★ 7 / 10
Not an all too bad Rambo-esque copycat from
JPV852
Not an all too bad Rambo-esque copycat from the folks at Canon. Chuck Norris makes for a charismatic hero although the plot felt choppy. But the fight scenes…
Not an all too bad Rambo-esque copycat from the folks at Canon. Chuck Norris makes for a charismatic hero although the plot felt choppy. But the fight scenes were at least passable and in the end I had a fun time, which is all I can ask from 1980s action schlock. **3.25/5**
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★ 5 / 10
Ah, Colonel Braddock. I heard much about you
John Chard
Ah, Colonel Braddock. I heard much about you. Welcome to the People's Republic of Vietnam. Chuck Norris is Col. James Braddock, a survivor of a Vietnam…
Ah, Colonel Braddock. I heard much about you. Welcome to the People's Republic of Vietnam.
Chuck Norris is Col. James Braddock, a survivor of a Vietnam Prisoner of War camp who many years later decides to return to find proof - and liberate - American soldiers still being held against their will.
As the 1980s boom for martial artists becoming filmic action stars gathered apace, Chuck Norris carved his own spot upon the testosterone fuelled wave. Much like a lot of films of its ilk, Missing in Action is of course daft, violent, jingoistic but also crucially it's a whole bunch of fun. This naturally comes down to expectation levels for a production of this type, park the brain and enjoy the cheese and carnage. It's a bit disappointing to find that we don't get to see much of Norris' martial artistry, it' s more a case of gun play and standard fists and kicks taking the lead in this one. The story is hardly taxing and many scenes just serve to show some flesh and pecs, but with M. Emmet Walsh along for the ride as an ebullient side-kick, there's enough here for the undemanding action film fan to enjoy. 5/10
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★ 5 / 10
The Vietnam war is over ... when Chuck Norris says the Vietnam War is over!!
"Missing in Action", together with that other Cannon hit "Invasion USA", is THE film that made Chuck Norris the ultimate symbol of macho action. Even to this…
"Missing in Action", together with that other Cannon hit "Invasion USA", is THE film that made Chuck Norris the ultimate symbol of macho action. Even to this day, although he's 85 years old, the Internet is full of (often hilarious) Chuck Norris memes and jokes. That's what you get, I guess, if you turn an already charismatic Karate fighter into a one-man-army. Before his multi-million-dollar deal with Cannon, Norris was the star of kitschy but fun action flicks in which he merely just showcased his impressive martial arts skills. In the Cannon films he's still a mean fighting machine, but he also has knives, guns, missiles, and bazookas!Colonel James Braddock is an embittered man. He was the only soldier to escape from a POW-camp in Vietnam, but he feels guilty for not being able to save others. Now, several years after the war has ended, Braddock is avidly persuaded there are still American soldiers being kept prisoners, although the Vietnamese government firmly denies this. During a "political mission" to Saigon, Braddock misbehaves badly but at least he obtains the evidence that he's right. With just a tiny bit of help from a boatman and a helicopter supplier, Braddock illegally crosses the border from Thailand into Vietnam to single-handedly rescue the MIA POWs.This is a movie that divides audiences like no other! Fans claim "Missing in Action" is the ultimately patriotic action/war classic, while the haters consider it to be xenophobic and trashy propaganda. The fans must be a lot more numerous, because "Mission in Action" became a huge 1984 box-office hit and spawned many exploitation rip-offs and two direct sequels (although the first one was shot back-to-back and initially even planned to get released first). As a "neutral" fan of exhilarating action flicks, I'm inclined to say it is fast-paced and entertaining, but very forgettable. Chuck Norris takes his shirt off more times than necessary, and the Vietnamese bullets somehow always seem to miss their target, but that is typical, I reckon. The end-shot is fantastic, though, as you can really spot the "I told you so" grin on Braddock's face.
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720p please!