombia were shot in Tagaytay, Philippines. This explains the visibility of the Taal Volcano in some scenes. Much of the film was shot at an unfinished hilltop mansion in the mountain resort of Tagaytay called the People’s Park in the Sky that Imelda Marcos started building in 1983 as a guest house for a visit, never made, by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan. “It had never been used”, Norris says. “When Marcos was booted out, it was just left, an empty shell. We bought it, made $1 million worth of refurbishments, since it wasn’t in good shape, and even built a swimming pool. And then we blew it up.” The opening parade during the Brasilian Carnaval was filmed outside the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila (doubling for Rio de Janeiro).

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Theatrical, Marketing, Box office.

Delta Force 2 was released in the United States on August 24, 1990. In the Philippines, the film was released with the same name by Solar Films on November 29, 1990. MGM spent $5 million on TV advertisements. Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection made $1.85 million in its first week, ranking 6th overall.

Cast:

Chuck Norris as Colonel Scott McCoy
Billy Drago as Ramon Cota
John P. Ryan as General Taylor
Richard Jaeckel as DEA Agent John Page
Paul Perri as Major Bobby Chavez
Begoña Plaza as Quiquina Esquilinta
Héctor Mercado as Miguel
Mark Margolis as General Olmedo
Kelly Wicker as a Judge
Rick Prieto as Carlos