''Delta Farce'' is a 2007 American
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
C. B. Harding
C. B. Harding (sometimes credited as CB Harding) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and cinematographer.
Producer/Director filmography
# ''Delta Farce'' (2007)
# '' Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For the Road'' (2006)
# ''The Ro ...
and stars
Bill Engvall
William Ray Engvall Jr. (born July 27, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Engvall has released a number of stand-up comedy albums through Warner Records and the defunct BNA Records. His most commercially successf ...
,
Larry the Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), known professionally by his persona Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, country music artist, and former radio personality.
He was one of the members of the ...
,
DJ Qualls
Donald Joseph Qualls (born June 10, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in films including ''Road Trip'' (2000), ''The New Guy'' (2002) and ''The Core'' (2003), and for several appearances on television series such as '' B ...
and
Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo ( ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. He has appeared in films including ''Desperado'', ''Heat'', and the ''From Dusk Till Dawn'' film series. With frequent collaborator and his second cousin Robert Rodriguez, he portrayed ...
. The first film after the ''
Blue Collar Comedy Tour'' concert films to star both Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy, the title is a play on the
Delta Force
The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...
, one of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
's elite
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
units alongside the
Army Rangers and the
Green Berets
The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army.
The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal m ...
. It was released by
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
on May 11, 2007 to extremely negative reviews.
Plot
Larry, Bill, and Everett are three friends who each have their own shares of misfortune: Larry was a waiter who lost his job after attempting to publicly propose to his girlfriend Karen; who turned out to be cheating and got pregnant by the other man; causing him to insult a customer. Bill is living off a
slip and fall
A slip and fall injury, also known as a trip and fall, is a premises liability claim, a type of personal injury claim or case based on a person slipping (or tripping) on the premises of another and, as a result, suffering injury. It is a tort. A ...
lawsuit settlement, but is almost constantly berated by his wife over their living conditions (and implied to be unable to divorce due to his wife having
blackmail
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
against him), and Everett is an inept security guard who was fired after only four days as a police officer, after crashing his car at a nail salon. The three are members of the
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...
, although their duties in the reserve consist mostly of drinking and partying at the reserve center once a month.
However, with manpower shortages from the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, the three find themselves called to
active duty
Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service.
India
The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one ...
to be deployed to the
occupation of Fallujah. The hard-nosed Sergeant Kilgore is assigned to prepare them for activation and deployment. After a very brief period of training, they are loaded on a
C-130
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...
transport plane bound for
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
.
During a thunderstorm over northern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, the transport pilots dump some of their cargo to reduce their load. Unfortunately, the three were asleep in the
Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...
that was dropped and Sergeant Kilgore was pulled out along with the cargo as he was seeing where his men had gone. When the three wake up, seeing only desert around them, they believe they have arrived in Iraq. Sergeant Kilgore is knocked unconscious in the landing. The three believe he is dead and bury him in a very shallow grave, then proceed to drive off to search for
insurgents
An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irreg ...
and members of
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
to attack. Shortly after they leave, Sergeant Kilgore regains consciousness, quickly climbs out of the very shallow grave and pursues his clueless subordinates.
The three soldiers quickly find themselves in the small village of La Miranda, believing they are helping the town fight off terrorists and insurgents. The village of La Miranda is being plagued by the attacks of a bandit gang led by Carlos Santana. Chasing away the bandits with a show of firepower, they become heroes to the villagers and capture a bandit to interrogate. Meanwhile, Sergeant Kilgore follows along the path of his subordinates, encountering significant misfortune.
While enjoying the hospitality of La Miranda, the men eventually realize they are in Mexico, not Iraq. Realizing the potential trouble, they are in, the three men decide to return the favor to the villagers by helping them improve the village. Later, Bill sneaks away from town to call home and talk to his wife, while Larry and Everett prepare for the bandits to return. Bill is captured by Santana's gang, and in a showdown in La Miranda, they recover him and chase Santana and his men away (although Sergeant Kilgore finally catches up, arriving at precisely the wrong moment and is captured by Santana).
The three soldiers then decide to deal with Santana and his men by following them to their hideout, where Santana's men engage in bizarre entertainment like forcing kidnapped comedians to perform for them and holding
lucha libre
Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...
matches. Everett distracts them by posing as a luchador while Larry and Bill rescue Sergeant Kilgore. Sergeant Kilgore and Bill then plant
dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...
in their trucks while Larry rescues Everett as his distraction wears off. The group escapes as the trucks of the bandits explode.
Mustering everything, they have to destroy the village of La Miranda, Santana's bandits ride into town on horseback, escorting a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
surplus
Sherman tank
}
The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It w ...
. The group manages to incapacitate the tank with a vintage cannon and rally the townsfolk to resist the bandits.
At that moment, military helicopters come over the horizon and a large number of American soldiers storm the town. Bill's wife has been calling the
Pentagon
In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°.
A pentagon may be simpl ...
and telling anyone who would listen about the three being stranded in Mexico, until they finally began searching for the group and found them. The
State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
has arranged for a cover-up to call the entire mishap "Operation Sombrero", a U.S.
anti-terrorism
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...
operation done with the (retroactive) permission of the Mexican government and Santana's gang labeled as terrorists.
In the end, all four receive the
Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
, and Bill receives the
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
for being shot in the posterior during the final battle. Sergeant Kilgore creates a successful workout program in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, Everett becomes a popular professional wrestler in Mexico, Bill sues the Mexican government for his injuries and uses the money to buy a house in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and Larry founds his own restaurant in Mexico and marries Maria, the daughter of La Miranda's mayor. Carlos is sent into rehab and becomes a comedian.
Cast
*
Larry the Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), known professionally by his persona Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, country music artist, and former radio personality.
He was one of the members of the ...
as Private Larry McCoy
*
Bill Engvall
William Ray Engvall Jr. (born July 27, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Engvall has released a number of stand-up comedy albums through Warner Records and the defunct BNA Records. His most commercially successf ...
as Private Bill Little
*
DJ Qualls
Donald Joseph Qualls (born June 10, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in films including ''Road Trip'' (2000), ''The New Guy'' (2002) and ''The Core'' (2003), and for several appearances on television series such as '' B ...
as Private Everett Shackleford
*
Keith David
Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his signature deep voice and commanding screen presence in over 300 roles across film, stage, television, and interactive media.
He has starred in such films as '' T ...
as Master Sergeant Kilgore
*
Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo ( ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. He has appeared in films including ''Desperado'', ''Heat'', and the ''From Dusk Till Dawn'' film series. With frequent collaborator and his second cousin Robert Rodriguez, he portrayed ...
as Carlos Santana
*
Marisol Nichols
Marisol Nichols (born November 2, 1973) is an American actress, known for her roles as Nadia Yassir on the Fox series '' 24'' and Hermione Lodge on the CW drama series '' Riverdale''.
Early life
Nichols was born in the Rogers Park neighborhood ...
as Señorita Maria Garcia
*
Lisa Lampanelli
Lisa Lampanelli (born Lisa Marie Lampugnale; July 19, 1961) is an American former stand-up comedian, actress and insult comic.
Early life and journalism career
Lampanelli was born in Trumbull, Connecticut, to a middle-class family. Three of her ...
as Connie
*
Jeff Dunham
Jeffrey Douglas Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Comedy Central Presents'', ''The Tonigh ...
(cameo) as Ken "The Amazing Ken" (with José Jalapeño on a Stick)
*
McKinley Freeman McKinley Freeman (born June 9, 1973) is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in films and on television series, including the starring role of Derek Roman in the drama series '' Hit the Floor'', portraying the role of Dominic in the OWN's ...
as the Airborne Soldier
Reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
it has an approval rating of 5% based on reviews from 44 critics, with an average rating of 3/10. The site's consensus states: "Too afraid to be a real satire of the Iraq War, ''Delta Farce'' instead devolves into a reprehensible, unfunny mix of
slapstick
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
,
gay panic, and
flatulence
Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environm ...
jokes." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
the film has a score of 17% based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".
John Anderson of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote: "If three of ''The Magnificent Seven'' had been
Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle is a fictional character played by Jim Nabors and introduced in the middle of the third season of ''The Andy Griffith Show''.
A naïve and gentle auto mechanic, he became a character in the January 1963 episode, ''Man in a Hurry''. ...
, the result might have looked like ''Delta Farce'', a movie rife with fat, fart and Fallujah jokes, but with a subcutaneous wit that has a lot to do with Iraq war fatigue.
Frank Scheck of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' said the film is in poor taste and even forgetting that, "isn't funny enough to justify its existence."
Andy Webster of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote: "Among the many minorities mocked are Muslims, but perhaps the people most insulted are white Southerners, who presumably are expected to embrace one whopping brain-dead metaphor."
Jack Mathews of the ''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' wrote: "This is a movie where the villains are the comic relief for the comedians, and where the outtakes at the end are better than the film."
References
External links
*
* {{Amg movie, 353040, Delta Farce
2007 films
Films set in Mexico
Lionsgate films
Military humor in film
2000s action comedy films
2000s parody films
Films about the United States Army
2007 comedy films
2000s English-language films