The reaction from the odious mainstream media about the death of Chuck Norris focused on his political beliefs (because, gasp, they didn’t align with the writers’) and his legacy of being a meme factory. Somewhere they might mention that he made films.
Personally, I came to appreciate Chuck’s films later in life (mine, not his). Early on, my focus was on everything happening in Hong Kong and anything to the West of my little eyrie was not worth my attention – too slow, too pedestrian and a pale imitation of what was happening in Asia. But I matured and came to see Chuck Norris’s film career was much greater than ‘The Way of the Dragon’; he never quite joined the A-list of 80s action stars (hence the title) but still made an enormous contribution to the genre. Like his more illustrious contemporaries, Schwarzenegger and Stallone, many who might not have seen one of his films still knew the name. The beard and moustache too. Put the VHS in the machine and pure testosterone will be pouring out of your JVC (invalidating the warranty). Long before memes turned him into an urban legend, just his name signified something special. THAT is star power.
There aren’t many stars who would be recognised worldwide in the way Chuck Norris would. And not in the sneering way that many critics might suggest, but with a genuine affection that rivals could never muster. This was before he became a fixture on mainstream television with ‘Walker: Texas Ranger’, a move that furthered his fame. For some, this is their entry point to Chuck; for me, and for so many of my generation, it was ‘The Way of the Dragon’. Few men could be expected to be a worthy adversary for Bruce Lee, to seem to give him a real challenge after he had battered scores of lesser mortals. But Chuck could. The first sight of him as he descends the stairs of an aeroplane, and even before you know who Chuck Norris is, you know he means business. (I’d be lying if I said I didn’t try to descend the stairs from the plane with similar gravitas every time I fly, perhaps imagining that I’m being watched by an awe-struck employer, saying my name in hushed tones. But I end up being less Colt and more Reg Varney in ‘On the Buses’.)
From ‘The Way of the Dragon’, Chuck went on to make numerous American hits in the 70s, but it was the 80s and VHS that truly propelled him into another stratosphere. The critics might have turned their noses up at his fare, but fans lapped up every new film that arrived in a shiny VHS box. I still remember my local video shop having big cardboard cut-outs of ‘Firewalker’ to announce its release, giving the Norris flick a reverence usually reserved for a royal visit. A new release was an event in a way that modern film viewers will never truly appreciate.
While Chuck’s stoic hero was an acquired taste to some – making Charles Bronson look like Jerry Lewis – when a project fitted the persona well, it created something special. For me, ‘Code of Silence’ is that film, a superb thriller which gives Norris’s quiet authority a purpose as he battles corrupt colleagues. This would be the first recommendation for a Norris neophyte as it matches the star with a storyline worthy of his presence. Helmed by Andrew Davis, who then made arguably Steven Seagal’s best film, ‘Above the Law’ (not to mention ‘The Fugitive’), it’s an action film packed with good characters, accomplished writing and excellent set pieces. Norris himself considered it a brave move away from the traditional formula in a bid to be taken more seriously. Sadly, those whom he wanted to appease were very unlikely ever to be appeased by a Chuck Norris production and many missed out on an objectively great action thriller.
The aforementioned ‘Firewalker’ was no ‘Armour of God’, but it gave Chuck a chance to be witty and playful with co-star, the late, great Lou Gossett Jr. This side wasn’t often explored, but when it was, it gave Norris an extra dimension and that dry wit marked a change from the more serious roles of his earlier hits.
The Chuck Norris filmography is extensive and many will point to the ‘Missing in Action’ films and ‘Invasion USA’ as his best straight action films. Personally, I would recommend the aforementioned ‘Code of Silence’ along with the following underrated hits. The first is the most ludicrous: ‘Silent Rage’. Yet it has what, in my opinion, might be one of the most unsettling opening ten minutes in cinema, a sequence most straight horror films would envy. The deterioration of John Kirby is a powerful way to open the film and sets the tone for Norris’s most unusual effort, a sci-fi psychological thriller that was critically reviled on release but has since gained a cult following. While it almost operates as two separate films for much of its running time, ‘Silent Rage’ is quite unlike anything else and deserves a watch.
Another unusual choice from the Chuck canon is ‘Hero and the Terror’. I watched this recently and was shocked at how much better it was than my initial viewing back in the day. It’s ‘Silent Rage’-lite in some ways, but gives Chuck a bit more to do acting-wise and he acquits himself surprisingly well. It also fits in with my love of characters finding hidden worlds that co-exist alongside our own; the ‘Terror’ has a set-up that must make him quite the envy of his fellow lunatics.
For a final choice, for those wanting to discover a bit of the Chuck that is gone, there is ‘Lone Wolf McQuade’. This is pretty much Chuck distilled into just over 90 minutes: cool, taciturn and heroic. It paved the way for ‘Walker: Texas Ranger’ years later and is a very decent bit of 80s action.
As we bid farewell to another action icon from the 80s, we remember their ubiquitous dominion over a particular area of the video shop. We remember the most laid-back hero the screen has ever produced and an actor who took the mostly good-natured memes about his macho brilliance in his stride. A cultural icon in a way that his detractors simply do not understand, and the man who stood toe-to-toe with Bruce Lee. It’s fitting to end with one Chuck joke that was doing the rounds online:
“Chuck Norris didn’t die, he completed life. On ‘Hard’ setting.”
