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  • Above comment would have been another Chuck Norris joke, but in this movie, it's the truth. This is Chuck Norris in his hardest baddest role, and his early career monument to the legend of Chuck Norris.

    Chuck shows no mercy to anyone that gets in his way. The unlucky bad guys doesn't realize what they're up against, as Chuck Norris obliterates them one by one. If they had internet in 1982, they would have fled Hong Kong long before Chuck Norris' plane landed there.

    Chuck just keeps giving his icy cold glare throughout this movie. There's no charm, or sweetness in his character. He just coldly executes everyone who opposes him.

    This is one of the best Chuck Norris movie from the early '80s, and is worth every minute to see it if you're a martial arts or Chuck Norris movie fan.
  • Forced Vengeance is another example of an one of those movies that would be unwatchable were it not for all the hilarious scenes. This TBS regular is the story of ex-soldier turned casino security guard, Josh Randall (Norris), who takes on a Hong Kong Syndicate single-handedly after his boss and friend, Sam Paschal (Opatoshu), is murdered by a rival casino owner. (If that in itself doesn't spell hilarity, I don't know what does.) Along with his deadpan narration, this film truly showcases Norris' acting prowess. :) This combined with the incredibly trite dialog leads to some of the funniest moments in the film. "He's sick, verrry sick..." says Randall matter-of-factly to some Hong Kong locals as he kidney-punches a corrupt Inspector who's been hounding him and stuffs him into a car. It just doesn't get any better than this, folks. I love this movie. There are so many funny moments it's worth watching over and over. And I guarantee you'll be quoting some of Randall's lines for weeks afterwards if you give it a chance.
  • Our hero Josh (Chuck Norris) , one man army , now as a Hong Kong Casino (the name of the Hong Kong night club and gambling house was "The Lucky Dragon Casino") security bodyguard taking on bullies when are brutally killed his chief (David Opatoshu) and son . He attempts to save his chief's daughter (Camila Griggs) from the clutches an evil mobster (Michael Cavanaugh) . Tough Norris battling Chinese triads with the only help his lovely fiancée (Mary Louise Weller) and confronts a sinister baddie like a human tank . For a little more entertainment , the human weapon Norris saves the girl and struggles some hired killers and criminal gangs . Later on , he is chased by the police and anyone who helps is murdered . Josh attempts to get to the violent hoodlums who did it .

    This is a slang-bang , unstopped action film with variety martial acts though predictable . Indestructible Norris in yet another groan and grunt middling budget movie ; a routine non-sense , action-thriller that featured fourteen major action sequences . Written and filmed as "The Jade Jungle", later the producers changed the title to "Forced Vengeance" during post production to make it sound more like an action film . Norris stars naturally taking on multiple opponents , cleaning up nasties from Far Orient and beats them , punches , knocks , kicks and defying the gravity in bounds and leaps . Chuck plays nicely an ex-Vietnam vet (like Colonel Braddock from Missing in action) turned security chief . Appears uncredited , almost extra , his true son Mike Norris ; besides as expert stunt , his brother and future director , Aaron Norris . Being one of numerous collaborations of actor-star Chuck Norris and brother stunt coordinator Aaron . Light-weight amusement with suspense , thriller and too much used Chop-Socky formula , leave no cliché untouched ; in addition , fights are well staged . Although taking some of stock footage from other films . The movie belongs to Norris's early period , during the 80s , such as : ¨Force 7¨ , ¨Goods guys wear black¨ , ¨Octagon¨ , ¨Force of one¨ ,¨Eye for eye¨ , and ¨Code of silence¨ with successful box office as video rentals as cinemas . In the late 90s and 2000s , with exception ¨Walker Texas Ranger¨ , Norris stars has declined . The motion picture produced by MGM was professionally directed by James Fargo who directed two Clint Eastwood vehicles as ¨The enforcer¨ , ¨Every which way but loose¨. This movie is a must see if you're a die-hard Norris fan.
  • Maziun19 August 2013
    I understand that most of Norris movies aren't good . I like some of them . Sometimes you just meet yourself a movie when nothing is good . And I mean NOTHING.

    Here we have a movie where Chuck Norris has to avenge his boss – the owner of casino . I don't think I'm spoiling anything here. Anyway basically the whole movie is like this : Norris beats a bad guy , then he asks him "Did you order to kill my boss", the answer is no and the bad guy gives our hero a location of other bad guy . Norris goes there , beats him , asks the question and the whole thing repeats . It will take many bad guys and many minutes of boredom before Norris will meet the final boss , kill him and the movie will end.

    I don't mind a simple revenge movie , if it's done right. This one isn't . It's boring like hell. The only thing interesting are the silhouettes fighting near the neon signs. I give it 1/10.
  • I happened to stumble upon the 1982 movie "Forced Vengeance" by random chance here in 2024. And with it being an older Chuck Norris movie that I hadn't already seen, much less actually knew existed, of course I opted to sit down and watch the movie. And oh wow, well I didn't know that Chuck Norris had made and recorded a movie in Hong Kong, prior to watching this movie. So that was quite a nice surprise.

    The storyline, from writers Franklin Thompson and James Fargo, was good. It was an entertaining movie to watch, despite it oozing with generic early 1980s action and martial arts movies tropes. But hey, that just made "Forced Vengeance" all the more enjoyable in my opinion.

    "Forced Vengeance" is brought to life on the screen by a good cast ensemble and some good acting performances. Of course you know what you get with Chuck Norris, and he does carry the movie quite nicely. It was also quite a nice treat to see the likes of Michael Cavanaugh and Bob Minor on the cast list.

    There are a fair amount of action and fighting scenes throughout the course of the movie. Just as you would expect from a Chuck Norris movies. And the action and fighting is nicely brought to the screen, as it is nicely choreographed and executed. So that definitely added something good and enjoyable to the overall impression of "Forced Vengeance".

    If you enjoy Chuck Norries movies, then "Forced Vengeance" is definitely a movie that is well-worth sitting down and spending 90 minutes on watching. I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of the entire movie.

    My rating of director James Fargo's 1982 movie "Forced Vengeance" lands on a seven out of ten stars.
  • Chuck Norris is not known for his acting chops or his classics. But this one is the best and honest of his pictures. Honest because he knows and the director knows that in order to make an action movie soar is to make it as violent and as simple as this one. Its simple but is told in a very straightforward way. You identify the bad guys, they misbehave, Chuck finds them and kick their asses. The final confrontation between Chuck and the big Chinese guy is done with some realism. Chuck is bloody and angry he is not fighting him in a conventional karate way, he's hitting him with everything he has, he even tries to drown the big fella in a toilet. My favorite by far. Peace.
  • (1982) Forced Vengeance ACTION

    This is one of those movies what viewers would normally see on chop-socky dubbed Chinese films where so many bad things can happen to one single person and in this case it happens to be Chuck Norris before he actually goes and does something about it! With major difference that those poorly dubbed chop socky movies on average has way more martial art fights than this! And when they do show martial arts, it is few and mediocre at that, like actual play fighting with no physical contact with whom he's beating up the baddies, and the only thing that is realistic about this film is the graphic rape scene and that to me is very sad.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    The head of security for a small Hong Kong casino, Josh Randall (Chuck Norris) will have to protect the daughter of his murdered boss from a ruthless syndicate, Osiris, headed by a mysterious figure. This figurehead's identity Randall will scour the city to uncover while trying desperately to keep not only Joy Paschal (Camila Griggs) safe from harm, but his own girlfriend, Claire (Mary Louise Weller). The "face" of Osiris is Stan Raimondi (Michael Cavanaugh), whose serpentine smile and unwavering stand about acquiring the Red Dragon Casino from the ownership, preferably "retired", Sam Paschal (David Opatoshu) and his son, David (Frank Michael Liu), will result in two murders, indeed making it easier to get what they want from a helpless Joy if Randall cannot stop him. The difficulty Randall faces is keeping two beautiful women hidden within Hong Kong knowing that Raimondi has "eyes everywhere".

    I guess you could call "Forced Vengeance" Chuck Norris' "Hong Kong film"; he gets to don a cowboy hat and boots, certain to stand out of a crowd( but who cares?, it's Chuck Norris), move through the busy streets, often encountering all types of hired henchmen of all shapes and sizes.

    Osiris' plan to build a "Las Vegas in Hong Kong" is of vital interest to Raimondi, and he will pay top dollar to see that this dream becomes a reality. I love all the on-the-spot locations and seeing Norris in his prime, just taking out one nameless Osiris "employee" at a time, inside Hong Kong was always a thrill to me.

    This was a great period for Norris, having just made "Silent Rage" prior to this (a film which even has Mad Scientist/Halloween overtones which have given it a cult following), as well as, "An Eye for an Eye", it wasn't really until the next film, "Lone Wolf McQuade" that he would become a bonafide star.

    FV has certain action movie tropes you are familiar with such as stunt extras who show up for their beating, (..leaving the screen after a kick to the face or stomach), the old war buddy the hero needs to protect his women who is killed while Norris is away, the bulky giant who towers over his victims(..using his superior strength to overcome not only the hero's protector friend, but Norris' girl), the sleazy businessman (in this case Raimondi) who will use whatever means is necessary to get what he seeks after (eventually getting his ass handed to him by the hero at the end), and the hero's ascent upon the grounds of the chief nemesis who has caused all the trouble leading to the climax (and, of course, the hero must face the giant who took the lives of his friend and girl).

    A badly choreographed accidental lynching on board a yacht (you can see the harness) and the giant's removal of a commode (you can actually see the cracks *before* the giant pulls up the commode!) hurt the film. It shouldn't be a surprise that the acting is a bit flat, with Norris not required to emote as much as use his martial arts skills to send lots of men crashing in a heap to the ground.

    This was a favorite of mine growing up when I would watch a more censored version on cable which might influence a sentimental stance that will always bring me back to it. Love the opening credits and the score which accompany them, assuring us a lot of Norris kicking ass. Surprisingly, Cavanaugh puts up a pretty good fight before Norris bests him.
  • Chuck Norris fans are a forgiving lot. As long it has their hero beating the beans out of whoever is stupid enough to cross his path, besmirch his honor or step on his hat, then it's body check time! CRUNCH! KICK! SPLAT!

    "Forced Vengeance" follows the old tried-and-true story of Chuck going into action to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. This time, he's in Hong Kong and single-handedly (of course) eliminating the forces that conspire against his adopted family who also happens to run a prosperous casino that evil types would rather see under their control or (better yet) destroyed.

    All goes well until they get Chuck mad by killing just about everybody he cares for... then they step on his hat! CRUNCH! KICK! SPLAT!

    Anyone who's seen a Chuck Norris film knows what to expect. It shouldn't matter whether "Forced Vengeance" is good or bad to them. Well, it matters to me. He seems to be reading off cue cards for the drama scenes until he goes into high-kick mode.

    Two stars. Mostly for what action there is.

    You dare to disagree with my review? CRUNCH! KICK! SPLAT!
  • "Forced Vengeance" is lesser Chuck Norris from this period, but even lesser Chuck Norris does assure us a reasonable amount of ass kicking. Chuck plays Josh Randall, a security chief at a Hong Kong casino that was the baby of a man named Sam Paschal (David Opatoshu). Trouble brews when Sam's foolish son David (Frank Michael Liu) gets mixed up with a mobster named Raimondi (Michael Cavanaugh), and of course the mobster is the kind of guy who can't stand hearing the word "no". When Sam and David are rubbed out, Josh swears vengeance, taking it on the lam until the big final confrontation. We have to give director James Fargo some credit, as he knows well what the standout scene in this movie is, a fight with a sea of neon as the backdrop while Chuck and foe are in silhouette. This is very striking, and we see it not once but twice, as it plays out under some of the opening credits. Would that the rest of the movie were that stylish. It's basically standard stuff, and its major problem is that it feels awkward at times, in some of the fights and especially when it goes for levity. (At least we know some of the humour is intentional, especially in one fine moment that may remind the viewer of the "shooting the swordsman" gag in "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Chuck's narration and dialogue are sometimes priceless; here's one gem that may have one thunderstruck: "Sweet cheeks, you could have been a toasted marshmallow." as Chuck refers to a person he'd threatened to set aflame in order to get another to talk. (It *is* cool that he displays such a sense of ruthlessness.) Some of the climactic action gets hilariously repetitive, as in order to find out who's *really* behind everything (even Raimondi is answering to someone higher), he interviews one criminal lowlife who inevitably refers him to somebody else. The cast is variable; some of them are pretty nondescript, but others do well, especially old pro Opatoshu. Cavanaugh is also good as the villain (he actually has the upper hand for a while in his fight with Chuck), Mary Louise Weller ("Animal House") and Camila Griggs supply some nice eye candy, and Bob Minor is quite likable as Chuck's friend. In any event, one can't write off any movie in which the head honcho is fond of Tom & Jerry cartoons and in which inspired use is made of a toilet. Chuck is in fine form as always, and it remains a good time to watch him taking on all comers. While this isn't among his best, it's certainly not his worst, either. Six out of 10.
  • I must be honest here. Forced Vengeance is one of the most idiotic and amateurish pieces of crap I've seen, back in the day where Chuckie sported a moustache and had red hair. He plays an orphaned brother, extracting revenge on the people responsible for killing his foster brother and Dad, who were running this great casino business, but these evil developers had put the squeeze on em'. While small Daddy, defied the baddies after rejecting their proposal, he and son (who was for it) paid the ultimate price. Some people are just plain stubborn. I guess it's a matter of principal. If you want loads of action, you'll get it here. If you want logic, go somewhere else. Of course, as always, Chuck's close friend, a ex vet buddy is killed. When his beautiful girlfriend is raped and killed, now the real vengeance begins, that Chuckies sends forth, and we love it. The film has a very amateurish and slapdash script, as if the dialogue came as the movie went along, some moments of it, become unintentionally funny. Main reason- absurd dialogue. Here's a stupid line for ya, as I feel I must tell you. This is just after father Pascal, has told baddie, Ramondi to go jump. This is Ramondi's reactive dialogue. "I know, but expand or die, that's (something else... "). Oh, and the acting, don't even get me started on the acting. This is like Chuck isn't even acting. This is like a just do it as you go, not even half baked flick. I did love Chucks's line where he put a homosexual mate of one the baddies into some heating contraption. "Sleep tight, sweet cheeks. You could of been a toasted marshmellow." It's great, seeing Chuckie, galavanting all over San Francisco, on the kill, readily disposing of scum, with a non repentence, much like a robot, and that's what he is. He hardly shows any range of emotions, if any, and this could well be one of the worst performances of his life, in one of the worst films he's ever done. Truly, FV, is one the most amateurish, unprofessional flicks, I've ever seen, all the way, which is a shame, given the beautiful surrounds this flick is shot. It's sloppy wrapped up ending, is just another laugh of unbelief. True to life words, have Chuckie saying to that gay badman. "Bravest man I knew was a homosexual"
  • This is one of my favorite Chuck Norris movies. It has one of the best opening scenes ever with the silhouette of Chuck fighting an unknown adversary over a neon background. It looks fantastic and is such an innovative opening scene that really creates a cool atmosphere.

    Josh Randall (Chuck Norris) is an ex-Special Forces Vietnam veteran who ends up in Hong Kong after the war, eventually becoming the head of security for the Lucky Dragon Casino, run by fellow American expatriate, Sam Pascal. When Sam is killed by an unscrupulous rival, Josh goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.The film is well paced with plenty of Chuck-related ass whupping and doesn't skimp on the violence either. When Chuck's girlfriend is murdered it's a pretty shocking scene, especially the bad guy's hair and mustache.

    Overall, Forced Vengeance is a fun Chuck Norris flick with plenty of fight scenes and action to keep action fans happy. Worth Watching...8 out of 10
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Josh Randall (Norris) is a soft-spoken tough guy who's used to being an enforcer. But he really gets in over his head when he travels to Hong Kong. Working for the boss of a popular casino, Randall notices something dangerous is afoot when heavies want to buy the casino but the management refuses. People start dying all around him, so he and his old 'Nam buddy LeRoy Nicely (Minor) try to fight off the baddies while protecting the casino owner's daughter. Evil gangster boss Stan Raimondi (Cavanaugh) is greedy and wants not just the casino money, but Randall's blood. Meanwhile, Inspector Keck (Shaw) is trying to use his side of the law to figure out what's going on. Will Josh and LeRoy get answers? Will they get justice? Find out today! Forced Vengeance is classic 80's Chuck. It was still when he had blonde hair and a blonde mustache. It seems Chuck movies can be broken up into two eras: blonde Chuck and red-head Chuck. At some point in time his hair turned a rusty, russet color, thus dividing his career into two halves. Not that one is better than the other, necessarily, but it makes his movies easily identifiable. This particular outing takes a while with its setup, and the pacing isn't necessarily break-neck, but is solid and reliable. It's like an old tank that just keeps rollin' along at its own pace. You get your rewards, but it's not instant gratification like the kids are used to today with their MTV and their e-lectronic gizmos.

    Even though Golan and Globus had nothing to do with it, this whole film has a look and feel that is very Cannon-esque. From the opening slow-motion, silhouetted fight in front of the neon (much like the opening of one of Sho's classic Cannons) to the way the rest of the film is shot, it will certainly put you in that Cannon frame of mind. The movie uses its Hong Kong locations to very nice effect, and the music by William Goldstein is so sweeping and dramatic, it helps the film rise to heights it might not necessarily have reached otherwise. The main theme is especially cool. Another soundtrack observation: there is an excellent disco/muzak theme of "Super Freak" which is a lot of fun as well.

    Chuck, who gets some suave line readings and wears tuxedos in this one, gets to channel his inner James Bond. Can you imagine him as an official Bond? We can only dream. Fan favorite Richard Norton is here too, but in a "Where's Waldo"-esque cameo that defies you to spot him. Here's a hint: with his blonde bowl haircut and matching mustache, he looks like he just stepped off the set doing stunt work for Chuck. (Indeed he did do stunt work on the film, along with John Barrett and Aaron Norris, among others). And he appears almost naked, wearing only a pair of tiny red shorts. Still and all, this movie could have used more Norton. The massive red flower Raimondi wears on his lapel is almost the same size as Norton's shorts. Coincidence? Or a visual motif? In other wardrobe news, Chuck's wide array of cowboy hats not only is impressive, but they almost become secondary characters in the movie, as at one point Chuck woefully decries "Why do they always pick on my hat?" Truly the eternal question.

    When Forced Vengeance was originally released on VHS, it came in one of those awesome MGM silver big-boxes. The kind with the cover on a hinge and the cassette in a plastic tray. We love those. Now the film is on DVD of course, but for the coolness factor, you have to love the original packaging. So for some classic kicking and punching Chuck style, Forced Vengeance is a prime example of why everyone finds him so endearing.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Being a Chuck fan for the past month I caught this on cable and wasn't disappointed. Chuck plays Josh Randall, a Hong Kong casino bouncer. I like to look at this as a unofficial prequel to Road House with Patrick Swayze. Mainly because total strangers know him because he's the greatest bouncer ever. Only in this movie he's a loyal casino bouncer, not some sellout to the highest bidder like Dalton in Road House. Plus Chuck isn't afraid to use a gun.

    Here are some memorable things to watch out for in Forced Vengeance:

    1. Chuck lives on a boat way out in the harbor. This is because Chuck refuses to sleep on anything but American soil.

    2. There is a flashback scene where Chuck has no mustache. He of course gets beaten to a pulp in this scene to demonstrate the power of facial hair.

    3. Chuck wears many cowboy hats in this movie. People like to step on them to make him angry.

    4. About 90% of the tough guys who Chuck beats the crap out of have mustaches. Almost all of these mustaches are noticeably unkempt and some are obvious fakes. This just goes to show if you don't follow proper mustache growing and grooming steps Chuck Norris will destroy you.

    5. Chuck fights a sea boat captain, and eventually is forced to shoot him because he's going to miss his ferry boat ride.

    6. Chuck catches a homosexual male prostitute in a bed sheet a douses him in lighter fluid and threatens to burn him if his lover doesn't talk and tell Chuck what he needs to know. Chuck then says the smartest man he ever met was a homosexual.

    7. Chuck is the only person who thinks it's mean to fire somebody, then force them to leave the premises without any pants.

    8. We, the viewers, are treated to the inner monologue of Chucks character. Either that or Chuck was using his telepathic powers to better educate me on what was going on at times during the film. Thanks Chuck!

    No need to thank me. So enjoy people!
  • This is one of the best action fliks. Chuck Norris is great. I loved it. The story is excellent. And so is the incredible Action scenes.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Josh Randall (Chuck Norris) is in L. A. to collect $115k gambling debt for the Pascals who own the Lucky Dragon casino in Hong Kong. Sam is Jewish who brought Josh into his family. He's retired and his son David who runs the casino seems to be troubled. David tells them that their competitor gangster Stan Ramondi would like merge their business. It turns out that Ramondi is looking to bring the Lucky Dragon under his Osiris syndicate. Sam refuses but later David tells him about his own crushing gambling losses. Ramondi's men kill Sam and David. Josh takes Sam's wild child daughter Joy to hide with his girlfriend Claire Bonner. Someone high up gets Josh arrested and there's a price on his head.

    The acting is pretty bad. The directing is much worst. The dialog is horrible. There are some lame jokes. The pacing is bad until they go on the run. The movie is a bit better at that point. Chuck gets to fight a bit. That's probably why people watch this anyways. The fight in front of the neon sign looks pretty cool. It's great to see the old Hong Kong locations. This movie is bad but not the worst. It's an action B-movie after all.
  • Forced Vengeance is about much raw strength and nice evil characters. Real characters, not the usual martial arts actors of the nineties. It's great! The plot has Norris as a bouncer in a Hong Kong casino where his father-and-son bosses are an adopted family for him. When the elder boss refuses to sell out his place to a proliferating casino chain, both he and his son are killed. The sole heir to their fortune is the partying daughter that Norris must now protect from the greedy syndicate.

    The story isn't particularly good, but it's quite adequate in linking lots of fight scenes together without sacrificing too much logic. The pacing is what really makes this movie work. Director James Fargo keeps the story moving with claustrophobic camera-work of back-alleys, boats, rooms at the brothel, and other places where bad guys could (and often do) attack. Not to mention some beautiful shots of Hong Kong itself. The fights aren't great, but they're some of the better ones I've seen from Norris, and there's lots of 'em. Some are even choreographed. There's also a delightful non-fighting cameo from Richard Norton ("Shanghai Express"). The action is good, though nothing spectacular. Luckily, there is plenty of action and I have never seen Norris look this cool. Highly recommended for fans of Chuck Norris.

    Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
  • IF you don't immediately start snoozing during the dull and excessively long opening credits sequence. IF you don't fall asleep because of witnessing another clichéd story about an honorable family business being brutally overtaken by ruthless mobsters. IF you manage to stay awake during the hero's typical search for the highest pion in the criminal hierarchy. IF you do not doze off from seeing Chuck Norris' monotonous acting and overhearing his redundant, yoga/mental coach-like narration. IF all that, and mind you those are a lot of ifs, then a minor reward awaits in the third act, in the shape of a handful of harsh and bloody fight-till-the-death sequences. "Forced Vengeance" is a truly boring and derivative revenge actioner with Norris as a casino security guard single-handedly exterminating the Hong-Kong mafia cartels. It's the weakest of all Norris' films I've seen so far, and the actor himself also has zero charisma. Luckily, after this misfire, production studios must have realized that Norris' image as a clean, nice & genuinely good-hearted man with Kung Fu skills wasn't working well. His status as tough and undefeatable action hero mainly got established via the films that were released after "Forced Vengeance", like "Mission in Action", "Invasion USA", "The Delta Force", etc...
  • mm-394 March 2002
    This film kicks and punches. I have seen a lot of action films, and this one has the best direction for action sequences. The karate is just excellent, the one scene with the neon lights with the two dark combatents is way cool. The big man fight is interesting, and the story melts well with the action. This movie is about the action. The scene with the toilet almost killed Chuck in real life.
  • Crappy Chuck-Fu movie has Chuck Norris playing the head of security for a Jewish casino owner who's like a father to him. Ruthless types want to buy the man's casino but he doesn't want to sell. So they rub him out. What's a mustachioed hero to do but take matters into his own hands? I'm not a huge fan of Norris' early face-kicking movies. I much prefer his shoot 'em-ups. But there is some good cheesy value to some of them. This one has some "so bad it's good" qualities but not enough ultimately. It's kind of boring and none of the action is all that impressive. Not to mention the whole thing looks to be shot on a dollar store budget.
  • Chuck Norris' films aren't things you call masterpieces, but more often they're fun and deliver good rollicking action. James Frago's "Forced Vengeance" (who directed Eastwood in "The Enforcer") is no exception to the trend, and is a raw, full-blooded Norris' chop-suey extravaganza. No surprises here, as it's basic (and campy) revenge on mind for Norris. The simple set-up is made up of expertly-executed martial arts set-pieces that are spontaneously well-timed and judged. It can be welcomely brutal and rough, but quite unintentionally obtuse. The opening silhouette stash in front of a neon sign was a neat touch, and William Goldstein's (no not Goldsmith) exhilaratingly flighty score takes shape. There's something about his early films, I found to be more enticing than a lot of his latter, popular mainstream efforts. Sure they might not be as well organised or impressionable as his well-known flicks but this different kettle has certain sincereness about them. The gritty action takes place in Hong Kong, and it's vividly projected with the exotically moody setting and street life being expansively brought to life. Director James Frago does a serviceable job. As I mentioned earlier the premise doesn't break any new ground, and is rather slight. It's a dog eat dog world, and Norris is on the underdog side and takes on the corrupt. Norris even gets his chance to provide another deeply thoughtful narration (ala The Octagon) that I found humorously pointless. Before he goes on his forced rampage (Chuck style!), he goes about collecting information, so when he gets down to business he takes out the right men. But another unsavoury reason comes into play, and this releases the fury waiting to explode, as it does push the motivation for vengeance behind Chuck's character even more. Watch out, as now you're going to get an ass-kicking! The staggering script is filled with constant corn, and Norris' delivers the majority of it. However his sly remarks actually satisfy and it just wouldn't be the same without them. As for the performances, well it's expected that we get something wooden within the acting range. Chuck Norris geared up in his cowboy hat, and suit with those boyish looks is stoic as usual. But that in mind, he knows his element and has a durably raw appeal that makes him utterly watchable. Mary Louise Weller is perfect as Norris love interest, and Bob Minor provides wonderful support as an ex-army buddy. Michael Cavanaugh makes for a fine sinister bad guy, and has a terrific boat-top confrontation with Norris.

    Watch it for a good, relaxing time of utter beat-ups and laughs. This is one I'll never tire of, especially Norris fans.
  • Before you start viewing an early Chuck Norris flick, you certainly don't have particularly high expectations; you just want to kill two hours painlessly. "Forced Vengeance" is an utterly predictable, formulaic, often boring action film, yet it generally accomplishes its mission. Norris is as stiff as ever, of course, and there are plenty of hokey fight sequences, often filmed in slow-motion, although I can't quite understand the necessity of that "gimmick".
  • GOWBTW13 March 2013
    Being a champion in the martial arts has its perks. In "Forced Vengeance", it says it all. Chuck Norris plays Josh Randall, head of security in a Hong Kong casino where the son of it's original owner works. When Josh returns with money owed from a California gambler, he sees David Pascal (Frank Michael Liu) fire a worker for skimming, and make him leave without his pants. Josh would later visit the original owner, Sam (David Opatachu). When David and Sam meets a competing casino owner (Michael Cavanaugh) who gives him an offer, Sam refuses. Josh puts his martial arts action into overdrive when the father and son are murdered. He would later take it to the max when his girlfriend and Army buddy gets attacked. The big goon gets his just desserts for raping and killing Randall's girlfriend. And for the inspector (Lloyd Kino), he helped Josh after finding out about his partner Keck (Jimmy Shaw) worked for the crime boss. The staircase fight scene was classic, short and swift. Hong Kong was a big place, and it really put Las Vegas to shame. "Forced Vengeance" is really high impact, and it's a Chuck Norris classic all the way. 4 out of 5 stars
  • The action in this film is very good and the fight scene against the lighted background on the steps is a classic fight scene. This is my favorite Chuck Norris film and if you are a martial arts/action movie fan, then you will like this film. The acting/script is not top quality, but these are not high on my priority list in an action film anyway. There are some great one liners in the film by Chuck too! This movie is well framed in terms of the mistake by the good guys and the bad guys punishment that leads to the good guys fighting back. This leads to the bad guys taking extreme measures that ultimately drives you into the good guys corner as Chuck's character suffers loss resulting in ultimate revenge by the good guys. Really enjoy this film and watch it whenever I see that it is on TV.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Bigger budgeted than his previous films, Chuck Norris stars in this Far East action film set in Hong Kong. He's a casino security chief investigating the hits on his employer. The plot is OK for a Norris film and the on location shooting in Hong Kong helps a lot. The film attempts to mimic the Bond films with its soundtrack and title sequence. The script falls far short of a Bond film however. There is very little humor, a lot of tedious chase sequences, and a formulaic execution of the plot. The villains are not even that formidable, except for the huge strong arm guy near the end. The fight sequences are usually very short and abrupt and some are in slow motion for some inexplicable reason. There's even a bit of female nudity thrown in for good measure. For some reason, Norris is always watchable, even though the scripts usually fall far short of being good. The biggest failing in here is that Norris does it all on his own; the supporting cast seems to be around only to fill screen time between fights. Therefore Norris' weaknesses are maximized. The part where he dons his military uniform to kick some more ass is downright absurd, and what's with the pointless voice over narration? It's all sort of entertaining in a hokey sort of way. ** of 4 stars.
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