Review #528: 'Missing in Action' (1984)

There were two main prevailing themes in 1980's Hollywood action cinema. One was the still prominent cold war, and secondly was the repositioning of the Vietnam war, where the domination of American warfare was scarred by its defeat. Missing in Action takes the latter theme, with Chuck Norris's Col. James Braddock, only a year out of a POW camp. Taken to Vietnam to either apologise for his war crimes during the war, or to get an apology for being held prisoner (it's not ultimately clear - unless I had already lost interest within the first reel), Braddock leaves his guarded hotel to get information from General Trau (James Hong) about other soldiers missing-in-action. Their presence is inevitably denied as unfounded.

Action cinema certainly took liberties with the Vietnam defeat, giving the war an almost revisionist interpretation. By stating within the context of the film (the basic plot would be retraced a year later in Rambo: First Blood Part 2 (1985)), that Vietnam still hold many Vietnam vets imprisoned, Hollywood cinema is essentially stating that their defeat is justified as this race is barbaric and inhumane. Braddock eventually teams up with ex-soldier friend - and comic sidekick - Jack Tucker (M. Emmet Walsh) in Singapore. They somehow have thousands of dollars to spend on high-end military equipment, designed specifically for the needs of their eventual plan.

Without humour, and with no tongue in any way near the cheek, the one-man army of Norris saves a bunch of POW's, bringing the inhumanity of the Vietnam government into disrepute. Missing in Action is a generic piece of action cinema, with a low-rent action hero. This prisoner-of-war rescue was so ubiquitous to the "war" film elements, and a way in which to recover America's damaged collective consciousness. Gung-ho had to return. As with all the action stars of the decade, the hard body was an important component to their raison-d'etre, and Norris can be horrifically spotted aimlessly walking around bland rooms, his shirt either open or completely off, revealing his gorilla-like torso.

It dawned on me whilst watching this trash-action, that Chuck Norris was an action hero out-of-place. He appeared to me to be more of a 1970's television hero, such as Lee Majors or Gil Gerard. Then I remembered that he ending his career in the world of television, with the long running series, Walker: Texas Ranger (1993 - 2001). Fundamentally Chuck Norris has become a bigger cult than his "acting" output, but aside from the gratuitous chest-baring, I found his presence in this throw away action film quite endearing. Norris seems to take these cinematic films of explosions very seriously, a relic of the '70's next to the wisecracking, tongue-in-check machismo of the bigger (both in box-office and girth) '80's stars of the genre.


Directed by: Joseph Zito
Starring: Chuck Norris, M. Emmet Walsh, David Tress
Country: USA

Rating: **

Marc Ivamy