On March 19 of this year, Carlos Ray Norris roundhouse kicked his way into the afterlife after spending the last 50 years being seen as a legitimate action badass, a guy who seemed to be a bigger-than-life figure, and a hero to many Gen Xers. We knew him as Chuck Norris. In 1972, he played Colt in the Bruce Lee martial arts classic, The Way of the Dragon. At that time, he was an incredibly skilled martial artist. In fact, he was a champion and a very difficult guy to face off against for years, leading up to his casting as Bruce Lee’s nemesis in that film. Lee recognized Norris as an appropriate opponent.
A few years later, Norris became an action star of his own in Breaker, Breaker, Good Guys Wear Black, A Force of One, and The Octagon. Going into the 80s, Norris was well-positioned to become a major action star. After the phenomenally popular Lone Wolf McQuade, Cannon Films pounced on the opportunity to cast Norris as their leading action star for an entire decade, solidifying him as a mythical figure kids grew up watching, later turning him into a popular meme by creating well-meaning jokes about how tough he was in the face of impossible opponents (like natural catastrophes, celestial objects, and, yes, even death).
Decades later, Norris largely retired from acting, instead appearing in commercials, doing philanthropic work in areas of the world with less-than-satisfactory HIV/AIDS care, and occasionally doing political rallies with conservative candidates. While I don’t agree with his politics or religion, I do appreciate Norris for that action star status he had when I was a kid, just looking for action movies and punching and shooty shoot guys on a Saturday afternoon on cable. On March 19, 2026, a big piece of the youth of a lot of guys I know, myself included, was sad to hear Norris was hospitalized in Hawaii for a sudden medical emergency and had subsequently died. I had just weeks previously written a review for Missing in Action, but opted to largely leave that review alone upon release, so this already-planned follow-up’s preamble now serves as the official B-Movie Enema eulogy for a man who will most definitely continue to appear on the site. Rest in peace, Chuck Norris.
And now, let’s talk about Missing in Action 2: The Beginning.
Continue reading “Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)”
