The Revenge is a time honored tradition, and especially amongst the different sub-genres of Martial Arts films. Chuck Norris films are apparently no different, as Norris’ screen characters seemed a natural fit for getting retribution over a serious wrong. Time and again, the Tae Kwon Doe Grandmaster has been called to action after suffering the loss of a friend or family member at the hands of treacherous enemies. These are just a couple of examples of men that crossed Norris and never lived to tell the tale.
Forced Vengeance Starring Chuck Norris, Michael Cavanaugh, Bob Minor, and David Opatoshu. Directed by James Fargo.
Chuck Norris IS Josh Randall, a former Green Beret, who stopped in Hong Kong on his way home from Viet Nam, and liked it so much he decided to stay. One night, he starts a fight in a casino called The Lucky Dragon and the owner, Sam Paschal (David Opatoshu), is so impressed with his fighting skills (and who wouldn’t be?) that he hires Randall as the Lucky Dragon’s head of security. Years later, the Lucky Dragon is one of the safest places in Hong Kong, but when Paschal and his family are gunned down by a syndicate moving in on the territory, Randall goes killing.
This is a pretty decent role for Norris, with his fighting skills being utilized more than most of his films. The film is packed to the brim with fight scenes, as Randall has to go on the run to protect his girlfriend (Mary Louise Weller) and Sam’s last remaining heir, Joy Paschal (Camila Griggs). The action is actually pretty nonstop, as thugs come out of the woodwork to try and take down the trio. The best fight scene in the film takes place in front of a huge neon sign, with Norris and his opponent completely in silhouette. The scene at the end of the “House of Blue Leaves” segment of Kill Bill Vol. 1 is very reminiscent of this similar fight. This is actually one of my favorite Norris fight scenes ever, showing off his grace and form, as well as just being pretty kick ass. The scene is so impressive that a slow motion version of it was placed during the film’s opening credits, as well as splashing it all over the movie’s DVD cover.
Unfortunately, the movie has some pretty damning flaws. First thing you’ll notice is that Norris gets a voice over that runs throughout the picture. Now while voiceovers can work very well throughout Film Noirs, such as Double Indemnity and others, very often the technique is completely superfluous and often annoying. The worst offenders, such as David Lync’s Dune, often make the experience of watching a film intolerable. Comments repeat on events that just happened, and the movie ends up coddling you through events in a way that is completely unnecessary. Sadly, this movie is one of the worst offenders I’ve ever seen. To make matters worse, Norris really does his best work when he doesn’t say anything at all. Here, he has to carry not only his spoken lines, but also the film’s narration.
Worse yet, this movie makes a fatal mistake for a Revenge flick; it simply goes too far. Now it’s easy to understand a film maker wanting to raise the stakes to pump up the emotion of the film’s final moments. If a hero doesn’t have enough motivation, a film can simply come off as silly. Conversely though, if a movie pushes the envelope too far and hurts the hero too much, then no amount of revenge could possibly match the pain the hero has already faced. For instance, this is one of the worst elements of The Patriot. Killing one son is fine, but by the time the villain has stabbed another son and killed his new daughter-in-law as well as a church full of her family and friends by burning them alive, all enjoyment has left the movie. Forced Vengeance has very similar problem. By the end of the film, the body count on the hero’s side is just too high for his revenge to mean anything at all.
On the other hand, to watch a display of Norris’ martial arts talents, few films could stands as a better example. Norris kicks his way through the streets of Hong Kong taking on all comers, and finally facing off against a giant henchman in a decent spectacle. It’s also important to note that at this point, American studios had not made many films in Hong Kong, save for Enter the Dragon. Director James Fargo shoots the island city in a mysterious way, which makes the film at least pleasing to the eye. Too bad the movie’s failings bring it down too far to really recommend for anyone other than Chuck fans.
Delta Force 2 (AKA: Delta Force 2: The Columbian Connection, AKA: Delta Force 2: Operation Stranglehold Starring Chuck Norris and Billy Drago. Directed by Aaron Norris.
In 1986, Chuck Norris had one of his biggest hits ever with The Delta Force, in which he played the member of an elite commando unit, sent in to take care of a hostage situation in the Middle East. In 1990, Norris came back to the franchise a second time, but made a very different picture. Once again, Chuck Norris IS Scott McCoy, a Colonel in an elite commando unit, specially trained to take out terrorists and apparently, drug lords.
McCoy is called into action by his commanding officer, General Taylor (John P. Ryan), to bring in a Ramon Cota (Billy Drago), a ruthless Columbian cartel leader, who seems to be above the law. How evil is this guy? In the opening scene we see him gun down a group of DEA agents without mercy. Later, we see him accost a village girl he doesn’t think is working hard enough, shoot her husband and kill her baby. He then basically makes her a part of his harem.
So it’s up to McCoy and his friend, Major Bobby Chavez (Paul Perri), to capture this man and bring him to justice, which actually happens quite early in the film. Trapping the drug lord on a commercial flight, the two heroes push Cota out of the plane without a parachute. In an insanely over the top sequence Norris’ McCoy jumps out after the cartel leader to recapture him at 30,000 feet. Too bad Director Aaron Norris (Chuck’s brother) films too many close-ups, so when the stuntman comes into camera, its obviously not big brother Chuck. Otherwise, this sequence is nearly worthy of a similar one from the 007 film, Moonraker, even though it’s obviously constrained with a much lower budget.
So how does this count as a Revenge flick? Well after Cota is released on bail, the villain goes on quite the killing spree before fleeing town. The wife and child of McCoy’s partner are killed, execution style, and a grieving Bobby Chavez becomes the next victim while trying to get revenge. When Cota sends a tape of Chavez’s execution by gas chamber to McCoy, the movie completely switches gears.
In an amazing display of prowess, Norris’ McCoy beats down nearly every recruit in his regiment. With fists of steel and leg locks a plenty, it seems as if no villain will be able to stand up to this man once he’s set his sights on retribution. He then infiltrates Cota’s Columbian compound and starts running up the body count. The film ends with McCoy running roughshod, killing Cartel members, while the rest of his team does some major damage from the perch of a helicopter.
Now, while this is actually a better sequel than I had initially expected, Delta Force 2 has some major things that are missing from the first time out. Foremost is the absence of Lee Marvin, who didn’t exactly have a lot of great scenes in the original, but was still steadfast and brought legitimacy to the picture. His pseudo replacement, John P. Ryan’s Gen. Taylor is hardly a substitute for the veteran Marvin. Worse, while Ryan is likable, he plays his role pretty over the top, which makes him seem like a cartoon character, when perhaps the role would have been more suited with more subtlety.
Also, while I do enjoy making the film a bit more personal, I love the team aspect from the first film. The movie does have Delta Force in the title, but most of the film actually resembles Norris’ Missing in Action pictures more closely. It would have helped too if the movie featured the original’s supremely catchy theme, but unfortunately it’s nowhere to be heard. Other than these gripes, the film is actually able to stand up well due to its emphasis on action, revenge, and a great villain.
Norris was actually offered the role of McCoy for a third time, but turned down the offer due to a horrible accident that happened in the second film. Apparently a helicopter accident cost the lives of five crew members, and the film is dedicated to them. An honorable move by Chuck, who knew when to call it quits on a series.
Both of these films are prime examples of Chuck being wronged, and using his fists and his feet to make things right. Whether it’s taking out gangsters on the streets of Hong Kong or making kingpins wish they’d never been born, Norris’ fury must be satisfied. Too bad the film makers let him down a little in each case, making the films watchable additions to his filmography instead of good ones.
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