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by **Eli Katz** » Sun May 06, 2012 12:52 pm

It has been 25 years since I last watched a Norris film. My guess: I had the good sense to stop watching his stuff when Missing in Action 2 came out. (I lacked the good sense to skip the first Missing in Action, which, if I remember correctly, is so terrible that it makes Commando seem brilliant.)

So I had a chance to watch Silent Rage last night, a kung fu horror film of sorts in which Norris has to battle an axe-murdering psychopath who is given medically enhanced healing powers. This movie has so many lame elements in it. The bar fight with a bunch of zany bikers. The fat, goofy sidekick. The ex-girlfriend who doesn't trust Norris, but who can't say no to his sexual lovin'. But all of these lame elements are secondary flaws compared to Norris' stilted acting and his rather poor fighting skills. The belligerent bikers race up to him in mad rage, for example, only to halt a step or two away and allow Norris to do some rather unspectacular kick.

All that being said, I enjoyed the movie. Ron Silver has a supporting roll as a doctor and he does a great acting job. The axe-murdering psycho is played by a very ugly man, who looks incredibly creepy and mindless. And there are some good suspenseful sequences where the killer hunts down people.

Silent Rage is, in short, a better film than I expected. I kind of enjoyed it, actually. Now I have an interest to revisit a few of Norris' older films that I haven't seen in literally decades. I remember thinking Good Guys Wear Black and Lone Wolf McQuade being his best.

Any thoughts? What are our favorite Norris films?

by **nietoperz** » Sun May 06, 2012 1:05 pm

There is no such thing.

by **Eli Katz** » Sun May 06, 2012 2:50 pm

That's obviously true. But some are less bad than others ...

by **Eli Katz** » Sun May 06, 2012 3:17 pm

Just discovered that Brian Libby, the killer in Silent Rage, reunited with Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger.

That's awesome. He also played in The Octagon, another Norris classic.

by **Zechs** » Sun May 06, 2012 5:12 pm

Way of the Dragon
Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection

by **ReturnoftheMack** » Sun May 06, 2012 5:28 pm

The only one I liked was Firewalker.

by **HNutz** » Sun May 06, 2012 5:36 pm

Sidekicks

by **Eli Katz** » Sun May 06, 2012 5:58 pm

Zechs wrote:Way of the Dragon
Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection

I know he's in it, but it's really a Bruce Lee movie. Also, Chuck dies in that film.

by **Miracloman** » Sun May 06, 2012 6:26 pm

HNutz wrote:Sidekicks

Drop kicking Joe Piscopo=priceless,but my fav is probably Missing in Action 2:THe Beginning.The ass kicking up he gave that evil POW commander was all sort of awesome.