Movie Review: Air Strike

Air Strike
Starring: Robert Rusler, Jennifer Gareis, Fredric Lehne, Pepper Sweeney, Ivaylo Geraskov, Assen Blatechki, Krasimer Vankov, Ivo Tonchev, Atanas Srebrev, Piotr Ksheninski, Benjamin Burdick, Tyrone Pinkham, Kitodar Todorov, Vladimir Nikolov, Max Gonzales, Nikolai Iliev, Dimiter Kuzov, Dimiter Stefanov, Delyan Dabov, Petya Evtimova, Stoyo Mirkov 

Director: David Worth
Nu Image Films, Martien Holdings A.V.V., USA, Bulgaria, 2004. 

The President of the USA sends helicopter pilots into Eastern Europe country Petrovia to fight terrorists. Evil drug lord Ivan Stefanovich (Ivaylo Geraskov) is on the target list. Cigar-loving Colonel Blackwall (Fredric Lehne) sends a group of helicopters and Rangers to destroy the drug shipment. After a successful start the team takes heavy casualties. 

Colonel Blackwall

Close call

U-S-A! U-S-A!

Blackwall goes to meet retired Apache-pilot Ben Garret (Robert Rusler). He asks Ben to return to service. Also the terrorists killed Ben's brother Jack (Krasimer Vankov). There is more flag waving than in a Roland Emmerich film. In the middle of the fight chopper pilots start chanting: U-S-A! U-S-A! Of course some pesky local officials come to an American bar, so it's time for a bar fight! 

Ben Garret

Charlie

Ivan and Chicaco scheming

There is also a female pilot Charlie (Jennifer Gareis). Ivan goes around bombing and terrorizing. After increasing personal losses, it is time to get revenge on Ivan and his right-hand man Chigago (Assen Blatechki). For a drug lord Ivan is heavily equipped, with an army of tanks.

Nasty terrorist

Apache attack copter

Major Hanks

However the tanks are not a problem for the choppers, but the eight guys with assault rifles and rocket launchers. At one point Ben is captured and tortured, but being a true patriot he does not yield to the demands of the bad guys. Don't get the good guys mad! Ben turns into Rambo and everything blows up. 

Greatest threat to modern attack copters

Ben shooting John Woo style!

Another spectacular explosion

Special effects vary from nice looking explosions and helicopter props to bad CGI helicopters. There is a lot of stock footage used. Some of the footage originates from Nicolas Cage film "Fire Birds - Wings of the Apache". There are almost all clichés of military pilot movies and many of military action films. Still there are plenty of explosions and gunfights to satisfy a need for low-budget action fix. 

Fire Birds footage

Rating: Average (as a low budget action film)