Invasion U.S.A.

First off, let's just make it clear that my friend James is an idiot. Look at the cast credits... no credits for the President, let alone his daughter...

Anyhow, despite what James said, INVASION U.S.A. is yet another Chuck Norris epic of patriotism and action. Chuck Norris saves the day and kicks Richard Lynch's butt back to Russia in this 1980's classic. It's nothing spectacular that would be deemed a must see, yet I can't avoid sitting back and watching this movie when it is on TNT (they know drama alright).

Chuck Norris goes on to do WALKER, TEXAS RANGER and SIDEKICKS. Richard Lynch goes on to film WEREWOLF with veteran actor R.C. Bates, the best worst movie ever made.

Sit back and relax America, Chuck's got our back.

One thing I will say about Invasion USA is that when the action gets going it doesn't let up. It's like watching an Indiana Jones movie that way.

The Russians have decided that the way to conqer Ajmerica is to spread naked terror. So several landing craft land one night in Florida and terrorists disembark. The idea is to spread chaos and mayhem with attacks on civilians in places that they congregate.

We however have Chuck Norris on our side, a mysterious agent who has some history with the terrorist Commie leader Richard Lynch. So whrever they strike in the Miami area, Norris is johnny on the spot and does them n at a prodigious rate.

Surprisingly for a Chuck Norris film little martial arts is used except in the end with his final confrontation with Lynch.

It's cinem paranoia at its finest. The best acting is done by Norris's pet armadillo.

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

The President's Man.Invasion USA.Walker:Texas Ranger.Kick Drugs Out Of America.......maybe Chuck Norris' longitivity as a screen action hero would have extended further had he not pledged this rather off-putting 'I Love America'isms in all his work.There's nothing wrong with his proudness of his heritage,but expecting people from around the globe to invest into what is clearly labeled as America's problem is perhap's going to be slightly controversial.

Invasion USA itself spouts some new and original ideas for the genre,but let's itself down by how incoherently it is told.Norris' screen presense remains tightly wound throughout ,but he occupies suprisingly lesser time than one would have expected.The story of the Irab terrorist invasion of America is engaging,and the central villain is rather hissable as a guy who dos'nt care who he hurts as long as he meets his narrow minded ideals.The action sequences,the end shootout especially,are also done very well.If only there was'nt such a patronising tone to it,and more of a consistent plotline to follow.Look out for an early ,low key appearance from Billy Drago in another Norris film.***

...the Israel-based film company responsible for roughly 50% of all the B-movies made in the mid-80's. And that's a crying shame. This one is a doozy, even by their standards, and in some ways could be said to be the quintessential 80's action film: it's violent, features a lot of excessive explosions, is moronically jingoistic, and features drug-dealing Communist terrorists as the bad guys. Chuck Norris stars as a former Special Ops agent who has retired to the bayou, where he drives an airboat and captures gators with his Native American buddy. Chuck's introductory scene, at the controls of his airboat, shirtless and wearing a denim vest as his mullet flaps in the wind, tells you all you need to know about his character.

Richard Lynch co-stars as the villainous ex-Soviet agent Rostov, who has amassed a small army with plans to take over America. Their vicious assault on the typical American suburban neighborhood (during Christmastime, no less!) will set your patriotic blood boiling. It's up to Chuck, his jacked-up pickup truck, and his tiny machine guns, to save the day. Also featuring Melissa Prophet as a tepid love interest, but this movie doesn't really care about that kind of mushy stuff, so she's barely there. Slimy movie bad guy Billy Drago shares a scene with lead baddie Lynch, and it becomes a real sleaze-off as to who is the creepiest. Directed by Joseph Zito, and Chuck worked on the screenplay. At one point, Chuck takes time out to watch Earth vs the Flying Saucers on TV. Even during a Communist invasion, you have to take time for the good things in life.

In 1985, when this film was out, it was a rocking thriller that any of Norris' fans would have given their thumbs to see.

It has NOT aged well.

The plot itself, about communists invading America, was a little far-fetched even for then. A good "what if" scenario at the most.

But when Chuck cuts loose, watch out.

A series of action scenes that make ol' Chuck out to be nothing less than a superhero. The bomb on the bus. The bomb in church. The truck chase. The supermarket shoot-out. The man had ESP and ice in his veins. As great as these scenes may have looked, reality was non-existent.

When Rostov firebombs the homes on Christmas eve however, it was sad to see. Seeing the little girl crying in her front yard while her home and family burn down will NOT be easy to see. Showing kids playing in the street and people getting Christmas shopping out of their cars before the carnage brought it home. This was the "This Rostov guy is SCUM" scene. Made you hate him even more.

Kudos to Richard Lynch. He does make a great villain.