Search and Destroy

Search And Destroy was one of the first "post Vietnam vet" movies, and was one of the best. It wasn't about a super-human green beret who can kick everyone's butt, but rather a story of revenge. The music in the movie, especially the end title sequence is nothing short of great. Perry King was excellent in the film, and I followed all of Don Stroud's movies afterward to see if he did anything 'martial art' after. The movie is suspenseful, with a villain who will stop at nothing until everyone dies, and really brings out the primal feelings in keeping yourself and those you love around you, alive. This was one of my top movies from the 1970's.\classicalloy

Filmed in 1978 and showing its age, "Search & Destroy" is a monotone action film which instead of offering diversion attempts to conjure up the bitterness of Vietnam War veterans in a standard vengeance format. Grim, humorless nature of most of the pic bodes ill on the grind circuit.

Simple plot line begins in 1968 when a Vietnamese official (Park Jong Soo) being escorted by a U. S. Special Forces unit refused to aid a wounded G. I., looking out for his own skin instead. The G. I.'s four buddies were understandably angry and left Soo behind to face the VietCong alone.

Picking up 10 years later, Soo, (with disfigured hand encased in black glove as audience identifier), is in the U. S. methodically killing off the quartet. Last two survivors, Kip (Perry King) and Buddy (Don Stroud) are ambushed at Niagara Falls by Soo early in the film, leaving Buddy paralyzed and Kip fighting mad. Film's last hour is the one on one war, with local cops powerless and Kip's girlfriend (Tisa Farrow) listening to Kip's resentful pronouncements concerning the "unfinished war".

Photogenic views of Niagara Falls are the main interest in "Search & Destroy". Canadian helmer William Fruet gets a couple of kung fu fights over with early on, packing bulk of the pic with unconvincing automatic weapons battles and Buddy Van Horn-guided chases around town. Cast performs adequately, though Soo's villain is expressionless and lacking in the required hint of menace.

My review was written in June 1981 after Midtown Manhattan screening.

Take the "Maid of the Mist" tour boat, great Niagara Falls photography, and drop in a solid Vietnam revenge story. What you get is a surprisingly entertaining film, "Search and Destroy." Perry King and Don Stroud are the targets for a former War buddy, who is now their Vietnamese enemy seeking revenge after being left for dead. George Kennedy heads the not so helpful police. The movie is exciting and a terrific score is another plus. "Search and Destroy" is one of those films that, although clearly a "B" movie with an obvious limited budget, manages to greatly exceed expectations. It's worth me pounding the table for those who appreciate this type. I guarantee you will not be disappointed, and you may even wish to tell others about your unknown film discovery. - MERK

The late 70s and early 80s spawned quite many "Vietnamsploitation" movies; - about rough, tough, and preferably mentally traumatized 'Nam veterans running amok on American soil a handful of years after their return from the Asian jungles. Usually they are good guys, ridding the big city streets of thugs and drug dealers, and occasionally they're the ones going on a psychotic killing spree. "Search and Destroy", by the underrated cult-director William Fruet ("Death Weekend", "Baker County USA"), is something different altogether. Here, the Vietnam war simply continues where it left off, expect that it moves to the beautiful area of Niagara Falls.

The plot is very simply, but effective and doesn't put too much energy in providing a detailed background. Former members of an elite squad are stalked and killed, and the last two remaining soldiers, Kip and Buddy, find out the assailant is a Vietnamese political prisoner they were supposed to escort through the jungle, but they left them for dead during a chaotic airstrike attack. Now he's after them during the peak of the Niagara Falls tourist season, and the local police forces want to avoid negative publicity at all costs.

In all honesty, I expected "Search and Destroy" to be better and more exhilarating. The vets, although neatly portrayed by Perry King and the awesome Don Stroud, aren't the most sympathetic characters, and their opponent - the unknown Jong Soo Park - isn't a memorable or menacing villain at all. The best roles come from the Niagara Falls cops, notably George Kennedy and Tony Sheer, and the real show-stealer of) this film are obviously the breath-taking filming locations. Promoting the beauty of Niagara Falls and inserting publicity for the popular tourist attractions, like a boat trip on the Maiden of the Mist, all this was possible in 70s exploitation cinema!

I'm always really shocked about how low some films score considering the crap that Hollywood churns out today. Sure its low budget and definitely wouldn't be made today considering Hollywoods lack of faith in making something a bit different from buddy buddy cop films. Basically the premise is that a bunch of Vietnam vets are being killed off. The assailant is shown quite quickly onscreen but that doesn't detract from a series of cat and mouse chase sequences that are both tense and filmed very compently. The issue from others but not in my opinion is that the killer doesnt have the kind of pulling power of say Sly Stallone in Rambo. To me the characterisation in this film is more than one dimestional as I feel Rambo is. A Rambo clone this isn't. It's a enjoyable film of set pieces with a really good story of revenge. The final scenes where the killer is chasing the remaining characters through the big city is really good. If you do happen to find a copy of this film. Watch it. You might discover a hidden gem. Recommended!