Hellbound
release year: 1994
genre: action/drama/horror
viewing setting: home DVD, 3/6/06
synopsis: Satan's emissary is back after centuries of rest, and only Chuck Norris can stop him.
impressions: Well, I have to confess - Chuck didn't do it alone. He had the help of his semi-stereotypical cop partner and a female professor. There was also an annoying little street urchin/pickpocket, though I'm not sure what his true purpose was. This movie was bad - and that's saying something, considering that I watched it only hoping for some mindless action. I admire what they tried to do here - mix Chuck Norris' high-kicking ways with a plot involving Satan's attempt to create Hell on Earth. The problem is, there's just not a lot of action, but there are too many annoying characters. This movie had a lot of footage of Israel, but if you watch closely you'll notice that none of it actually includes Chuck Norris or the other American actors. I suspect that the outdoor scenes were filmed on location, while the indoor ones were done in America, with sets. Anyway, the evil plot is interesting, if simple; the acting and action are just lacking.
something this movie has that no other movie has: Growling, perhaps-not-human minions of Satan who wear robes hiding their appearance (and who can be beaten by Chuck Norris' karate.)
acting: This is Chuck's worst role ever - he doesn't say much, and for a change, his fists and feet don't handle the acting for him. Calvin Levels tries, but he's annoying as the constantly-complaining partner. Christopher Neame is good as the evil being. Sheree Wilson makes a good attempt as the female historian, but there's absolutely no reason to believe that she and Chuck have some kind of chemistry here. David Robb, who played a memorable villain named Kalas in four superior episodes of the Highlander series, is King Richard here (he puts an end to the bad guy around 1300 A.D. and entombs him.)
final word: The beginning of the end for Chuck Norris' action movie career.
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