In his Action star heyday, I wonder if it was tough for filmmakers to come up with viable villains for Chuck Norris. So often an Action hero can appear invincible, which can significantly take away from the drama in a film. For example, I hate that Bruce Lee never fought Bolo Yeung at the end of Enter the Dragon. For nearly the entire picture, the film makers set up this battle, as Bolo seemed to be the ultimate weapon for Mr. Han (Kien Shih), only to have Bolo be defeated by the scrappy, yet obviously less gifted Roper (John Saxon).
The setup for the final battle in Return of the Dragon is much better. With Bruce having his way with Mafia goons; the mob strikes back by hiring a martial artist from America. That man ends up being a very young Chuck Norris. This fight is the best for either star in their respective screen careers, and one of the main reasons is that outcome of the fight is actually in doubt.
For many of Chuck Norris’ heavies, the end is never in doubt. While I enjoy watching The Delta Force, when its time really throw down the film’s main villain, Abdul (Robert Forster), really doesn’t have a chance against the vengeful Norris. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a villain that gets manhandled like Rostov (Richard Lynch) does in Invasion U.S.A.. Not even with a bazooka in hand does Rostov stand the slightest chance of surviving his encounter with Chuck.
Yet this unstoppable screen persona is a double-edged sword. Part of Norris’ appeal is his air of invincibility. We still root for him because the man’s own likeable personality comes out in his roles, even if the movie he’s in is ridiculous. In my opinion, stars like Seagal and Van Damne have never had the same type of “nice guy” persona that seemingly Norris always displays. There’s a great streak of humanity underneath his tough guys persona, which often shines through on screen, even when he’s kicking some guys teeth in. So to really be able to make Norris a likeable and worthwhile hero, some film makers have tried to tweak Chuck’s formula a bit. Much like Silent Rage instead of an unstoppable Norris, we get a human hero, who’s trying to work out his relationships with his loved ones. Of course eventually he’s got to do some roundhouse kicks to the face, and at the receiving end of these face-kicks there has to be an unstoppable villain, usually a serial killer.
The serial killer has been a cinema benchmark since Fritz Lang made Peter Lorre the tortured and haunted child killer in his 1932 masterpiece M. Since then scores of serial killers have inspired terror in moviegoers from the flamboyant Dr. Hannibal Lector to the villains of Psycho and Se7en. In the 1980’s, these maniacs flourished like never before, with studios churning out cheap Horror movies with tons of nudity and violence to make a quick buck, with a masked serial killer at the film’s center. It is this type of killer after which film makers modeled John Kirby (Brian Libby) in Silent Rage. It would seem a similar model was used years later for Simon Moon, AKA “The Terror” in The Hero and the Terror.
Hero and the Terror Starring Chuck Norris, Brynn Thayer, and Jack O’Halloran. Directed by William Tannen.
Chuck Norris IS Danny O’Brien, an L.A. Cop who’s…well…a little sensitive. O’Brien’s a good cop and known as “The Hero” throughout the City of Angels for taking out Simon Moon (Jack O’Halloran), a notorious serial killer, nicknamed “The Terror” by the media. Thing is, though O’Brien took down Moon single-handedly, he was really only able to apprehend the killer by accident. An early dream sequence shows the fateful encounter (Norris is sans his legendary beard to show that he’s younger) in which O’Brien wakes up sweating.
Norris is really trying to branch out in this role, showing emotions like guilt and fear for the first time on screen. You can see that O’Brien has tried to earn the nickname “Hero” since his arrest of Moon. He punishes his body in the gym, and works harder than any cop on the force to make the streets safer. In an early sequence, a sting operation ends up with Norris’ O’Brien taking down two crooks (including Enter the Dragon’s Robert Wahl), and even shows off some humor in doing so. O’Brien’s also got a great relationship with his former therapist (Yes, Chuck Norris has a therapist in this film), who is actually having his baby.
Like never before, Norris is shown in domestic situations, going on dates and helping his girlfriend/therapist Kay (Brynn Thayer) move in with him. Thing is, Norris is such a nice guy in real life that this role nearly works for the actor, but not quite. The man is of course much more adept at handling the film’s action sequences. I especially like a purse snatching that O’Brien handles by simply clotheslining the assailant, giving us a small humorous moment in amidst the grim tone that much of the film takes.
Just as it seems O’Brien’s life was being put back together, the Terror escapes prison and is loose in L.A. Snapping the necks of his victims, the Terror is a thankless role for Jack O’Halloran, who is physically imposing enough to make Simon Moon a sizable villain for Norris. I’ve actually never seen Norris manhandled in the way he is in this film, as Moon seems like a Jason Voorhees-like heavy.
Director William Tannen does a decent, yet heavy handed job. None of the domestic sequences feature much subtlety to them, and none of the murder sequences, other than one in which the “Chuck Norris’ buddy must die” rule is enforced, are particularly scary. Still, the film’s finale is pretty effective as the more human Norris has to face down his worst nightmare alone.
The Hero and the Terror is nearly a success, due to it being a noble effort to stretch Chuck’s screen persona a bit. Norris is admirable and highly likeable, even if he’s a bit out of his depth. Fortunately, to find a more satisfying Norris vs. Serial Killer vehicle, one does not have to look far.
A Force of One Starring Chuck Norris, Jennifer O’Neill, Bill Wallace, and Eric Laneuville. Directed by Paul Aaron
In 1979’s A Force of One the San Diego Police Department is having a hard time keeping their undercover narcotics officers alive. As they close in on a local drug ring, bodies of their officers keep turning up with broken necks and shattered larynxes. The murderer, dubbed “The Karate Killer” is eliminating these men without remorse and with ninja like precision. Who do the police turn to? The FBI? Special Forces? No, they turn to Karate World Champion Matt Logan.
Chuck Norris IS Matt Logan, a Karate World Champion and the proprietor of a local Martial Arts academy. The man looks unstoppable in the ring, as he roundhouse kicks his way through the ranks, taking on all challengers. This is nearly the quintessential “hairy” Chuck Norris, although he is missing his signature beard, his body is so furry it looks as if he’s a bear wearing a Chuck Norris mask.
Just as he was in The Hero and the Terror, Chuck’s pretty down to Earth in this film. Many scenes involve him teaching children Martial Arts and show him as a good natured soul. He almost turns down the opportunity help the PD, until he’s shown the drugs that could have hit the streets and maybe even gotten to his stepson Charlie (Eric Laneuville). However, when someone close to Matt gets killed, the vengeance fueled Norris goes hunting.
Admittedly, A Force of One is pretty low budget, but hides it pretty well throughout, unlike Norris’ previous feature Good Guys Wear Black, which was saddled with cheap looking sets due to financial restraints. Also, Director Paul Aaron as well as Writers Pat E. Johnson and Ernest Tidyman keep the entire production low key, making it more of a Murder Mystery Thriller than an Action film. The murder scenes are especially competent, and help sell you on the experience with the brutality used. Then again, the main focus here is, of course, Norris himself.
The fights, choreographed by Norris and his younger brother Aaron, are all pretty well done, especially for the time period. Most take place in the ring and look pretty realistic, helped by the gritty camerawork throughout. Bill “Superfoot” Wallace and others make great opponents for Norris as each get to show off their stuff accordingly.
The entire film is pretty formulaic, but still enjoyable due to the charisma of its star and a story that is put together well enough. You already know what you’re getting when Chuck Norris is on the DVD cover, and to that degree, the movie doesn’t disappoint. Really, with both of these films, Norris’ easygoing side comes out in spades, with the “killer” Norris showing up only after he’s pushed to the limit. Serial killer or no, Chuck giveth, Chuck taketh away.
Picture Credits: Amazon.com, MGM.com, DVDmaniacs.com
