By 1984, Chuck Norris had been a Martial Arts superstar, a six time undefeated Middleweight World Karate Champion, and was Black Belt Magazine’s “Fighter of the Year” in 1969. His film career started with Norris and Bruce Lee going at it in a “dream fight” that still holds up today as one of the best cinematic encounters ever. From there he would go on to play a truck driver out for revenge in Breaker! Breaker!, an ex-US Army commando out for revenge in Good Guys Wear Black, a ninja out for revenge in The Octagon, and in 1981 played an ex-cop out for revenge in An Eye for an Eye. After two films in 1982, Norris appeared in his best film Lone Wolf McQuade in 1983. The following year would bring Chuck his first franchise role to the screen. America, at the time, was still disillusioned by the Vietnam war.
The first major look into the war was The Deer Hunter in 1978, graphically depicting Michael Vronsky (Robert De Niro) and his odyssey from innocent soldier to a shell of man, tortured by the horrors of Viet Nam. 1982 saw Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam veteran John Rambo, who declares war on a local Sherriff’s department after they treat him harshly in First Blood. The following year had Gene Hackman starring in Uncommon Valor, where his Colonel Cal Rhodes goes back to Vietnam to save his son from a P.O.W. camp. On the heels of these films, Chuck Norris would star in his own picture where America would be allowed to win a personal war against Vietnam. He would even dedicate the film to his brother, Wieland, who died in the war in 1970.
Missing in Action Starring Chuck Norris, M. Emmet Walsh, Lenore Kasdorf, James Hong and Ernie Ortega.
Chuck Norris IS Colonel Jim Braddock, a Vietnam Veteran and former P.O.W. haunted by his experiences from the war. He’s convinced there are still M.I.A.’s in Viet Nam, and campaigns vehemently for the US government to take action to bring these men home. When a conference in Ho Chi Mihn City opens up talks with Viet Nam about the situation, Braddock reluctantly joins them.
Director Joseph Zito is able to produce a decent amount of tension in the film in these early scenes. No one could really accuse Norris of being a good actor, but he is able to get across Braddock’s personal anguish well enough. Similar to Stallone’s performance in First Blood, Norris goes mostly wordless here, letting his body language do the talking for him. These sequences are fleshed out by flashbacks depicting the sadistic Ernie Ortega as Colonel Vinh, Braddock’s captor.
Now it’s easy to label these sequences as racist, but also they were very typical of the time. The depiction of Vietnamese military is actually quite tame compared to that of The Deer Hunter or even John Woo’s similarly toned epic Bullet in the Head, both of which are regarded quite highly. While its seems silly to compare Norris’ comic book heroics with the Oscar winning Deer Hunter, it seems unfair to pick on one and not the other when its clear that the Best Picture winner is the one that set the precedent in the first place.
The film is actually quite sympathetic to the country’s civilians as Braddock is especially wary of taking innocent lives. One scene, in which poor farmers are made to testify that Braddock is a war criminal shows them as pitiful beings, not able to stand up to the evil soldiers. Norris is even pretty decent here, showing compassion to their plight, even though it means that they are being forced to discredit his name.
The most entertaining portion of the picture occurs when Norris goes into a familiar mode of “search and destroy” around the former Saigon. Giving viewers a very similar experience to The Octagon, Norris sneaks around Ho Chi Mihn City clad in black and takes out Vietnamese soldiers ninja style. Finally reaching the compound of James Hong’s General Trau, Braddock learns the location of a P.O.W. camp still holding American soldiers. The fun of this section gets even bigger as the alarm is raised and Norris has to turn into a one man army.
This sequence also allows for the film to show that Braddock is already prepared enough for his rescue mission, so that the picture can avoid a lengthy section where the soldier prepares for his rescue attempt. Uncommon Valor made the mistake of following too closely in the footsteps of The Dirty Dozen, dragging the film down with a training sequence. Instead we get this exciting ninja section and some funny hi-jinks on the streets of Bangkok.
While in Bangkok, Braddock meets up with an old Army buddy, Tucker, played by M. Emmet Walsh. Tucker, a black market supply runner, gets Braddock ready for his final assault by giving him the resources he needs such as bullet proof rafts and M-60’s, etc. Walsh steals nearly every scene he’s in, making Tuck a funny coward with a penchant for Hawaiian shirts and prostitutes. It’s nice to add this type of levity to the picture when Norris is so serious for most of Missing in Action. The two have a decent chemistry together also, making the goings-on more enjoyable.
The final assault on the P.O.W. camp is typical of this type of film, but not as over the top as its successor, Rambo: First Blood Part 2 which would come out the very next year. The finale here would even provide Norris with one of his most iconic moments as he raises from underwater, M-60 in hand, and blows away three Vietnamese soldiers who were prematurely celebrating victory over Braddock.
As I’d stated before this is really a Fantasy picture in which Norris lets America get some payback for the only war we ever lost. Does it make much sense? Well, no not really. As we were watching this picture my girlfriend asked the question “Why would the Vietnamese even keep these P.O.W’s alive after they’d already won the war?” It’s really a fair question, but who really questions Chuck Norris pictures? Certainly not audiences, who sided with Norris enough to make Missing in Action worthy enough to be granted two sequels, neither of which is as good as this one. Yes, taken seriously Missing in Action is ridiculous, but taken as it is, pure B-Movie entertainment, this is as enjoyable as most Action pictures of the decade.
Much better was Chuck’s second career triumph. In 1985 Chuck would star in a much more down to earth picture with terrific stunts and even decent acting. The film would also fit the man to a “T” as he would be able to tone down his Lone wolf McQuade persona and mold it into a little more realistic character. Oddly enough, this role was already turned down by Clint Eastwood before Norris would sign on. Clint’s loss was a gain for Norris and his fans.
Code of Silence Starring Chuck Norris and Henry Silva. Directed by Andrew Davis.
Chuck Norris IS Eddie Cusack, a good cop, having a bad day. Why’s he having a bad day? First, an intricately planned sting operation goes horribly awry when Chicago’s Italian mafia plans a hit on the drug bust. Several Hispanic mafia foot soldiers go down, so a blood war between the two families begins to rage in the streets, with the Chicago P.D. caught in the middle. Making his day worse is Cragie (Ralph Foody), a worthless cop who shoots an innocent kid during the melee and then plants a gun on the kid. Cusack knows Cragie is washed up and dangerous, but his hands are tied because he has no hard evidence.
The Code of Silence referred to in the title, is the one used by both cops and the mafia to protect their own. To get to the truth, Cusack has to break both of them. Unfortunately, this makes him a man alone. Looked at as a turncoat by his fellow cops, Cusack has to deal with petty men, not wanting to back him up when he needs help. He gets no quarter from either side of the gang war, as Luis Comacho (Henry Silva) the head of the Hispanic mob declares all out war on Italians and cops.
This film is by far Norris’ grittiest thriller. It’s directed by Andrew Davis, the man responsible for The Fugitive and Collateral Damage and he does well, giving his audience plenty of action, but never going overboard until the very end. At that point Cusack employs a remote controlled robot tank, which takes away from the film a bit quality wise, but not in the fun department.
Norris is very believable in this role. His body language says enough about him that you don’t want to mess with him. When he does have martial arts sequences, they’re pretty simple, yet still very satisfying. Honestly, the karate overload of An Eye for an Eye probably wouldn’t work here, but combined with a very Dirty Harry style persona, Chuck is able to give himself a commanding presence and still get a few kicks in along the way. Most fun to watch is a fight scene on top of a moving subway car. Another has Norris pitted against seemingly dozens of gangsters in a sleazy Chicago dive.
Giving the film credibility is a cast that lends itself very well to this type of Action film. Stealing nearly every scene he appears in, Dennis Farina is hysterical as Dorato, Cusack’s wisecracking partner. Farina was born for this type of role. Not only does he now have his regular gig on Law and Order, the man has played the hardnosed cop in countless other films. The role of Dorato, of course, fits the man like a glove. He also represents the only other clean cop working for the Chicago P.D. in this film.
For villains, Henry Silva could also play Luis Camacho in his sleep. Basically playing an ethnic Jack Palance, Silva has had almost carbon copy roles in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Above the Law, and tons of others. Same rules apply for Ralph Foody’s Cragie. Interestingly enough, the man’s most recognizable role is probably from the Home Alone film. He plays the gangster that Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister is watching when he scares the pizza boy into leaving without getting paid.
Is Code of Silence Oscar worthy? No, but it is a worthy entry into a sub-genre that includes Dirty Harry and its sequels, the Die Hard Trilogy, and the Lethal Weapon series. Code of Silence is nearly as good as any of the Dirty Harry films and is by far better than any of the films made by Steven Seagal. As the man who grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage, Chuck wasn’t done there. He stopped the Russians in Invasion U.S.A., finished up his Missing in Action series and became a Texas Ranger again for eight seasons of Walker.
There’s really no accounting for Norris’ recent surge in cult popularity. It’s nice to see the man is taking it all in stride though, laughing all the way. With his earnest portrayals and general charisma, Norris was always likable in his roles, even if the films weren’t up to snuff. It’s great to see the man get a second turn at stardom,. After all, he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. He, who lives by Chuck Norris, dies by the roundhouse kick.
Picture Credits: 80sreborn.com, dvd.reviewer.co.uk, impawards.com
