Missing in Action 2: The Beginning

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

1985 was a top year for Chuck Norris,with Invasion USA and this immensely enjoyable actioner coming out.Following on from the disappointing,slow moving original,this charts his highly involving experiences in a Vietnamise POW camp,and his eventual escape.A lot of depth is invested into the characters,which fully envelops at the end when Norris faces off against Soon Tech Oh.Given that the films were created by Chuck as a tribute to his brother Wieland who was killed in Vietnam,it's not really so surprising in hindsight to notice the extra invested energy and emotion he displays in these films.And all the better for it.****

Cannon productions backs another American colonel James Braddock film to the surprising hit that was the 1984 Chuck Norris starring post-Vietnam action-flick "Missing In Action". This sequel 'The Beginning' is a prequel to the original and from the trivia on this site it explains that it was actually made before Joseph Zito's film which was shot back to back with number two. I guessed they liked Zito's effort more, and you can see why. But this spirited entry is not a complete lost.

This very low-cost, raw looking sequel (prequel) seems to primarily parade around its many fragmented set-pieces of brutally unpleasant torture and demoralizing spirit-breaking with little in a way of story to back it all up. Due to this it could lull and get fairly repetitive making it feel longer than it is, but it gets you emotionally invested and few and far between are some effective moments like a rat in a bag sequence. After a slowly lean get-up amongst the stinking hot jungle setting and POW camp (which for most part is completely dreary), it finally breaks the shackles in the last half-hour or so with blistering action (even if some of it is poorly conceived) complete with explosions and Norris suitably paying back some of his own medicine in what is a fittingly tough and cheering confrontation (due to what has gone before it) with the sadistically malevolent Colonel Yin performed with smarting glee by Soon Tek-oh. Norris looking quite weathered and bruised goes about things in a steely and scrappy manner until the rage he kept inside finally breaks out after the constant torment to get him to confess to the unheralded crimes. The acting is inconsistent, but the cast features the likes of Steven Williams (probably best known for his part as X in the 'X-Files' series), John Wesley and Professor Toru Tanaka. Lance Hool's direction is fundamentally gritty, but authentic in style. Adding to the drama is Brian May's bombastic score with a somber touch at times within its cues.

Although I've seen this feature quite a few times, it's not as entertaining as the first film, but Cannon's cheap-jack b-grade fodder still packs grit and brute force.

Prequel to Chuck Norris' quite successful first film in the "Missing in Action" franchise. The prequel tells the story of how Norris' Colonel Braddock was captured and held prisoner by the NVA during the Vietnam War. The film is a fairly standard POW war film story, complete with an evil camp commandant, cruel torture, and daring escapes. Norris has always been limited in his acting ability, but this film wisely did not ask much of our hero in that department. Unfortunately the film also did not ask Chuck show off his martial arts skills much either, with the exception being a final confrontation with venerable character actor Soon-Tek Oh as the evil Colonel Yin. Chuck takes some beat downs from Professor Toru Tanaka and has some nasty torture scenes, particularly one involving rats, throughout the film as the NVA try to get him to confess to war crimes, but why have a karate champ in your film if you're not going to let him fight? The film's production company realized this was a weak film and had already filmed a sequel back-to-back with this one. Producers made the wise choice to release what was originally filmed as a sequel ("Missing in Action" where Chuck goes back to Vietnam to rescue POWs) as the first of the franchise and then released this weaker film later as a prequel. In the plus column for this film, it does feature music by Max Max composer Brian May. Also, as clichéd of a POW story as it is, it's a pretty sturdy one that's hard to resist for fans of this war film sub-genre.

This feels like real movie. Not like cheap Rambo rip-off like first one. To be honest this have some First Blood feeling in it but it is not such rip-off as first one. Now we have real characters. Chuck Norris feels like acting and story makes sense. You sense danger unlike first one.

This happens before first movie and things happening in this movie are mentioned in first one. You are not spoiled if you have seen first one. Unless you count spoiling problem all prequels have. If I have understood correctly this was shot before first one or at same time. It makes little sense that this was released later than first one since this happens before and is much better movie.

I prefer prison camp part at beginning over action part at the end. This would have been better with less action but this is action movie and Chuck Norris movie so action has to be there.

Prequel to Missing in Action covers Braddock's years as a POW and his eventual escape. This one was filmed back-to-back with the other movie and was intended to be released first. But they realized the first movie was better, so they moved it from part 2 to 1. Which is funny as today there are many fans who claim part 2 is the better movie. I'm not one of them but they're out there. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent war movie and I like it. It's not action-heavy, though it never drags and the action does pick up towards the end. It's more of a drama for the first hour or so. Chuck is his usual stoic self. Soon-Tek Oh is a suitably despicable villain. Steven Williams plays the POW who betrays the others. Christopher Cary has a brief but enjoyable role as an Australian photographer who tries to help the POWs. The continuity doesn't line up with the previous movie (or the third), but I doubt most viewers will care. If you like Chuck Norris' Cannon movies, you will probably like this one.