As I mentioned in yesterday's review, the threshold of entry into the action genre is relatively low. Or at least it was in the seventies and eighties. Once you locate some dudes that can actually fight, humans being the most durable special effect of all, you've got all the spectacle you need. That's presumably why Chuck Norris' earliest brawlers were independent productions, made outside the big studio system. Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer wasn't going to drop some real dollars on this wooden karate guy nobody has heard of, ya know? By 1982, people actually
had heard of this wooden karate guy though. That's the year that Chuck made his major studio debut in both “Silent Rage” and “
Forced Vengeance,” the former for Columbia and the latter for M-G-M. “Forced Vengeance” actually had the highest budget of the star's career up to that point, at five million dollars. Were karate nerds in 1982 decrying Chuck for selling out or were they happy their boy had finally made it to the big days? While you dig up
Usenet posts from forty-four years ago, I'll write my review of “Forced Vengeance.”
Josh Randall was a U.S. Navy chief who was kind of drifting through life. After getting into a brawl in a Hong Kong casino called the Lucky Dragon, Josh catches the attention of the business' owner, Sam. He takes the guy under his wing, employing him as the casino enforcer and treating him like a surrogate son. Randall sorts his life out, finding a girlfriend in a pretty blonde named Bonnie, and considers his next move in life. That is when Sam is murdered under mysterious circumstances. Randall immediately knows who is responsible: Hong Kong gangster Stan Ramandi, himself an heir to a local criminal empire. After the rights to the land goes to Sam's daughter, Joy, Randall has to use his martial arts skill to protect the girl and her property from the killers sent after her.
Those critical of action movies, or any genre that relies on repeatable formulas for that matter, complain that these movies are interchangeable with each other. That you can put on any Chuck Norris movie and get basically the same thing. While I don't think this is an
entirely fair criticism, “Forced Vengeance” does do little to distinguish itself from Norris' prior films and many other fight films from similar performers. Revenge plots are extremely common across Norris' flicks and, as the title indicates, that's what “Forced Vengeance” does too. The premise, of a casino owner being killed by gangsters after his land who then attacks the dead man's family, is extremely generic. To the point that it resembles the story of “The Way of the Dragon” to a degree. “Forced Vengeance” doesn't go out of its way to dispel perceptions, is my point. M-G-M wanted to make a Chuck Norris movie but they clearly didn't want to mix up the formula any.
The script from Franklin Thompson – most of
his credits are as a consultant on Perry Mason episodes – seemingly tries to mix things up by piling on a number of supporting characters. Norris' hero gets both a girlfriend and a surrogate sister figure to protect. He has a former war buddy who becomes involved for a little bit. A Hong Kong detective accompanies Norris in a few scenes. Frustratingly, many of these characters come and go from the story, getting shuffled out of the plot in sloppy and quick ways. The film also includes multiple villains for Chuck to kick through. The final boss of which is not introduced until ten minutes before the end credits roll. Having the big bad of the story be an infirm old man in a wheel chair is intriguing but not much is done with it. Much of “Forced Vengeance” is like that, as if a bunch of ideas were thrown together quickly without much time to assemble them into a satisfying whole.
Chuck Norris might be one of the origin points for the widely held belief that
action heroes can't act, that they are strictly physical specimens without any of the intellectual artistry that goes into the craft of creating a character. Now, I do think Chuck actually has a degree of charm and physicality. He's got a winning smile and an easy-going, relaxed screen presence that makes him fun to watch. When it comes to delving into deeper emotions, anger seems to be the one he's most effective at portraying. There's a moment in the last third of “Forced Vengeance,” where Norris' character has lost almost everything. He slips on his old military uniform, marches down a hallway, and beats goon to a pulp inside a public bathroom. It's one of the better moments in the film. However, Norris' weakness as a movie star become apparent in how he does not maintain that sense of ferocity and rage throughout. Randall's characterization seems to change from scene to scene, how pissed-off or relaxed he is different at any point. The first scene sees him intimidating a guy who owes the casino some money, causing you to believe that maybe this character is a bit of a jerk. When hanging out with his girlfriend, he's cuddly and sweet. When on the warpath, he's a cold-eyed avenger. The film cannot tie these elements into a coherent whole. He also has an extremely half-hearted voice over narration.
Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way. The action is what we are here to see, after all. Director James Fargo, previously of “The Enforcer” and “Every Which Way But Loose,” has a decent grasp on that. For a good chunk in the middle, “Forced Vengeance” becomes a chase movie, as Randall leads Claire and Joy around Hong Kong and tries to protect them from a succession of attackers. This is probably the most fleet-footed, exciting series of moments in the film. When Chuck is caught off-guard at a train station, the film briefly becomes exciting. Cinematographer
Rexford L. Metz – second unit guy on “Jaws” and many other high-profile works whose primary D.P. credits are mostly TV movies – cooks up a few eye-catching visuals. One fight takes place in silhouette against a large neon sign, a moment so striking it was reused for the opening credits.
The fight choreographer features the smooth, powerful blows from Norris that we've come to expect. Credit where it is due, the film manages to convincingly sell the idea that Michael Cavanaugh is an actual threat to Chuck Norris, by emphasizing him swinging a pole arm around. “Forced Vengeance” also tries to distinguish itself by making the action a little bloodier and bolder than in some other previous examples. The villains memorably splattery death scenes. The grittier approach is also present in what happens to Chuck's primary love interest, a darker element that doesn't seem to match up with a lot of the other tonal choices made here. In fact, both female leads get pawed at by villains, pointing towards this being a sleazier exploitation movie that is never built on.
The Hong Kong setting does add some color and novelty. That includes an amusing homage to Bruce Lee. However, “Forced Vengeance” ultimately feels a lot sloppier than Norris' last few films, which were only getting stronger up to this point. A story that is both generic and unorganized, with a bunch of ideas that never come into focus, keeps this form being a truly satisfying brawler. Maybe I should have expected a generic example of action schlock, what with that unimaginative title. I suppose the idea is that the villains' wicked actions force Chuck into enacting some revenge against them? Kind of awkward though, as he still willingly goes about his roaring rampage. Another example of how maybe this wasn't the most well thought out motion picture. Cool cowboy hat though. No doubt Chuck can rock a Stetson like nobody's business.
[5/10][THE CHUCK OF NORRIS: 5 outta 5]
[X] Facial Hair
[X] Jumps or Kicks Through a Window or Wall
[X] Performs Spin Kick or Spin Punch to Enemy's Face
[X] Shows Off His Hairy Chest
[X] Sports Some Cowboy Getup
No comments:
Post a Comment