Silent Rage

Plot synopsis:
In a small Texas town, John Kirby (Brian Libby), a mentally ill man, kills two members of the family with whom he was staying. Sheriff Daniel "Dan" Stevens (Chuck Norris) and his deputy Charlie (Stephen Furst) respond and eventually arrest Kirby, but Kirby breaks out of the handcuffs, overpowers the other officers and grabs one of their revolvers, forcing the officers to open fire and shoot Kirby.
Severely injured and near death, Kirby is transported to an institute where his psychiatrist, Thomas "Tom" Halman (Ron Silver), works along with two medical doctors who are also genetic engineers: Dr. Phillip Spires (Steven Keats) and Dr. Paul Vaughn (William Finley). To save Kirby, Spires proposes treating him with a formula created by himself and Vaughn to enhance cellular strength and regeneration. Halman objects to its use due to Kirby's psychosis, and Spires initially agrees, but later administers the formula anyway once Halman leaves. Revived and rendered nearly mute but virtually invulnerable, Kirby escapes from the institute and tracks Halman to his home. Meanwhile, Stevens invites Halman's daughter Allison, whom is he romancing, on a trip. Kirby breaks into Halman's home and the two fight. Despite shooting Kirby several times and pushing him down a flight of stairs, Halman is killed. Halman's wife Nancy finds her husband's body and is killed by Kirby as well. Allison arrives to pick up her gear for the trip and discovers her parents' corpses, but Kirby flees as Stevens and Charlie arrive with the police.
Stevens and Charlie take Allison to the institute, unaware that Kirby has also returned there to get Spires and Vaughn to treat his wounds. Realizing that the situation is out of control, Spires leaves to examine samples while Vaughn attempts to kill Kirby by injecting him with acid. Kirby survives and kills Vaughn after a brief struggle by stabbing him with the syringe. After finding Vaughn's body, Spires returns to his office, where he briefly speaks to Kirby before Kirby snaps his neck. With Stevens elsewhere, Charlie and Allison discover Kirby killing another of the workers; Charlie attempts to arrest him but is mortally wounded when Kirby breaks his back. Stevens returns just in time to discover Charlie dying and protects Allison from Kirby.
After a chase, Stevens' car crashes with Kirby hanging onto it, lighting him on fire. This injures him, but he jumps into a nearby lake and quickly recovers. With Allison watching, Stevens and Kirby engage in hand-to-hand combat. Both men score blows, but Stevens overwhelms Kirby by roundhouse kicking him several times before throwing him into a nearby well, seemingly killing him. With Kirby's carnage at an end, Stevens and Allison leave. However, deep in the well, Kirby suddenly bursts from the water, having survived.

Tags: comedy, suspenseful, murder, violence, good versus evil, revenge

Review:
And, like my one line summary says, this movie creates and maintains suspense better than a lot of the slasher movies that were being made back the the early '80s.This isn't a well known movie, but it's really one of Norris' best that he's been in.
They thought they could control him and this development would bring them success, but now this homicidal murderer is an unstoppable killing machine and Sheriff Stevens and his rookie Deputy are on the trail.Norris' fans might dig it, but others might find this cheap-jack b-film a boring chore.
The far-fetched concept isn't bad with slasher tones, a lady in peril get-up and a mad scientist theme, but it throws so much in that there seems to be too much useless filler (like the corny romance sequences, biker trouble (nice work in the bar Chuck, but we already know how good you are), scientific moral dilemmas and non-effective comic humour) interrupting what could've been more fun.
Silent Rage is a 1982 action/science fiction/horror movie starring Chuck Norris, Ron Silver and William Finley.
Dan Stevens (Norris) is the sheriff of a small Texas town who checks out a disturbance which turns to murder.The killer attempts to flee, but is shot and killed and is taken to a medical institute.
The resurrected man is seemingly indestructible and it's up to Sheriff Dan Stevens to try and stop himSilent Rage is quite a violent 80's action film with some good fighting scenes.
How many slasher movies feature Chuck Norris Kung Fuing his way through, fighting with some Wolverine healing lunatic..
Silent Rage effectively connected Chuck Norris's kung fu action talent in combination to the typical 1980's exploitation of evil, horrific serial killers.
At a little town from Texas a tough sheriff (Chuck Norris) and his helper(Stephen Furst) pit a dangerous killer series with a supernatural force.
The monstrous man is a Frankestion-alike creation from scientific (Steven Keats, William Finley, Ron Silver) and acting similarly to Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers.This Chuck Norris vehicle contains action-packed, thrills, chills and lots of blood and violence.
Silent Rage is really good and compact movie making that I like, thanks to it's story.
One set up scene of action in a bar, I liked, with Chuck kicking some redneck bikers's asses, another memorable Chuckie moment.
This Chuck Norris vehicle was a little different for its time, taking inspiration not only from the slasher films of the time but classic Dr. Frankenstein type stories.So one could say this is part suspense, part sci-fi, and part horror as Norris plays a low key sheriff of a small Texas town.
However, interfering doctors decide to test their experimental rejuvenating serum on the guy, and turn him into a virtually indestructible monster.Aside from one scene where Norris humiliates a gang of bikers, this doesn't play out like your usual Norris story, and as mentioned goes for scares more than it does action.
He's introduced in a striking opening sequence in which the sense of chaos and prowling camera greatly assist in the the mood and the sense of a mind deteriorating.An interesting supporting cast certainly helps, although Toni Kalem is an unfortunately nondescript leading lady and the supposed comedy relief intended by the casting of Stephen Furst as Norris' deputy doesn't really work too well.
Ron Silver is also stuck in a grating role as a one-note "voice of reason" type of guy, but excellent character players Steven Keats and William Finley are amusing to watch as the scientists doing things just as much for their own egos & gratification as any desire to help mankind."Silent Rage" is a good deal of fun and gets a lot out of its rural setting.
We witness his descent into madness and homicidal rage and then his transformation into one of the most terrifying "monsters" I've ever seen on film.Think of it as a typically bad Chuck Norris movie where the killer steals the show and makes the movie slightly better than bad.
After the two remaining doctors are killed, the killer goes after Dr. Halman's sister Alison, and it's up to Sheriff Dan Stevens to stop himthis is Chuck Norris best movie of all time.it's pretty scary i think..
It's a fun little horror from the 80's with the ridiculous but hilarious Chuck Norris so of course, you can expect cheesy lines and poorly placed kung fu moves from him.I was actually surprised by some of the suspense in this film.
The story is pretty silly but it seems like every Chuck Norris movie has the same premise in a way: some sort of bad guy is terrorizing people and Chuck Norris has to fight him.
This was Chuck Norris's best film and another great example how a great movie can be made without a multi mega budget,just enough uncopromising scenes.Very entertaining for action/martial arts fans and sci-fi/horror fans!Provides good comedy relief too and no wasted time.The movie flows very well scene after scene and the action choreography is very sharp and uncompromising!The villian/monster was portrayed very well although the other actors performances were merely adequate.The best sci-fi/horror/martial arts movie of all time!Many lambast this movie as a copy of Frankenstein.Well then,I can safely counter that in this line of thinking,the great "Terminator" movies was a copy of this movie as well for this movie came out first.This movie is being unfairly torn down becouse of it's liberal and uncompromising style.Although I do not recommend it if you do not like sci-fi/horror with martial arts/action combined..
Chuck Norris is at his butt kicking best, Stephen Furst makes for excellent comedy relief, and Brian Libby, as the indestructible killer, brings to life one of the most bizarre and effective screen maniacs ever, all while hardly speaking a word.
Sheriff Dan Stevens(Chuck Norris) and his partner Charlie(Stephen Furst, Animal House, then St. Elsewhere) investigate a disturbance now murder, in which two eager scientists tests the new drug on the dead killer.
While the premise has some camp value, Joseph Fraley's terrible script isn't as ambitious as it is juvenile--right down to the obnoxious, overweight deputy (Stephen Furst), the pointless sequence where Norris takes on a dozen biker badasses single-handedly, the tacked-on romantic subplot, and scenes that shamelessly borrow from the first two "Halloween" films.
Though "Silent Rage" builds some suspense in its last act, with the killer stalking various characters through the institution, director Michael Miller shoots the climactic showdown as a repetitive series of extreme close-ups and long shots of unexciting stunt work that goes on far too long (another absurdity is the scene's complete lack of musical score), with a "surprise" ending that is anything but.
(Until he made "Lone Wolf Mcquade" that is, that is probably up there with my favorite three Norris films.) Blooper alert: (I know that this is waaaaay before CGI, but did anyone ever notice that the actor Ron Silvers moves his eyes after he is supposedly dead and hanging on the back of the door, watch close when the actress opens the door, his eyes move right then back again, just a funny-find.
Norris is great, as always, in the fight scenes, while his acting in this 1982 movie has a long way to go before it can be called "good".
The sequences of horror are actually scary thanks to some great direction and a very vicious killer, whose presence is always chilling.Of course, this is a Chuck Norris film and there are some great martial arts fights.
Chuck Norris and science fiction.Two great things that DON'T go great together."Silent Rage" is basically story about a psycho (Libby) who is nearly killed by sheriff Norris then brought back to life by the local mad doctor (Silver) and made indestructible.
Everything leads to he and Norris going at it mano-a-mano.The same old thing done the same old way, save for the "Frankenstein" slant, and for Furst playing Gabby Hayes to Norris' John Wayne.In fact, the only "Rage" to be experienced here is the one you'll feel if you rent this and realize you could have watched something more entertaining.Like, say, your clothes spinning around at the laundromat.Two stars - one for Furst's comic relief and another for a scene where Norris clears out a bar full of bikers.
Silent Rage is undoubtedly one of Chuck Norris's best movies.the story is interesting.the villain is great,especially the performance by Brian Libby,who plays the nearly unstoppable force.for once,we get a bad guy who present a great challenge for Chuck Norris character the most refreshing thing about his movie is the fact that the villain is more than worthy of our hero.in many such films of this genre,the villain is easily and soundly beaten,while the hero sometimes escapes without a scratch.obviously not very realistic.this time,the villain is not just a punching bag.in fact the good guy is in peril at times.the fight scenes are good,especially the climax.the movie also brings up some interesting moral and ethical issues,which are way ahead of their time.even forgetting all of that,this is one of Chuck's better movies.very entertaining.8/10.
Now that I'm a little older and a bit more wiser I can see that the film does have it's flaws and is a 'leave your brain at the door kind of picture', but the movie does make a great film to rent and anyone who likes Chuck Norris should be entertained by this..
I get this from watching martial arts movies, there is almost always a random scene that doesn't progress the plot it's just there for pure entertainment purposes.Now Chuck Norris isn't known for making anything that would be considered an Oscar Performance, and that these movies are pure eye candy.
"Silent Rage" opens very atmospherically, with a mentally unstable individual axe-murdering two people before getting shot to pieces by Sheriff Chuck Norris' deputies.
Chuck is awesome, Steven Keats and William Finley are impressive as the two evil doctors and Brian Libby is perfect as the silent but ultra-violent killer.
And blood.In Chuck Norris slasher/action flick Silent Rage, axe-murderer John Kirby (Brian Libby) is gunned down by the cops, but is soon returned to health by two medical boffins keen to try out their as yet untested formula designed to mend wounds in seconds.
It's up to tough sheriff Dan Stevens (Norris) to catch the killer before he can hack his way through too many innocent townsfolk.Hoo boy, this is one seriously silly flick, but it's also quite a lot of fun, with Chuck on fine form, kicking serious ass in the name of the law: not only does the karate cop have the indestructible Kirby to contend with, but he also lays down the law to a troublesome biker gang in the process, a bar-room brawl with the bikers being the film's highlight.
great suspense and superb martial arts action check out the bar room brawl a classic ,overall good story ,great action ,a very underrated chuck norris film worth watching..
The memory of this unspeaking murder machine stuck with me long after forgetting about Norris and what he had to do with the story.As other readers have pointed out, it is the John Libby character that really "makes" this film, because he is such a total unknown and one dimensional void of psychotic behavior.
The film doesn't try to disguise it's low rent and lurid nature for a second.So what I see here in the end is an interesting, intriguing and ultimately satisfying little sci fi shocker that just happens to feature Chuck Norris and his karate skills in the hero role.
Watching Silent Rage I felt like I was watching 2 movies spliced together.One movie had Chuck Norris as a sheriff of a small community trying to keep the peace and rid the town of scum.
I felt the movie would've been pretty good without the Chuck Norris scenes.
Silent Rage(1982) has one of the best fight scenes in a Chuck Norris movie.
And it is quite different from usual Chuck Norris' vehicle.Chuck Norris stars as sheriff Dan Stevens who must stop psychotic killer John Kirby (Brian Libby) who's been turned indestructible by genetic experiments.
As the film tries to play more like psychological horror there aren't much scenes where Chuck Norris can show of his martial arts skill.
Not the mention those three scientist creating Kirby are played by charismatic character actors.Well, if you want to see something different from Chuck Norris, then you should check this one out.
Silent Rage (1982)** (out of 4) Chuck Norris plays a sheriff who must go up against a psychopath who at one point was dead but three scientists brought him back to life with a new experiment.
Soon the maniac is running loose and killing more people so it's up to Norris to put an end to it.SILENT RAGE isn't a good movie or a very successful one but at the same time it is a rather interesting one.
For the most part the film offers up what Norris fans want in a movie with him as the actor is thrown into countless action scenes.
There's also Toni Kalem who is good as the love interest and Stephen Furst (NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE) is here for some comic relief.The biggest problem with the film is that the direction is rather flat, which leads to all of the scenes feeling as if they're just getting dragged on to the point where they become boring.
Still, SILENT RAGE isn't a horrible movie and there are enough good things to make it worth watching..
It has a lot of action, Chuck Norris in his usual position, and an invincible psychopath made by three doctors, one who's behind it and another one who's trying to let the killer rest in peace.
*Spoilers*Silent Rage has Chuck playing a small-town sheriff who goes head-to-head with a murderous, seemingly indestructible villain played by Brian Libby.
The fight scene at the end of the movie between Chuck and the villain is also well done.This is not your typical Chuck Norris action flick.
Living zombie then goes on a day-long rampage with Chuck Norris trying to stop him.Film has a lot going for it.
The man's face is pitiful and fearsome at the same time.The opening ten minutes is a single, very complicated shot that follows that man around the house, watches him for a while, watches other people, then shows the man finally lose, snap for good and go on a terrifying killing spree.Film generates a great deal of tension through silence and hand-held camera work.
Hipointe County, Texas Sheriff Dan Stevens(Chuck Norris)has the unenviable task of dealing with a seemingly unstoppable killing machine, whose cellular structure has been altered by geneticists, conducting experiments on healing disease and other ailments which destroy the human body.You know, I thought the use of hand-held camera works exceptionally well at the opening where we first follow mentally unbalanced John Kirby(Brian Libby)from his bedroom(..where we can tell his sanity's on the brink)throughout the two story house for which he's staying, as he moves about, answering the phone with his doctor, as he slowly turns homicidal.
Many associate Silent Rage with the slasher genre since it has certain traits relatable to those kinds of movies prevalent at the time of release, such as the use of POV camera as the killer hunts down Allison, a hefty body count, and way Kirby systematically executes the victims.
Since, the movie is more about Kirby annihilating folks, Chuck only really has one major sequence to show his martial arts skills, and that's during an entertaining bar fight with a large number of loathsome biker scum.
At the hospital, in homes, and elsewhere....Chuck Norris plays the Sheriff.Ron Silver plays a psychiatrist doctor.Stephen Furst is the big lovable goofy Deputy.Plus it has sleazy Biker Babes baring boobs.A 9/10 Rating for wicked thriller/slasher/action..
To me, the movie played like Michael Myers meets Chuck Norris.
At the time, Chuck Norris had a pretty big following and slashers were all the rage.
On the positive side of things there are some pretty decent fight scenes (the bar fight is especially enjoyable), a creepy killer, and Chuck Norris playing the whole thing as straight-faced as you can imagine.
His creepy John Kirby is as good and effective a killer as you'll find in any of the 80s slasher movies.
But in this film, our bad guy is created by science, therefore Chuck Norris must now destroy him.
Knowing I was watching a Chuck Norris film, I was fully expecting someone to come crashing through it.
Kirby has a phone call from his doctor and tells him that he's "losin' it." He proceeds to indeed lose it and retrieves a woodcutting ax from outside and proceeds to murder the lady and some old guy with it, whose forehead makes a hilarious squishy noise when the ax collides with it.Also, during this sequence when Kirby goes after the woman, we get a moment that totally isn't ripped out of a Kubrick film that was released two years prior.A mailman hears the woman's screams before she meets her end and the police are called to the scene, led by Sheriff Dan Stevens, played by the mustachioed and blond Chuck Norris.So, basically, Sheriff Dan investigates the house, fights with Kirby, who manages to slip out of the house.
The long and uninterrupted opening shot is impressive, actor Brian Libby does make a creepy psychotic killer, there is a fun scene where Norris takes on an entire biker gang, there are a couple of good stunts, and the direction at times is admittedly eerie and atmospheric.
Then we get the simpleton cop (played by Stephen Furst) who's kind of Barney Fife with a lot of extra pounds, and the traumatized female who discovers all the dead bodies (Alison, Dr. Halman's sister, played by Toni Kalem.)And then there's Chuck Norris (Sheriff Dan Stevens.) If you're expecting a big time martial arts flick, don't bother.