Das stumme Ungeheuer

It could be argued that this movie ripped off Halloween, and I'd have to agree, but at least there's an explanation behind the seemingly indestructible nature of the killer in this movie.

The bulk of this movie is hard to watch. Too much of Norris trying to act and not enough of the fighting that made him famous. Chuck's deputy sidekick is one unfunny joke after another. The love scenes were awkward. I didn't even enjoy the gratuitous Norris vs. bikers fight.

The killer's scenes, on the other hand, were mesmerizing. The movie starts with his failed struggle to maintain his sanity. We witness his descent into madness and homicidal rage and then his transformation into one of the most terrifying "monsters" I've ever seen on film.

Think of it as a typically bad Chuck Norris movie where the killer steals the show and makes the movie slightly better than bad. Bonus: A musical score that at moments was surprisingly effective.

This Chuck Norris vehicle was a little different for its time, taking inspiration not only from the slasher films of the time but classic Dr. Frankenstein type stories.

So one could say this is part suspense, part sci-fi, and part horror as Norris plays a low key sheriff of a small Texas town. His nemesis this time is a man named John Kirby (Brian Libby), a disturbed sort who'd gone on a rampage and then been gunned down. However, interfering doctors decide to test their experimental rejuvenating serum on the guy, and turn him into a virtually indestructible monster.

Aside from one scene where Norris humiliates a gang of bikers, this doesn't play out like your usual Norris story, and as mentioned goes for scares more than it does action. Director Michael Miller, who'd previously done the cult classic "Jackson County Jail", handles the material with skill, and manages to create some honest-to-God tension, relying on the music score (composed by Peter Bernstein and Mark Goldenberg) as little as possible. There's one sequence at about the halfway point that will automatically have the viewer thinking of "Halloween", and Libby is genuinely creepy as the killer, having little in the way of dialogue. He's introduced in a striking opening sequence in which the sense of chaos and prowling camera greatly assist in the the mood and the sense of a mind deteriorating.

An interesting supporting cast certainly helps, although Toni Kalem is an unfortunately nondescript leading lady and the supposed comedy relief intended by the casting of Stephen Furst as Norris' deputy doesn't really work too well. Ron Silver is also stuck in a grating role as a one-note "voice of reason" type of guy, but excellent character players Steven Keats and William Finley are amusing to watch as the scientists doing things just as much for their own egos & gratification as any desire to help mankind.

"Silent Rage" is a good deal of fun and gets a lot out of its rural setting. The climactic fight is especially noteworthy the way it takes place without a music score to help drive it along. The movie may not appeal to Norris fans across the board, with its lack of emphasis on his fighting skills, but if they're looking for something a little off the beaten path, it does have its rewards.

Trivia note: none other than Katey Sagal sings the movies' love song.

Seven out of 10.

Not often can two strongly defined movie genres come together and present such a wild mash-up and fun viewing experience. Silent Rage effectively connected Chuck Norris's kung fu action talent in combination to the typical 1980's exploitation of evil, horrific serial killers. The unexplainable madness of Brian Libby's murderous character is similarly crafted to what Michael Myers was in Halloween. There are a lot of comparable features Silent Rage has with Halloween without being a direct rip-off at all. In fact, Michael Miller as the director, attained a great outcome with suspenseful storytelling, humorous dialogue, and exciting sequences that were all his own. Silent Rage may come off outdated and downright silly at certain points but there is also a great deal of entertainment provided.

I remember watching "Silent Rage" along time ago when I was very young, and I could barely sit through the whole film because of the suspense. I would get up and walk into another room, then come back to check out what was going on. It was quite intense for a young kid. I can certainly sit through the whole thing now, without trouble, but the movie is still suspenseful. And, like my one line summary says, this movie creates and maintains suspense better than a lot of the slasher movies that were being made back the the early '80s.

This isn't a well known movie, but it's really one of Norris' best that he's been in. 8/10

If you can get past the painfully slow and boring parts of this film, you should have a rather good time watching it much like I did. It's a fun little horror from the 80's with the ridiculous but hilarious Chuck Norris so of course, you can expect cheesy lines and poorly placed kung fu moves from him.

I was actually surprised by some of the suspense in this film. They actually managed quite a bit of it. The story is pretty silly but it seems like every Chuck Norris movie has the same premise in a way: some sort of bad guy is terrorizing people and Chuck Norris has to fight him. The acting was pretty bad but I guess that's expected. Don't expect an Oscar worthy film from this but turn off your brain for 100 minutes and have a good time!