Movie Review – Missing in Action (1984)
“The war’s not over until the last man comes home!”
Back in the early 1980s, there was still a lot of talk about American soldiers possibly still being held prisoner in Vietnam, from a war that ended back in 1975. Many American servicemen were still reported as missing in action (MIA), and considering the dense jungle environment and the hostility from the Communist government of Vietnam, it certainly was possible that our guys were still captive.
The 1984 action film Missing in Action uses the still-captured American soldiers as its theme. The film involves Colonel Braddock, a special forces officer who was captured and later escaped, returning to Vietnam as part of a diplomatic mission. He knows that the country is still hiding secrets, and he infiltrates a prisoner-of-war camp to rescue captured Americans.
Directed by Joseph Zito, Missing in Action stars the legend himself Chuck Norris as Colonel James Braddock, a man set on bringing home captured American soldiers. Supporting him in the film are M. Emmet Walsh as Braddock’s old friend, Jack Tucker; Lenore Kasdorf as Ann Fitzgerald, an aide on the diplomatic mission; and James Hong as Vietnamese General Trau, a sinister man who wants to pin phone war crimes on Colonel Braddock.
Missing in Action begins back in the Vietnamese jungle during the war. Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris) is leading his men back from a mission when they encounter Viet Cong soldiers. It’s a large gun battle as the enemy tries to stop the American soldiers from retreating. Most of the soldiers are able to board the Huey helicopters, but the Viet Cong do shoot down one of the choppers.
Missing in Action (1984) – (c) The Cannon Group / MGM
The last ones left are Braddock and a couple of his men. His men are ambushed and heavily wounded. As Braddock kills the ambushers, one of the enemy soldiers shoots and wounds him. He watches from a hut as that enemy soldier then uses a bayonet to viciously stab the Americans until they’re dead. This infuriates Braddock, so he grabs two grenades, pulls the pins, and leaps down to that enemy soldier, killing himself and everybody else in an explosion.
Colonel Braddock suddenly wakes in a hotel room.It was just a nightmare from the war. Braddock has been suffering from many of these nightmares from his time in Vietnam, from both as a soldier and a prisoner of war (POW). Read more…
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Movie Review – Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988)
Just when you think that the story is finished in Missing in Action 2: The Beginning, along comes its sequel, Braddock: Missing in Action III.
Released in 1988, Braddock: Missing in Action III is a sequel to MIA 2. The jury is still out as to whether or not this film is considered as a prequel or sequel to the first Missing in Action film. As we remember from MIA, that film takes place in 1984 while MIA III takes place in 1987, but MIA III‘s events are linked more with MIA 2 than the first film.
It’s a loose connection between MIA 2 and this film. Don’t look for any of the characters or actors to return in Braddock: Missing in Action III. The same goes for the general plot elements in MIA 2.
MIA III begins back in Vietnam as the U.S. is withdrawing from the country. Braddock has a wife in the country, but there’s a moment when he believes that she is dead. He leaves Vietnam and returns to the United States. Twelve years later, Braddock receives a message that not only is his wife still alive, but he has a son who is also still living in Vietnam. Braddock returns to the country to free his family, but a sinister Vietnamese general has other plans.
Braddock: Missing in Action III was directed by Aaron Norris, a brother of the legendary action star. The film stars Chuck Norris in the title role of Colonel James Braddock, an officer in the U.S. army. Once again, this film is filled with mostly nobodies in the acting world, though in the opening segments you’ll find veteran actor Keith David in a small role.
Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988) – (c) Cannon Films
Braddock: Missing in Action III begins in April of 1975 as the South Vietnamese city of Saigon is about to be overrun with Communist forces from the north. The Americans are evacuating refugees from their embassy. Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris) flies above the huge crowds of refugees as his helicopter lands on top of the American embassy.
It’s time to leave the country. Braddock looks for his wife, Lin, but she’s not at the embassy. When talking to the captain of the gate (Keith David), he learns that Lin returned to her home to get her papers. Without them she wouldn’t be allowed into the embassy and able to flee the country. Concerned for her safety, Braddock takes a jeep and drives to Lin’s house. Read more…
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Movie Review – Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
In 1984 the world was introduced to Missing in Action, a Chuck Norris action film that took us back to Vietnam in search of American soldiers still classified as being missing in action (MIA).
In Missing in Action, we learn that Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris) was himself a prisoner of war (POW) with other American soldiers in Vietnam. They were tortured, and later Braddock lead a revolt against the Vietnamese captors and escaped from the jungle.
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning tells that captivity and escape story in greater detail.
Directed by Lance Hool, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning stars Chuck Norris in the role of Colonel James Braddock, an officer in the U.S. Army’s special forces who becomes a prisoner of war when his helicopter is shot down in Vietnam. Supporting him is Soon-Tek Oh playing the role of the sinister Vietnamese POW camp leader Colonel Yin. You’ll also find Professor Toru Tanaka as one of the guards in the camp.
That’s about it for the cast of this film. Everybody else is a nobody in Hollywood.
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985) – (c) Cannon Films / MGM
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning takes place back in the Vietnam War. Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris) joins his fellow soldiers in a UH-1 Huey helicopter. They take off and fly to a nearby landing zone where fellow American soldiers are pinned down by the Viet Cong. Col. Braddock and his men are able to use the Huey’s weapons to pin down the enemy. They land and pick up a few soldiers, but the Viet Cong shoots a missile and it hits the Huey. As the helicopter descends and threatens to crash, Col. Braddock orders his men to jump out of the chopper. He’s the last to leave before the chopper crashes in a fiery explosion.
The American soldiers are all classified as missing in action. This includes Col. Braddock, Captain David Nester (Steven Williams), Lieutenant Anthony Mazilli (Cosie Costa), Master Sergeant Ernest Franklin (John Wesley), and Corporal Lawrence Opelka (Joe Michael Terry). They are all captured by the Viet Cong and taken to a prisoner of war camp. Read more…
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