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As soon as the movie industry felt the dust of the Vietnam War had settled, a deluge of Vietnam-related movies started pouring in. There were films such as Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter and Platoon which handled the source material respectfully. But the mid-late 1980s was the era of bazookas, guns and superhero-style action heroes. Once First Blood was released, a string of films flooded the market that attempted to transplant the history of the Vietnam War into the '80s action format. Furthermore, the subject of American soldiers left behind in Vietnam functioned as a catalyst for several '80s action flicks (Rambo: First Blood Part II being the most prevalent). The Chuck Norris vehicle Missing in Action was one such movie. This isn't the most egregious entry in this particular sub-genre, but it's hardly a classy fare. This is just your typical Chuck Norris romp: there's action, nudity, one-liners, stunts and a few moments of pure fantasy. And best of all, it's fun!
For this film, the Chuckster plays an American officer named James Braddock who spent several years at a Vietnamese Prisoner of War camp and believes there are still American soldiers being held captive in Vietnam. The plot, such as it is, involves Braddock returning to Vietnam in an attempt to locate a POW camp. With assistance from an Army buddy (in the form of M. Emmet Walsh) and an assortment of weaponry, Braddock ventures deep into the jungle to free the American MIAs.
Cue perfunctory explosions, action sequences, and lots of 'all gooks are villains' propaganda. The other actors featured in this movie function as mere props for Chuck Norris to dispose of in whatever way he sees fit. The only character who's even mildly developed is Braddock since the supporting characters merely make an appearance to move the story along before curiously vanishing. The film's attitude towards Vietnamese soldiers and officials is borderline offensive since they're depicted as unequivocally shifty, villainous and deceitful... But on the other hand, this is the 1980s! This is the age of cartoonish stereotypes!
The Chuckster is grudgingly assisted here by a woman at the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam (who seems like she was intended to be a love interest, but no real romance ever occurs...), and an ex-colleague who hooks him up with a bunch of backstreet arms dealers. Inexplicably, these arms dealers possess a large cache of machine guns as well as a helicopter and a bulletproof raft in a tiny storage room. It's also peculiar that Braddock just happens to have the thousands of spare dollars necessary to purchase all this expensive equipment. But then again, a viewer isn't supposed to question the plot - Missing in Action is about the action and violence, not a sensible storyline or anything deep.
And my word, it delivers in the action department with commendable aplomb. Gear yourself up for an unrelenting onslaught of rousing shootouts, car chases and explosions, with Chuck Norris in the midst of it all in regular Chuck Norris mode. Director Joseph Zito (who later collaborated with the Chuckster for Invasion U.S.A. in 1985) manages the action adeptly, though these aren't the most spectacular set-pieces you’ll ever witness. Jay Chattaway's accompanying score is of the usual '80s standard; combining the tense with the cheesy (though patriotic music is in surprisingly short supply). All of this stuff combines to generate an engaging escapist romp guaranteed to leave a smile on the face of any action fan.
It's possible to watch a Chuck Norris vehicle like Missing in Action and come away with the misimpression that the bearded hero has not said a word. He occasionally talks, of course, but his eloquence is strictly physical. Norris (with his minimalist, taciturn acting style that often earns him substantial criticism) has never displayed any genuine acting ability, but he's skilful enough to carry a simple, bullet-riddled, crowd-pleasing action movie like this one.
Norris' celebrated martial arts skills don't feature very prominently in this escapade. Instead, he mostly relies on machine guns or grenades. The iconic moment of Missing in Action depicts Norris rising out of a river in slow motion (looking suitably ferocious in green fatigues and a matching headband, along with his M-60) and blowing holes in three soldiers who made the grave mistake of laughing at him.
The moral of this story is clear: if a government denies a widely-believed possibility, they run the risk of Hollywood green-lighting a string of B-Grade films about it. Those who genuinely hate Missing in Action, perceiving it as jingoistic or racist propaganda, are missing the point of the film completely - it was never intended to be anything provocative or liberal...it's just a good old-fashioned guy flick featuring Chuck Norris who's a formidable adversary for the Vietnamese enemy.
Interestingly, if one watches the credits you'll see a certain Jean-Claude Van Damme listed as a stuntman.
5.9/10
