Black Thunder
Black Thunder
| 22 September 1998 (USA)
Black Thunder Trailers

When the top secret prototype of the Nova Stealth fighter has been stolen, the Pentagon launches big alarm; the plane shouldn't come into hostile hands...

Reviews
SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.
Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
watcherDH ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** This is really a very very bad movie. Actually, it's easily the worst I've seen in a long time.The plot is quite old, it actually reminds me of 80's B-action flicks: A rogue pilot steals a Mirage (sorry, Nova stealth plane) and brings it to Libya, where a terrorist group plans to use it's ability to go invisible, to bomb a meeting of ministers and heads of state in Paris. Now, there's only one man who can take the plane back: Michael Dudikoff, aka Vince Connors, a pilot for the US airforce. Err, why not send a SEAL team in instead, or bomb the terrorists back to the stone age with a few tomahawks?Furthermore, I'll write down a few little details that make this film so bad, but so enjoyable at the same time.-According to a digital map in the control room, Libya is located in Saudi Arabia -Soldiers guarding a US airbase carry AK-47's -Recycled material from older Dudikoff films -the Nova Stealth fighter actually being an ordinary Mirage -bombers referred to as "B-3's" designated to carpet-bomb the terrorist base actually being F-16's. -Same terrorists being blown up twice*****SPOILERS*****-in the last dog fight, when Dudikoff blows his adversary away, isn't that the Mirage (Nova) exploding? Huh?*****End of SPOILERS*****I laughed out loud a few times, particulary at the "Libyan terrorists" who are obviously American extras and the Libyan landscape which looks a heck of a lot like southern California.That being said, the acting isn't that bad, considering the awful dialogue the actors have to work with.All in all, it's enjoyable but don't expect a serious action movie.PS: Producers, please note: A low budget can generate a pretty good movie, if you try.
MichaelM24 BLACK THUNDER isn't really a good movie, but it's definitely fun and is one of my favorite Dudikoff movies. Several of his movies have had interesting concepts, this one included: a prototype fighter jet with a stealth mode that hides it not just from radar, but from the human eye as well, rendering the plane completely invisible. When karate expert Richard Norton steals it, Michael Dudikoff is recruited to steal it back. Flying into enemy territory with an SR-71 and comedic sidekick Gary Hudson, Dudikoff sets out to recover the stolen aircraft, finding help from a local villager, BAYWATCH beauty Nancy Valen. (Sadly, that's a body double for Valen during the nude scene.) One of my favorite scenes is towards the end, when Dudikoff takes on a whole airfield full of enemy soldiers with a machine gun and a couple grenades. The climactic dogfight between Dudikoff and Norton has some cheapo effects (especially of that missile flying around), but it's all tongue-in-cheek fluff that can turn a rainy Saturday afternoon into something fun.
DavidDev Typical B grade action movie, probably made with a desperately tight budget & in a record time! The series of flight action scenes are tailored for the adrenaline junkey, but they were clearly extracted from other film footage. Don't expect too much on the acting side of things...it is well below par. For me, the worst portion of the movie came via the ridiculous and suicidally dumb Libyan soldiers, charging the opposition openly and without proper cover. How stupid can you get, Mr Director ? And how is it possible for two guys with hand-pistols and limited ammunition to fight off several soldiers with machine-guns and other automatic weapons...doesn't make sense. Even more so, the director finds enough time between gunfire exchanges to allow the "hero" to say farewell to one of his wounded buddies...ridiculous.On the positive side, I must say, I've heard alot about Landon Hall, and the scene (or scenes)where she struts her stuff, makes this film worth the while. She's simply gorgeous. Rent this if (a) you're a fighter plane enthusiast or (b) a Landon Hall fan. As simple as that.
Freak-6 This movie is a B-action. It´s just made for showing how bad Dudikoff can play sometimes. But still I like action so I gave it a 4/10. It´s almost the same in quality as Aces Iron Eagle 3.