Counterforce (1988) User Reviews

Kind of obscure for a reason, but not a total loss

[Quinoa1984 · 4/10 · 5 April 2020]

I had this VHS tape in my possession for years (where I got it, how, I don't remember, probably a convention for a buck if that) and didn't think to watch it till now as as I clear some out. I put it on and... This is not what I typically watch - obscure/probably better-forgotten practically DTV made-off-foreign-tax-credit action junk that would later be "homage" for Expendables (but before that was justly parodied in Hot Shots Part Deux to a certain unintentional extent). What you need to know about this is that this is overloaded with would-be political commentary regarding who can or can't be a dictator or make martial law or who commits the assassinations for what cause etc etc...

But really, this is most concerned with Isaac Hayes getting to rhyme a lot of his dialog (I know I heard a "hill" rhyme with "kill" at one point), and that the stuntmen who keep falling off balconies - seriously theres like thirty of them in this frickin thing - can have a path to fall comfortably when they do. Oh, and Robert Foerster plays a Middle Eastern Dictator, which just made me conflicted because I know reasonably this shouldn't be and why didn't they just get an Arab actor or someone of that descent... Yet he's also Robert Forster and can't help but be competent and intense and interesting in what he does. This movie is Grade-A as to why Tarantino did Forster a true service giving his career a blood donation (Hayes too being in this is just bizarre, but it get it I guess, paycheck's what it is).

I suppose the main point I want to make with Counterforce is this isn't a particularly engrossing movie by any stretch, despite it being full of bodies hitting the proverbial floor, but the problem is largely of my own making: watching this friends could at least bring some ok some lively commentary, and that can't happen right now during a statewide shutdown. I can only make so many comments by myself before I overdo the Ian Malcolm thing of "And now Im talking to myself that-that's chaos theory."

If you truly are into seeking out all of the Competent but Largely Dull Except when theyre Occasionally Schlock Action Thrillers That Feature Some Day-For-Night footage Co-Starring Hugo Stiglitz (speaking again of QT), then I get it. Hell, I even had a couple laughs at, say, the dummy on tbe wheelchair in free-fall off a building.... Otherwise, find something else to do with your life, please.

Not worth the cast

[kurt-beullens · 3/10 · 16 November 2005]

I've been looking for this movie for quit some time. A couple of weeks ago I found it on e-bay on a VHS-tape, together with a movie called "Mines of Kilimanjaro". Now what exactly made me want to see Counterforce? The cast! For such a cheap, standard action movie it's extremely impressive. We find Louis Jourdan, the once promising Andrew Stevens, Isaac Hayes, Mexican superstar Jorge Rivero, Oscar-winner George Kennedy, Indian star Kabir "Sandokan" Bedi, Robert Foster and for fans of Italian B-horror there is Hugo Stiglitz (with Iron Maiden T-shirt!) who starred in Lenzi's "Incubo sulla città contaminata". Yesterday I watched it and although my expectations were really not that high, it was a disappointment. At best, this movie can be described as a cheap mixture of Delta force and The A-team, but that is not doing these 2 justice. There is not very much action, people just seem to go from here to there. The final tries to bring some suspense, but it's downright boring. Well actually, the entire movie is boring. The actors really can't save this movie, but give it a flair that it doesn't deserve. The editing is sometimes quit dynamic and the music by Joel Goldsmith (yes, Jerry's son) is not bad. 03/10

You can't give a corpse a speeding ticket.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 10 June 2023]

Idiotic dialog and unbelievable situations follow George Kennedy and his band of merry young men around in this politically motivated action thriller about dictator Robert Forster ruthlessly fighting his enemies, threatening world peace, and how Kennedy's organization (including Andrew Stevens and Isaac Hayes) intend to stop him. Smooth voiced Louis Jourdan is Kassar, Forster's greatest enemy, whom the men are determined to protect so he can take over when dictator Forster is tossed out.

Fun for the type of clichéd and audacious film it is, with Kabir Bedhi, the go-to Arab American actor of the 80's always playing the bad guy, here holding Jourdan's wife and son hostage, no different than he was on "General Hospital" and "Dynasty", or up against James Bond. Hayes gets the campiest dialog, rapping his lines with a wink to the audience that he was having a ball with all the silliness. Plenty of explosions and battles, but after an hour, it just starts to be tedious. Poor sound effects (sounding quite tinny and phony) and bad synthesizer music are other flaws.

"Five minutes. You're here for five minutes and someone's dead"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 4/10 · 3 October 2022]

A crack 4-man team of USA operatives protect a deposed Arab leader from assassination attempts by the dictator who deposed him. Lots of people get killed in the process. So pretty much a routine action film where the most exciting element is the film score by Joel Goldsmith. The best thing potentially going for it is the cast. George Kennedy! Kabir Bedi! Louis Jourdan! Hugo Stiglitz! Robert Forster! Jorge Rivero! Isaac Hayes! Simón Andreu! Unfortunately the dreary dialogue was written by what seemed like a twelve year old so the actors have no chance to shine. The plot is predictable reminding one of other and better films. Once seen, once forgotten. A sequel was hinted at but never came fortunately.

Nothing about it stands out enough for us to give it a wholehearted recommendation.

[tarbosh22000 · 4/10 · 18 January 2021]

Somewhere in a foreign land, The Dictator (Forster) is causing trouble. No real surprise there, unless you consider the fact that he's known only as "The Dictator". Even the news reports about him call him that. Because there's a pro-democracy politician named Kassar (Jourdan) who opposes The Dictator, the U.S. sends in the COUNTERFORCE to protect him because he now has a target on his back.

Counterforce, who have their own, specially-branded hats and jackets so you know it's them, is a elite squad of soldiers who are the best of the best. They consist of Colby (Kennedy), their leader, Nash (Stevens), the spiritual guy who likes zen and meditation, Ballard (Hayes), the muscle, Harris (Rivero), who leads the men in the field, and Sutherland (Bernhardt), who everyone calls "flyboy" because he likes planes. Will the Counterforce protect Kassar and put an end to the reign of terror of The Dictator?

If you like the A-Team, you'll probably like Counterforce. It's very, very A-Team-esque. The whole movie plays out like a feature-length version of the show. Each member of Counterforce corresponds to an A-Team character. Instead of Mr. T, they got Isaac Hayes. Instead of George Peppard, they got George Kennedy. Of course, for the characters of Face and Howling Mad Murdock, they got Jorge Rivero and Andrew Stevens. And Kevin Bernhardt. Even the shooting, car stunts and blow-ups seem heavily inspired by a certain 80's TV show. And it's not Mama's Family.





Now that that's out of the way, we can talk about the main reason why anyone would go out of their way to see Counterforce: the cast. It's an impressive lineup of B-Movie favorites and regulars. You get Robert Forster as an out-of-control Arab dictator, complete with an indefinable accent and a proclivity towards wearing capes over his normal clothes. There's Jorge Rivero, who last starred in director De La Loma's Killing Machine (1984), AKA Goma-2. He's very no-nonsense this time around, and his ability to load a pistol one-handed is very impressive.

Andrew Stevens and Isaac Hayes are the original odd couple and provide most of the humor in the film. George Kennedy, as usual, holds things together. At this point in his career, Kevin Bernhardt was on the ascendancy, as Counterforce was sandwiched in between Kick Or Die (1987) and Midnight Warrior (1989). Whether those qualify as video store classics is debatable, but it seems Bernhardt was everywhere in the late 80's.





As if all that wasn't enough, familiar faces such as Louis Jourdan, Simon Andreu, and Hugo Stiglitz round out the cast, which was truly international. The only real female cast member, Susana Dosamantes, was a mainstay in Mexican movies and TV but is probably best known for being in Rio Lobo (1970) with John Wayne.

While there are a handful of cool bits and some nice, mild humor, it's all very standard. It's an El Presidente slog by any other name. Yes, the scene in the gym where the Counterforce are all lifting weights, except for Andrew Stevens, who is meditating, is a highlight, but it's all so middle of the road.

Counterforce is by no means a failure, or even unpleasant to watch, but nothing about it stands out enough for us to give it a wholehearted recommendation.

My favorite b-movie

[wallepojken · 10/10 · 12 December 2018]

This i childhood for me. Objectively this i not a very good movie, but it was one om my favorite when i was young so i will always be a ten for me. The "weapon dressing" scene is epic.

Breezy 80s action vehicle

[udar55 · 6/10 · 10 January 2010]

This one sets up the plot rather easily with some US Intelligence commanders watching TV footage of a Arab tyrant (Robert Forster) as he rallies against the "Mad Cowboy in the White House":

Intelligence Commander #1: "We need to get that bastard."

Intelligence Commander #2: "How?"

Intelligence Commander #1: "I don't care."

That is all the set up you get, but what can you expect from a film where the villain is never given a name and merely billed as "The Dictator"? So they turn to Colby (George Kennedy), who gets his Counterforce team - who even have outfits with their own logo on them - on the job to protect Kassar (Louis Jourdan), the democratically elected President of this fictitious country. Counterforce consists of leader Harris (Jorge Rivero, billed as George Rivero), muscle Ballard (Isaac Hayes), zen karate guy Nash (Andrew Stevens) and rookie Sutherland (Kevin Bernhardt). Gee, can you guess which member of the team will be killed in action?

This is basically a low-rent DELTA FORCE knockoff, but it is not without its charms. The film is basically just two extended action scenes (protecting Kassar and saving his kidnapped wife and son) but it moves pretty fast and is exciting enough. The principals are all fine but Kennedy and Forster - who is obviously supposed to look like Gaddafi - get little screen time. The best character is a master of disguise hit-man played by a dubbed Hugo Stiglitz. I laughed when he disrobed in the elevator and was wearing an Iron Maiden shirt underneath his suit. The film ends with The Dictator getting away and sets up a COUNTERFORCE II, but that never happened for whatever reason. I like to think it was because Andrew Stevens discovered the softcore thriller genre and the filmmakers just felt it wouldn't be the same with a new team.

Manly action adventure

[actionfilm-2 · 6/10 · 19 November 2009]

One look at the VHS box art and potential viewers should recognize what's what when it comes to Counterforce. No A-list actors, no pretentious title, no budget, just pure B-movie fun. Sure, the film lacks polish and the acting is stiff, but it makes up for it in heart. This is like old school G.I. Joe where the good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, with nary a shade of gray in sight. Jorge (George) Rivero, who co-starred with John Wayne in Rio Lobo, was sort of Mexico's Steve Reeves, not many Mexican actors at the time were in his kind of physical shape (the gym scene where the entire Counterforce is pumping iron is priceless). His English is quite good and his chiseled features made him a natural to star as the leader of Counterforce. Hugo Stiglitz stars as the villain here and he also appeared in Mexican cinema, most notably in a Jaws ripoff titled "Tintorera". Robert Forster (Jackie Brown, Vigilante) again plays a terrorist type as he did 2 years earlier in Chuck Norris' Delta Force. Action classic? Of course not. Silly fun? Absolutely.

Enjoyable, lightweight nostalgia

[HaemovoreRex · 6/10 · 18 July 2006]

Well first off I must say what a great assembled cast of B-Movie stars appear in this! We have Jorge Rivero, Issac Hayes, George Kennedy, Louis Jordan and Robert Forster to name but a few!

Rivero appears here as leader of the eponymous Counterforce, a sort of crack special unit designated to sort out trouble wherever in the world it may occur and under whatever terrain/conditions present. Strangely the group comprises only four members (!) but these are no ordinary soldiers, oh no, these guys are apparently the best of the best in their specialist fields.

The plot concerns our macho men given the assignment to protect an exiled leader from a fanatical Islamic dictator (Robert Forster in a decidedly odd bit of casting!) The various attempts on the exiled leaders life provide the basis for the bulk of the action sequences throughout the film, although it has to be said that there simply aren't enough of these said scenes present to satisfy the average action junkie. Added to this, even when the action sequences do take place, the said action is rarely handled with much panache by the director here. In fact even the supposed action soaked finale the viewer will no doubt be hoping for is something of a disappointment.

However, even having said the above, the film actually remains very watchable, not least of all because of the highly likable heroes. I actually found the film and especially the protagonists relationships with one another to be pleasantly reminiscent of that classic eighties show The A-Team. In fact everyone in the team seems to be the best of buddies and even during the heat of fire fights whilst dodging bullets, these guys are still cracking witty one liners at one another accompanied by wry smiles! Not just the relationships either, the whole film itself exudes that curiously pleasant 'feel good' 80's TV charm. Such an innocent action movie style is so refreshing to watch when viewed against some of the deadly serious, pretentious and overblown Hollywood action output of late.

For fans of 1980's nostalgia ala The A-Team, Knightrider etc I'd highly recommend this enjoyable yarn. Fans of super high octane action however, will probably find this to be underwhelming stuff and would be best advised to skip it.

A galloppingly Gung ho, hardwired-to-thrill, Alpha Bros save the world shoot 'em up!

[Weirdling_Wolf · 7/10 · 10 January 2023]

The credible, pyrotechnical director of the grossly undervalued 'Killing Man' (1984) is once again reunited with dynamic, muscular action man, Jorge Rivero, the most visually stimulating member of covert black ops outfit 'Counterforce', alongside notable Cult movie icons, Isaac 'Truck Turner' Hayes, Louis 'Swamp Thing' Jourdan, George 'Everything' Kennedy, Andrew 'Brood' Stevens, Hugo' City of The walking Dead' Stiglitz and the estimable character actor, Robert 'Vigilante' Forster as the dastardly dictator sowing the seeds of discontent in North Africa now that his honourable, freedom campaigning rival Kassar (Louis Jourdan) is reluctantly in exile.

As pressures continue to escalate in North Africa, the people oppressed by ceaselessly death dealing dictator and a failed assassination attempt increasing the volatile tensions, as the heavily armed, montage-trained Counterforce are tasked with their inevitably incendiary mission to protect freedom fighter Kassar and his family from the savagely scheming despot, Forster, who proves himself to be one especially tenacious S. O. B, abusing his power for means nefarious to assassinate Kassar, thereby putting Counterforce's considerably awesome talents to the test! Loma's boisterous, ceaselessly locomotive 80s B-actioner entertainingly delivers an uncommonly zesty barrage of noisome gun play, audacious vehicular carnage, and a righteous overload of entertainingly explosive, Boy's Own, macho mayhem!

In lesser hands 'Counterforce' could well have been an altogether flaccid, low grade 'Delta Force' knock off, but, happily, the capable, no nonsense director is only too aware what the beery demographic for such unrepentantly formulaic fare expects to see! Plentiful explosions, frantically squib-heavy gun battles, high tension escapes, a communally sweaty homoerotic flexing montage, excessively 'bro-dacious' B-Movie banter, and cartoon evil, freedom-baiting terrorist skells getting it royally in the ear, and, rewardingly, ace director, José Antonio de la Loma generously provides uproariously escapist retrograde entertainment with his galloppingly Gung ho, hardwired-to-thrill, Alpha Bros save the world shoot 'em up, 'Counterforce'.

The B-Movie icing on this scrumptiously calamitous celluloid confection, the 'Bicing' if I might be so precious, is the extraordinarily vivid, heart-thumpingly magnificent score by master composer, Joel Goldsmith, the film being additionally blessed by one of the more memorable performances by Euro-cult boss, Hugo Stiglitz since his memorable turn in 'Cemetery of Terror'; with his glacial hit man 'The Blond' even sporting a gnarly-looking Iron Maiden Powerslave T-shirt. Right on!