"Colonel James Braddock is an American officer who spent seven years in a North Vietnamese POW camp, then escaped 10 years ago. After the bloodiest war, Braddock accompanies a government investigation team that goes to Ho Chi Minh City to check out reports of Americans still held prisoner. Braddock gets the evidence then travels to Thailand, where he meets Tuck, an old Army buddy turned black market kingpin. Together, they launch a mission deep into the jungle to free the American POWs from General Trau." (IMDb)
Missing in Action was directed by Joseph Zito (The Prowler, Friday 4, Invasion USA) and stars Chuck Norris, M. Emmett Walsh, Lenore Kasdorf, David Tress and James Hong.
I like this film. Sure, itīs dumb, slow and dated. But itīs a Cannon film and i was raised with this stuff. Chuck is Chuck, he donīt speak too much but damn you love to see him with a big machine gun Walsh is excellent once again and it was nice to see James Hong (Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China)
Norris planning his next move with Lenore Kasdorf
I think that the best part of the movie is the visit to Bangkok, Braddock finding Tucker and fighting Trauīs men in the alleys and the dock.
Actually this was filmed right after Missing in Action 2: The Beginning because this film was supposed to be the sequel. However when the producers thought this film was the better of the two, they simply renamed them and made the other film a prequel to this. No one can understand the minds of the producers and executives
Anyway, this was a pretty succesful film especially on video. I remember that it went straight to number two in the Finnish VHS rental top 50 back in 1985. Axel Foley was too tough for Braddock though
Cannon seemed to have a contract with Mercedes Benz already in ī84 because all the army men in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) drive them.
Check it out if you like old school actioners, not a Norris classic but good enough.
Norris fact: "Ghosts are actually caused by Chuck Norris killing people faster than death can process them"
Next: Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
Love the missing in action flicks atomik,watched Braddock m.I.a 3 not long back but not caught the first 2 for a couple of year,i'm going to grab them of my shelf at some point.
I like the first one,Braddock's watching spiderman cartoon on TV and next thing he's swinging around all those white buildings (ok it might well be at night) dressed in black clothing and no one can see him.
Only chuck Norris could get away with that
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Yeah, the Spider-Man connection was hilarious
Zito must have been a spidey fan because in the mid 80s he tried to make a Spider Man movie for Cannon Films.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
"Prequel to the first Missing In Action which shows the capture of Colonel Braddock during the Vietnam war in the 1970s, and his captivity with other American POWs in a brutal prison camp, and his plans to escape." (IMDb)
This was a good prison camp actioner directed by Lance Hool ( Steel Dawn) and starring Chuck Norris, Soon-Tek Oh, Steven Williams (21 Jump Street), Cosie Costa and Joe Michael Terry.
During the first hour, we can see the basic prison camp life, torturing, escape planning etc. The last 30 minutes includes the escape and blowing the camp into pieces.
The cast did a decent job and Soon-Tek Oh was brutal SOB as Colonen Yin.
Braddock vs. Yin: the final battle
Norris uses a flamethrower and kills two villains with it, i donīt think that iīve seen that before. In the early to mid-80s they had lots of flamethrower scenes in action films. Not so much anymore.
This film was banned in Finland back in the 80s and it was never released on VHS here. Thank god those days are gone.
Itīs a solid movie but now i can understand why the producers released the sequel first. Prison camp movie is a totally different genre, Missing in Action was a more traditional action film and it was easier to introduce Braddock to audience in that one.
Next: Braddock: Missing in Action III
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
I thought I can remember reading this was banned in certain countries,it's definetly more violent this one what with yin burning one of the prisoner's alive,Braddock being tortured with the rat in the bag etc,the guy who get's led to the tree and they put the gun to his head and the prisoner shouts out "don't worry there only bluffing",only to find out they were'nt,the humiliation of the prisoner who's made to strip,even poor mazilli's chicken cops it.
Yeh I can definitely see why they released the other one first,what with Braddock going back to nam and rescuing all those p.o.w's the plot was even more of a crowd pleaser.
I really like the last 20 -30 minutes of this one,I think it's great,there escape,Braddock's return to camp,the scene you mentioned with Braddock climbing the underneath of that rope bridge and then getting his hands on the flamethrower and giving those nasty guards a taste of there own medicine,very cool .
no before you ask it's not the yeti,it's chuck norris as colonel james braddock in missing in action 2 - the begining.
I love the end fight between yin and Braddock,there's none of these silly superhuman moves you have in today's movies just a very realistic hand to hand combat scene.
Overall I really like this and thought it was a great prequel sequel.
[ 04. March 2013, 08:36: Message edited by: the young warrior ]
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
this thread is - Posted by gordongecko (Member # 4685) on :
My brother used to love these movies. I really haven't watched them except for parts I saw while he was watching. We've talked about having a marathon night recently!
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988)
Braddock in Vietnam, part three! This time itīs personal because he hears that his Asian wife didnīt die during the falling of Saigon back in ī75 but is still alive and that he also has a kid! Time to free the family from the evil General Quock!
Joseph Zito was the original director on Braddock: Missing in Action III but he and Chuck Norris had creative and personal differences and Aaron Norris, who was the second unit director, took over as director.
I like his style, this was his first film and the others iīve seen are Platoon Leader and Delta Force 2. He knows how to shoot excellent action sequences, explosion scenes and helicopter action but just like in Delta Force 2, some people died in a helicopter crash during the making of the film.
Norris and co escaping with a truck
The movie stars Chuck Norris, Aki Aleong, Roland Harrah III, Miki Kim, Yehuda Efroni and Ron Barker. It was also nice to see the great Keith David in a small role.
I like the falling of Saigon part and the nice song during the sequence and it was cool that Braddock visits Bankok again. You can even hear the same beat from the first film during the Bankok street scene!
Big guns, car chases, cool helicopters, wicked speed boat, a plane crash and huge explosions! All in all this was a nice way to end the trilogy.
got the whole triolgy in one dvd
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
I think you might have seen this poster before atomik,in certain countries missing in action 2 was known as battle rage,the poster(above)looks fine using the original artwork with just the name change,now check out this mish mash of a poster (below) from the far east
[ 04. March 2013, 08:35: Message edited by: the young warrior ]
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Haha, those Asian posters are something else Posted by Dutch Gannon (Member # 10167) on :
I've seen the first Missing in Action, but haven't seen two or three. Liked it, but have to say that Delta Force is a better in my opinion. Of those Norris films I have seen this is how I would rate them.
The Delta Force Code of Silence
Top of my list
Silent Rage Missing in Action Lone Wolf McQuade Invasion U.S.A The Octagon Firewalker
This is how I would rate them, how would you guys?
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
This is how i feel right now:
Norris as a hero:
Forced Vengeance An Eye for an Eye Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection Invasion U.S.A Lone Wolf McQuade The Octagon Code of Silence Braddock: Missing in Action III Missing in Action Missing in Action 2: The Beginning A Force of One Good Guys Wear Black The Delta Force Breaker! Breaker! Firewalker
Norris as a villain!:
The Way of the Dragon Slaughter in San Francisco
I also own Silent Rage (donīt remember much), Hero and the Terror and Sidekicks (never seen them) and need to watch them soon.
Posted by The Good Package (Member # 9492) on :
i havent seen many norris films so i cant give a good ranking, i do like the delta force quite a bit.
were you guys fans of him right off the bat, or through watching a few of his movies did you gradualy become fans
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
I was a fan right away. The Octagon and Slaughter in San Francisco are among the first VHS films iīve ever seen.
Posted by Dutch Gannon (Member # 10167) on :
I liked the part on the Octagon with the baby carrage ambush on the Limo.
Posted by Dutch Gannon (Member # 10167) on :
Oh I started off with a reserved opinion my mother and father told me when i was younger that they thought Norris was corny and didn't like him, that's why I didnd't get to watch his movies for a long time, but when I finally did my first movie of his that I checked out was Firewalker, because I'm a fan of Lou Gossit Jr. and this poster
It turned out not to be too bad, but that great either. Then I watched The Octagon and I began to like Norris but still wasn't into his movies then came Invasion U.S.A, followed by Lone Wolf McQuade and by Delta Force I was a fan. I am now thinking of going back and watching Firewalker agian to see if I have a new found appreciation for it.
Posted by Johnny Roarke is reckless (Member # 9826) on :
I think last year's blu-ray releases of Missing In Action 1 and 2 were Walmart exclusives.
Come on, MGM.. What's up with that ?!! Posted by Dutch Gannon (Member # 10167) on :
I got a three blu ray pack of Missing in Action 1 and 2 as well as The Delta Force for only seven dollars, you can't beat that.
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
Dutch that's a bargain and a half,johnny I know they were originally wal mart exclusives but they've started to sell the delta force blu ray us import here in the u.k and also missing in action part 2 on blu ray, the original though is nowhere to be seen,you could say it's gone missing in action.
Not sure about there availability in the Netherlands johnny but I bet someone somewhere has got copies up for sale.
I was tempted by the 3pk blu ray of m.I.a 1&2 and delta force but the price they've got them for sale at the moment over here is over the 15 pound limit so I'd get stung by the dreaded import tax and there's no way I'm getting caught out by that again.
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
silent rage - 1982
First Norris movie I ever watched was good guys wear black followed by i believe silent rage. Not sure what is my favourite chuck flick but I own more or less all of them on dvd,one which I haven't got but I do like a lot is - the hitman,not seen that for a while.
The hitman - 1991
i'll have to see if I can get my hands on a decent dvd/vhs of that at some point as I thought that was a really good Norris movie.
[ 04. March 2013, 08:28: Message edited by: the young warrior ]
Posted by Johnny Roarke is reckless (Member # 9826) on :
I did buy the Code Of Silence blu-ray. And i believe they could also get Lone Wolf McQuade on blu-ray. I think i need to keep harassing them to try and order Missing In Action 1 and 2 and Delta Force for me.
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