Forced Vengeance
"I love to watch a good fight...and you're pretty good." - Chen
release year: 1982
genre: martial arts action
viewing setting: home DVD 8/7/22 and 10/7/18 and 7/4/17 and 7/24/15 and 5/19/13 and 5/5/09 and 9/6/05 and home VHS, 7/1/04
synopsis: An American cowboy bouncer in a Hong Kong casino alternately kicks ass or finds out that all his loved ones have been murdered by the bad guys.
impressions: What I mean by the "synopsis" section above is that, had Chuck Norris and friends taken swift, decisive action when they had the chance, a lot of lives would have been spared. Instead, the bad guys take their beating, flee, then come back when Chuck isn't around and kill his boss, his war buddy, and his girlfriend. Yep, Chuck pretty much loses everyone in the course of this movie, which is why he is then compelled to beat the crap out of so many bad guys. And beat them he does: after casually winning a lot of money from some evil henchmen, he then slaps one who slaps some woman, and then punches the guy before he can even think about taking a swing at Chuck. Later, he intimidates some musclebound goon using pressure points. Another time, he slides in and stops a pistol's hammer from dropping, before beating the guy holding it. Eventually (when he gets mad enough) Chuck goes into full lethal mode, at which point every punch or kick draws blood and breaks bones, and necks are snapped with wild abandon. It is good.
asses kicked by Chuck Norris: 22
body count: 14
something this movie has that no other movie has: a shadowy karate fight backlit by neon signs
acting: Chuck Norris is a rarity: a guy who can fight AND act; he has great screen presence and a cool confidence before/during/after the ass-kickings he dishes out. Michael Cavanaugh (who was one of the gangsters in Any Which Way You Can) is the main bad guy here. Mary Louise Weller (from Animal House) is Chuck's girlfriend. Martial artist/actor/stuntman Richard Norton has an early role as the aforementioned musclebound goon.
final word: Revenge-heavy martial arts action movie.
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