MISSING IN ACTION (1984)

Former prisoner of war, Col. James Braddock (Chuck Norris) is positive that there are still American POW's being held in Vietnam.  He's become a political activist and as so, accompanies an American senator to Vietnam for a conference.  While there, he sneaks off for a little personal one-on-one face time with a certain Vietnamese general.  Stuff happens and the general ends up with a knife in his chest.  Now armed with the location of a POW camp, Braddock teams up with an old war buddy (M. Emmet Walsh) to kick some ass. 

Satisfying pace, above average direction (by 80's action movie standards) by Joseph Zito, not as much action as you would expect, good acting, abrupt ending.  Overall, MISSING IN ACTION is an enjoyable film, but nothing amazing.  It's just kinda...there.  Norris and Zito would team up again the next year with the kick ass INVASION U.S.A.  Hell yeah!

Worthless observation: While watching MISSING IN ACTION for this review, I could not stop thinking about James Hong and David Tress.  Now we all know James Hong as David Lo Pan in John Carpenter's awesome BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA and David Tress as "The Whip" in the badass STONE COLD, but I couldn't stop thinking about James Hong and David Tress...together.  My handsome brain was clinking and clacking like an old riding lawnmower going down a gravel road.  Then it hits me!  They were both onscreen together on Seinfeld!  They were in "The Chinese Restaurant" episode together!

Part 2 (prequel) - Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
Part 3 - Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988)

FIREWALKER (1986)

Tired as fuck Indiana Jones/buddy cop/ROMANCING THE STONE wannabe starring the zero-laughs-per-minute comedy stylings of Lou Gossett Jr. and Chuck Norris.  I enjoy Chuck Norris and Lou Gossett Jr. individually...kinda, but they make a lame duo here.  Zero onscreen chemistry.

After a snoozer of an opening scene where an evil general ties them up in the desert (...and then drives away, naturally), Lou and Chuck are approached by a mysterious woman in a bar.  She shows them a treasure map, then a dude with a crossbow attacks them and runs away.  Eventually, they travel south of the border in search for the lost gold.  Bad jokes and boring adventures ensue. 

FIREWALKER isn't a terrible movie, just really blah.  Like an extended length episode of some long forgotten 1980's adventure TV series.  Cheap sets (the caves especially looked like shit), bad jokes, slow pace, zero adventure, zero tension, zero sex, zero character development, zero explanation of the title.

Outside of the drawing power of the two leads, I have no idea why the filmmakers thought that FIREWALKER would make any money...which probably explains why it disappeared from the theaters after just a few weeks. Skip it.

Lou moving his left leg before Chuck has untied it.

SILENT RAGE (1982)

Made at the height of the slasher movie craze, SILENT RAGE is one of the scariest non-horror movies of the 1980's.  I remember watching it as an innocent, unsuspecting kid and it scaring the crap out of me!  The film starts out with a sweaty dude laying in his bed looking as crazy as a shit.  Next thing you know he's chopping up people with an axe!  Finally, small town cop Chuck Norris kicks his ass, but then some mad scientists at the hospital try out an untested rejuvenation serum on him which makes him even crazier!  Even worse: now if you shoot or stab him he just heals right up like it was nothing!

At the time, SILENT RAGE was almost too much for my innocent little brain to take.  Watching it now though, it's not nearly as scary as I remember it, but it's still a mildly interesting film.  Chuck Norris is likeable enough, but other than one or two scenes he never gets to kick any ass.  Which is disappointing cause the number one reason you're gonna watch a Chuck Norris movie is to watch him kick ass.

Average pace, topless Chuck Norris, a couple of women topless, annoying sidekick that's suppose to be funny but isn't, 80's clothing, rowdy bikers, lame music, interesting early 80's Dallas area settings (at one point Chuck even drives by a Skaggs Alpha Beta grocery store), vintage Pizza Inn pizza box.

Worth a watch for Chuck fans.

Skaggs Alpha Beta grocery store