Bullet Points: Black Thunder
1998’s Black Thunder is a movie I picked up a while back and up until a few days ago was in physical media purgatory, all wrapped up with a bunch of other unopened movies that I have yet to get to. But there was one major difference between Black Thunder and the dozens of other titles that I own that are still in their shrink wrapped prisons…. Black Thunder stars one of my all-time favorite action heroes, Michael Dudikoff!
- Thunder from Down Under: If you are fan of your action movies starting off with a training exercise, Black Thunder will make a great first impression. The United States Air Force is testing out a stealth fighter that uses game changing “nova technology”. I am not sure what “nova technology” is exactly, but I do know they gave the plane a cool ass code name, and that code name is Black Thunder. Whoever has the Black Thunder can rule the world according to General Barnes (Michael Cavanaugh, Strategic Command) so you can understand why the USAF are putting the Black Thunder through rigorous training exercises against the best of the best pilot that that America (or Australia) has to offer., in this case Ratcher (Richard Norton, Rage and Honor). Well, Ratcher WAS the best. During the Black Thunder training exercise Ratcher loses the engine on his F16, the g-forces prevent him from ejecting and Ratcher is presumed dead.
- Doppelganger from Down Under: That evening Captain Nick Moore (the pilot of Black Thunder) is spending some quality time with his topless significant other at his apartment when a call comes in from Edwards Air Force Base that they need him back at the base ASAP. Moments later Moore and his lover get an unexpected visit from a Captain Moore doppelganger, who proceeds to kill Moore and his woman. The fake Captain Moore then makes his way to the base, where they are preparing for Black Thunder’s final test and that allows the fake Captain Moore to steal the $75 million dollar stealth fighter and radio the terrorist leader Stone (Robert Madrid, Moscow Heat) who has paid him to deliver the Black Thunder to him in Libya. When “Moore” and the Black Thunder eventually land in Libya, that is when we learn that the man behind the mask was none other than RATCHER!!!
- Repo Man: With national security on the line, there is only one man that General Barnes can think of for the unenviable task of retrieving the Black Thunder… that man is Vince Conners (Michael Dudikoff, Avenging Force). Conners was a protégé of Ratcher, in fact Conners wonders why he can’t fly this mission with Ratcher and that’s when he gets the news that Ratcher is dead (or so they think). Instead Conners will be paired with the hot shot Jannick (Gary Hudson, Martial Outlaw)… something Conners isn’t thrilled about, but national security takes precedence over Conners’ personal feelings. Through satellite technology the USAF was able to determine that Black Thunder (which can’t be stealthy all the time) is in Libya, so that’s where Conners and Jannick make their way to… when they land they are almost immediately “greeted” by some mercenaries led by Stone’s right hand man, Elias. Jannick is captured, but Conners manages to make it to a nearby village where he meets Mela (played by Nancy Valen, who I remembered from her appearances on Silk Stalkings). Conners and Mela don’t exactly get off on the right foot, but Conners soon realizes he can trust her when Elias and his men show up at her door looking for Conners and Mela hides Conners away and uses her feminine wiles (and body double) to distract Elias from the task at hand.
- Allied Powers: Mela and her cousin Rojar the fruit merchant (played by Robert Miranda of Blue Streak and Eraser fame) help get Conners into Stone’s compound by hiding him in the back of Rojar’s delivery truck. Although that doesn’t go exactly as planned… but what fun would that be?!? The truck is stopped at a checkpoint and the trio have to take out the guards, which ultimately leads to Conners roaring into Stone’s stronghold on a motorcycle!! Once he’s inside, Conners finds Jannick, who breaks the news about Ratcher. They tease a Ratcher vs. Conners battle on the ground, but Conners main objective is to get to the Black Thunder so we don’t get to see the two really mix it up. Despite the odds being against him, Conners manages to get to the Black Thunder and take off, which doesn’t speak well to Stone’s security, although in his defense they did manage to steal it from the USAF. The Ratcher vs. Conners battle we do get is in the sky! To add to the peril, Stone had his men load up the Black Thunder with some biological weapons (for a nefarious mission that Ratcher agreed to fly for him), so if Ratcher shoots Conners and the Black Thunder down, it will trigger a global disaster!
At this stage in the game my opportunities to watch a Michael Dudikoff action movie for the first time are drying up, so admittedly I may have been watching Black Thunder through rose colored glasses. With that said I really enjoyed Black Thunder in large part due to Michael Dudikoff’s mere presence. It wasn’t Michael Dudikoff in his prime, but it was still Michael Dudikoff getting to save the day… Richard Norton was another postivie. Norton’s versatility may be his greatest strength as an action star. Norton is effective as either a hero or a villain. Whatever your movie needs, Richard Norton can provide and Black Thunder definitely benefitted from his villainy… Nancy Valens’ Mela and Robert Miranda’s Rojar were the standouts of the supporting cast, while Gary Hudson felt wasted here.
Don’t waste any time checking out these Bonus Bullet Points…
- First Impression: When I saw that Black Thunder was a joint production of Royal Oaks and New Horizons, I knew I was guaranteed stock footage and nudity. I got both.
- Raising Its Stock: Some of the stock footage that I instantly recognized was from, in my own personal opinion, the greatest fighter jet movie that has even been made… 1986’s Iron Eagle! Sprinkling in that Iron Eagle footage instantly made Black Thunder better in my eyes.
- Familiar Faces: Marcus Auerelius (Full Contact and Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero) played Hinkle, one of the USAF pilots… Frederic Forrest and Catherine Bell seemingly reprised their roles from another Dudikoff/Royal Oaks movies, Crash Dive, either that or they just recycled the footage from Crash Dive.
- Out of Context Quote: “Drop the load Vincent and I’ll let you live.” – Ratcher
