Black Eagle (1988 film)

Black Eagle is a 1988 American action film directed by Eric Karson and starring Shō Kosugi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Kane Kosugi. It was shot on the Mediterranean island of Malta.^[1] The film was released in the United States on May 19, 1988.

Black Eagle
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Eric Karson
Written by	Michael Gonzales A. E. Peters
Produced by	Shimon Arama
Starring	Shō Kosugi Jean-Claude Van Damme Doran Clark Kane Kosugi Shane Kosugi Vladimir Skomarovsky
Cinematography	George Koblasa
Edited by	Michael Kelly
Music by	Terry Plumeri
Production companies	Rotecon BV Magus Productions
Distributed by	Taurus Entertainment Imperial Entertainment
Release date	May 19, 1988 (1988-05-19)
Running time	93 minutes 104 minutes (director's cut)
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Ken Tani (Shō Kosugi), a martial artist and special operative for the American government codenamed "Black Eagle", is summoned by his superiors after an F-111 carrying an experimental black ops laser tracking device was shot down over Malta by Russian forces. A group of elite KGB agents led by Colonel Vladimir Klimenko and his brutal and enigmatic right-hand man Andrei (Jean-Claude van Damme) have been dispatched to Malta to retrieve the device for their own ends. Tani, alongside CIA agent Patricia Parker (Doran Clark) and his sons Brian (Kane Kosugi) and Denny (Shane Kosugi) travel to Malta to find the device before Andrei does, leading to an eventual face-to-face encounter.

Cast

• Shō Kosugi as Ken Tani
• Jean-Claude Van Damme as Andrei
• Doran Clark as Patricia Parker
• Bruce French as Father Joseph Bedelia
• Vladimir Skomarovsky as Col. Vladimir Klimenko
• William Bassett as Dean Rickert
• Kane Kosugi as Brian Tani
• Shane Kosugi as Denny Tani
• Alfred Mallia as Peter
• Dorota Puzio as Natasha
• Jan Triska as Valery

Reception

Critical response

Critics gave the film a mixed reception overall.^[2][3]