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Among all Chuck Norris movies I've watched so far, there were a few I rather liked (especially "Missing In Action" was so hilarious they had to quote it in "Hot Shots 2"), but "Lone Wolf McQuade" is the first time I actually loved every minute. I confess. There are many good reasons for it, though. Already in the opening scene, I noticed the excellent music by Francesco De Masi. The guitars, bells, trumpets, harmonicas are straight from the school of spaghetti western and turn every close-up into larger-than-life drama. David Carradine is a opponent way ahead of the villains Chuck battled in other flicks. Barbara Carrera ("Never Say Never Again") catches the eye as a widow falling in love with Chuck. The story is (intentionally or not) kept as basic as possible: hero meets bad guys, tries a solution with violence, doesn't work, tries MORE violence, then it works. Much in this movie defies reason and logic, but don't ask "why?", just view it as a kind of ritualistic fantasy western in a modern day decoration, thus it can be great fun. And you learn a lot of useful things, for example: you can revive a seemingly dead and definitely buried man with two cans of beer. And don't miss one of the first computer hacking scenes in film history, you won't believe your eyes.

I don't usually like Chuck, but this one hit the spot. I thought the producers could have left out the cornball love scenes, but it still played pretty good. It was totally predictable, particularly the big kick-off between Chuck and Carradine at the end. If you like martial arts, car chases, explosions and hammy, overdone acting then you will go for this one. Funny, Chuck seems to be a crummier actor now than he did when filming this movie.

Any parents thinking of watching "Lone Wolf McQuade" with their young children because the movie got a "PG" rating should be warned - even by today's standards, it's quite violent and has plenty of profanity. Though in my book, those facts are part of what make the movie very entertaining. It's kind of an update of spaghetti westerns made in the 1960s and 1970s, right down to the catchy and tangy musical score by Francesco De Masi. There's plenty of style and action as well. And while I have certainly never thought of Chuck Norris as a good actor, this particular role - where he mostly eschews dialogue and instead communicates with action - fits him pretty well.

If the movie has a weakness, I think it's that it runs a bit too long; the 107 minute running time stretches out the movie somewhat too much. Some tightening by the editor to make a number of scenes play out more quickly would have helped considerably. But I feel I should add that even though the movie is somewhat too long, it's never boring. There's always something happening on the screen to keep your interest. If you have somehow never seen a Chuck Norris movie, this particular effort would be a good introduction to him.

Released in 1983, "Lone Wolf McQuade" inspired the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger that came out a decade later. Chuck Norris stars as the eponymous McQuade, a kick-axx ranger from El Paso who's known for being a 'lone wolf.' He takes on a drug kingpin (David Carradine) whose gang uses automatic weapons while protecting his daughter (Dana Kimmell) and romancing the kingpin's babe (Barbara Carrera).

While it's easy to write off this film because it's so cartoony, melodramatic and unrealistic, it's a quality action flick if you can embrace it for what it is. The action's good, which includes a few martial arts sequences, and the screenwriter at least attempts to add some depth to the characters. Carradine hams it up as the villain dripping with evil while Norris plays an effective loner protagonist. Kimmell is cute and Carrera is ravishing, but they could've done more with them. The spaghetti Western score by Francesco De Masi is excellent and the authentic Southwest cinematography is a plus.

The film runs 107 minutes and was shot in El Paso, Texas.

GRADE: B-

What can I say? This one is a classic!! My all time favorite movie is John Carpenter's Escape from New York with Kurt Russell. Lone Wolf McQuade falls into the same genre of early 80's action movies. I saw this movie when I was a kid and thought to myself, "wow-that desert place looks cool as hell". Well now I live in El Paso.

Everything about this movie is great. It has it all. Killer fistfights, beer, explosions, gunfights, awesome scenery, an evil midget, more beer, and one damn fine senorita' played by Barbera Carrera. The fight at the end between Norris and Carradine is one of the best on film. It's up there with the fight in Roadhouse, and in Die Hard. If you like good ole' fashioned kick ass action. This is your movie!!! A Chuck Norris masterpiece!