Missing in Action
Through the idyllic but war-ridden jungles of Vietnam strides Chuck Norris as Braddock, one-man army, killing the enemy in droves with every gun burst, hauling wounded buddies to safety draped across his shoulders like sacks of wheat. He doesn't wear a helmet because clearly his head is not a particularly vulnerable area. As he leaps upon a vicious Vietcong who's brutally bayoneting a buddy of Braddock's, he plucks the rings from two hand grenades--and wakes from a recurring nightmare. Haunted by his memories, Braddock joins a delegation sent to Vietnam to negotiate for the return of missing-in-action prisoners of war (hence the movie's title,Missing in Action). But when the communist government accuses Braddock of war crimes, he fights back! It's all pretty preposterous--particularly the subtler absurdities, like when Braddock dresses entirely in stealthy ninjalike black except for his head, allowing his feathered blond locks to fly free--but fans of this kind of jingoistic action flick will find it satisfying enough. The fight scenes are frequent, if not particularly imaginative. Also featuring the great character actor M. Emmet Walsh as an old army buddy who helps Braddock out when the going gets tough.--Bret Fetzer