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Forced Vengeance is another example of an one of those movies that would be unwatchable were it not for all the hilarious scenes. This TBS regular is the story of ex-soldier turned casino security guard, Josh Randall (Norris), who takes on a Hong Kong Syndicate single-handedly after his boss and friend, Sam Paschal (Opatoshu), is murdered by a rival casino owner. (If that in itself doesn't spell hilarity, I don't know what does.) Along with his deadpan narration, this film truly showcases Norris' acting prowess. :) This combined with the incredibly trite dialog leads to some of the funniest moments in the film. "He's sick, verrry sick..." says Randall matter-of-factly to some Hong Kong locals as he kidney-punches a corrupt Inspector who's been hounding him and stuffs him into a car. It just doesn't get any better than this, folks. I love this movie. There are so many funny moments it's worth watching over and over. And I guarantee you'll be quoting some of Randall's lines for weeks afterwards if you give it a chance.

This film kicks and punches. I have seen a lot of action films, and this one has the best direction for action sequences. The karate is just excellent, the one scene with the neon lights with the two dark combatents is way cool. The big man fight is interesting, and the story melts well with the action. This movie is about the action. The scene with the toilet almost killed Chuck in real life.

Chuck Norris is not known for his acting chops or his classics. But this one is the best and honest of his pictures. Honest because he knows and the director knows that in order to make an action movie soar is to make it as violent and as simple as this one. Its simple but is told in a very straightforward way. You identify the bad guys, they misbehave, Chuck finds them and kick their asses. The final confrontation between Chuck and the big Chinese guy is done with some realism. Chuck is bloody and angry he is not fighting him in a conventional karate way, he's hitting him with everything he has, he even tries to drown the big fella in a toilet. My favorite by far. Peace.

Forced Vengeance is about much raw strength and nice evil characters. Real characters, not the usual martial arts actors of the nineties. It's great! The plot has Norris as a bouncer in a Hong Kong casino where his father-and-son bosses are an adopted family for him. When the elder boss refuses to sell out his place to a proliferating casino chain, both he and his son are killed. The sole heir to their fortune is the partying daughter that Norris must now protect from the greedy syndicate.

The story isn't particularly good, but it's quite adequate in linking lots of fight scenes together without sacrificing too much logic. The pacing is what really makes this movie work. Director James Fargo keeps the story moving with claustrophobic camera-work of back-alleys, boats, rooms at the brothel, and other places where bad guys could (and often do) attack. Not to mention some beautiful shots of Hong Kong itself. The fights aren't great, but they're some of the better ones I've seen from Norris, and there's lots of 'em. Some are even choreographed. There's also a delightful non-fighting cameo from Richard Norton ("Shanghai Express"). The action is good, though nothing spectacular. Luckily, there is plenty of action and I have never seen Norris look this cool. Highly recommended for fans of Chuck Norris.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

"Forced Vengeance" is lesser Chuck Norris from this period, but even lesser Chuck Norris does assure us a reasonable amount of ass kicking. Chuck plays Josh Randall, a security chief at a Hong Kong casino that was the baby of a man named Sam Paschal (David Opatoshu). Trouble brews when Sam's foolish son David (Frank Michael Liu) gets mixed up with a mobster named Raimondi (Michael Cavanaugh), and of course the mobster is the kind of guy who can't stand hearing the word "no". When Sam and David are rubbed out, Josh swears vengeance, taking it on the lam until the big final confrontation. We have to give director James Fargo some credit, as he knows well what the standout scene in this movie is, a fight with a sea of neon as the backdrop while Chuck and foe are in silhouette. This is very striking, and we see it not once but twice, as it plays out under some of the opening credits. Would that the rest of the movie were that stylish. It's basically standard stuff, and its major problem is that it feels awkward at times, in some of the fights and especially when it goes for levity. (At least we know some of the humour is intentional, especially in one fine moment that may remind the viewer of the "shooting the swordsman" gag in "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Chuck's narration and dialogue are sometimes priceless; here's one gem that may have one thunderstruck: "Sweet cheeks, you could have been a toasted marshmallow." as Chuck refers to a person he'd threatened to set aflame in order to get another to talk. (It *is* cool that he displays such a sense of ruthlessness.) Some of the climactic action gets hilariously repetitive, as in order to find out who's *really* behind everything (even Raimondi is answering to someone higher), he interviews one criminal lowlife who inevitably refers him to somebody else. The cast is variable; some of them are pretty nondescript, but others do well, especially old pro Opatoshu. Cavanaugh is also good as the villain (he actually has the upper hand for a while in his fight with Chuck), Mary Louise Weller ("Animal House") and Camila Griggs supply some nice eye candy, and Bob Minor is quite likable as Chuck's friend. In any event, one can't write off any movie in which the head honcho is fond of Tom & Jerry cartoons and in which inspired use is made of a toilet. Chuck is in fine form as always, and it remains a good time to watch him taking on all comers. While this isn't among his best, it's certainly not his worst, either. Six out of 10.