Invasion U.S.A. (1985)

Richard Lynch is a bad man. A very bad man. Well, that's how he is in the role of Mikhail Rostov, the main villain in Invasion U.S.A. Thank goodness that we all have Chuck Norris to protect us from the evil people of the world. He's the man who can repel invaders with nothing more than the right denim clothing and his fists. Oh, and guns. And some grenades. And lots of other weaponry.

That's pretty much all there is to this movie. Rostov brings his men over to America, and sends them off to do lots of bad stuff, while Matt Hunter (Norris) does his best to stop their evil deeds. As the invaders impersonate cops and army personnel, American citizens become rightfully paranoid and mistrustful, making the job more difficult for anyone trying to offer them genuine help. Will Hunter be able to stop the madness before it becomes impossible to fix? Well, he IS Chuck Norris. What do you think?

Directed by Joseph Zito, this is a movie that puts fun ahead of everything else. Well, by fun I actually mean gunfire, explosions, and the endangering of human life. Which, in this context, is fun. The screenplay, by James Bruner and Chuck himself, is as clunky, at times, as you'd expect, but it does all that it needs to do in between some fantastic, riotous set-pieces. Who needs thoughtful, character-building dialogue when you can have Chuck driving a truck into a building, killing off numerous bad guys, and handling Uzi submachine guns like he's been holding them since birth.

Lynch is very good as the main villain, ably supported by Alexander Zale as his right hand man, and Norris stays well in his comfort zone as the one-man army able to keep America safe as it stands on the very brink of disaster. Melissa Prophet is alternately amusing and irritating as the reporter trying to figure out just what exactly is going on, and what Norris has to do with it all, and Eddie Jones is a perplexed cop. Elsewhere, there are small roles for James Pax and, best of all, the ever-brilliant Billy Drago.

Joseph Zito may not have directed too many movies in his career, but with films such as this, and the superior Red Scorpion, he guaranteed himself a place in the hearts of many action fans. Grab the beverage of your choice, wear your most comfortable denim ensemble, and enjoy.

7/10

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