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

http://www.amazon.com/Invasion-U-S-Chuck-Norris/dp/B00005O06W/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1406004304&sr=1-1&keywords=invasion+usa

Red Scorpion (1988)

It's funny how people can go for many years without seeing classic movies. There are so many to get through, and so little time. It's also funny how many movies can be considered classics in different genres. I had never seen Red Scorpion up until today. I soon realised that I had missed out on one of the classics. It's a testosterone- soaked action movie that puts many others to shame, features a great central performance by Dolph Lundgren and looks as if the budget was made up of 50% money and 50% blood, sweat and tears.

The plot sees mighty Dolph playing a mighty Russian KGB agent who is tasked with killing a revolutionary leader. He has no problems following orders until he starts to look closer at the situation and find certain elements that don't seem to add up. Eventually, he ends up being left hung out to dry by his country and decides that he will turn things around and fight back. After all, he is spetsnaz (translation = Russian special forces agent).

The screenplay by Arne Olsen is competent enough, and the direction by Joseph Zito is pretty good, but there are two things that make Red Scorpion such a treat for action movie fans. The first thing is the action sequences. It seems like a no-brainer for an action movie to have good action sequences, but anyone who has seen as many Steven Seagal movies as I have can tell you that far too many action movies just don't deliver the genre goods. Red Scorpion, on the other hand, delivers far beyond expectations. The movie is bookended by two absolutely storming set-pieces, stuff that really gets the blood pumping and raises a smile, but it also has a number of smaller, equally enjoyable, fights and outbursts of violence throughout, keeping it perfectly paced and never dull. Let me put it this way, if you look at my rating for the movie and think it might be a bit high then bear in mind that I almost went even higher. In my opinion, the film is THAT good in the action department.

The second thing that makes this film such a treat is the cast. Lundgren has always been a great action star, it's just a shame that he never got the A-list career to show for it (if you don't enjoy his movies then get back to me after watching Dark Angel AKA I Come In Peace - if you're still not convinced then I will play THIS clip until you cave in and accept Dolph as the best actor to ever perform an Elvis song at an award show EVER!). As well as Dolph, you get the presence of the great M. Emmet Walsh. Yes, M. Emmet Walsh stars alongside Dolph Lundgren, even sharing some screentime during the fantastic action sequences. If that's not enough for you then how about the addition of the great Brion James? Oh yes, he gets a few good moments in this one. T. P. McKenna plays a general, Al White and Ruben Nthodi are among the revolutionaries and the prolific Carmen Argenziano gets to have some fun treating Mr. Lundgren quite badly.

Just writing this review has made me want to put the movie on again, it's THAT much fun. If you've somehow managed to avoid the movie until now, as I had, then correct that mistake as soon as possible. You won't regret it, even during the strange and wonderful scenes that make the title so appropriate.

На здоровье, which I THINK should say na zdorovie.

8/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share