Cast:
Chuck Norris (Major John T. Booker, The Black Tigers), Anne Archer (Margaret), James Franciscus (Senator Conrad Morgan), Lloyd Haynes (Murray Saunders), Dana Andrews (Edgar Harolds), Jim Backus (Albert, The Apartment Doorman), Lawrence P. Casey (Mike Potter, The Black Tigers), Anthony Mannino (Gordie Jones, The Black Tigers), and Soon-Tek Oh (Major Mhin Van Thieu, The Black Tigers) Directed by Ted Post (#518 - Hang 'Em High, #662 - Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and #1135 - Magnum Force)
Review:
Hell, there really is no way to start watching a Chuck Norris film. Born in Oklahoma, Norris served in the United States Air Force Security Forces that saw him serve in South Korea and California. It was here that he trained in Tang Soo Do that lead to a black belt in that form along with him developing his own form. He participated in martial arts competitions and eventually proved quite successful. The first feature film that Norris had a credited role was The Way of the Dragon (1972), a martial arts action comedy that was made by Bruce Lee (star and director) that featured a fight sequence between him and Lee. Steve McQueen, who was a student of Norris, encouraged him to take acting classes around this time. His next prominent role was Yellow Faced Tiger (1974), a Lo Wei-directed film. Norris got his chance to star in his very own film with Breaker! Breaker! (1977), as directed by Don Hulette that was shot in just under two weeks. It ended up being a fair hit on its low budget. It was his next film, however, that he considered his breakthrough, with Norris stating that he had the faith to be as big in the movies as he was in the karate industry. This isn't to forget the directing contribution of Ted Post, of course. Post had served in the U.S. Army in their Special Service division in Italy before his return to the States saw him become a dependable name to hire for television, as signified by the many credits for shows such as Peyton Place, Gunsmoke, and several others. His most noted films either involved Clint Eastwood (two films) or certain cult classics such as The Baby (1973) and Go Tell the Spartans (1978). The screenplay was done by Bruce Cohn and Mark Medoff while the story was done by Joseph Fraley.
I will say this much, it technically is entertaining as a film despite being an obvious case of overblown hooey. Maybe it is just because it is my first experience watching Norris on a big screen (in the early parts of the career), but I think I can sum up his acting in a couple of words: he talks like an instructional guidebook for using a power tool, which is almost sort of amusing when he is meant to be presented as the serious man of a conspiracy thriller that we know is going to eventually have to do some kicking. Even at 96 minutes, the runtime is perhaps a bit too drawn out to actually merit anything other than bemusement for its paranoia despite not having enough there to really make a grand film. Simply put, it does not have enough action to back up its ambition nor is it effective enough in its convictions to get out of the quicksand despite having a cynical bent. Maybe it is a bit silly to compare, but think back to something released later on such as Above the Law (1988), which featured an American karate name starring in a film playing an ex-CIA guy thrust back into the world of danger that has a villain all about using people for their own means without caring about the consequences (of course, the hero in one of them is a cop and the other is a college professor, so there's that). Sometimes you just need a bit more. I will say though, that the film at least has a few distinct names, whether that involves Haynes (most known for Room 222), Andrews (hey, he was a noir lead for the 1940s and a dependable character presence), or Archer (in an early moment), or with Franciscus (a regular television presence and a few films). Of these folks, it might be Andrews who steals the show when it comes to chewing the scenery in one-note effectiveness (read: exposition), although Haynes is dependable. Archer and Norris don't fare particularly great together, but it is more than can be said for Franciscus, who only gets to show the scuzzy side in the opening and closing. It isn't particularly thrilling to be interesting, and it isn't particularly active to be dependable entertainment beyond the scale of mediocrity. Norris and company obviously know how to stage a good stunt, but it takes a bit more to really make a useful winner, but one never knows with a different film in the future.
Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.
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