Horreur dans la ville

At a little town from Texas a tough sheriff (Chuck Norris) and his helper (Stephen Furst) pitting a dangerous series killer with a supernatural force. The monstrous man is a Frankesntein-alike creation from scientits (Steven Keats, William Finley, Ron Silver) and acting similarly to Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers.

This Chuck Norris vehicle contains action-packed, thrills, chills and lots of blood and violence. The comic relief at charge of Stephen Furst as silly and botcher police telling stupid things , furthermore imitating Taxi Driver's Robert De Niro. Chuck Norris demonstrates his qualities as action hero in violent fights against some nasty punkies at a saloon by means of punches, kicks , slaps and leaps. Peter Bernstein's screeching musical score is composed by synthesizer . The motion picture was regularly directed by Michael Miller. This is an inferior Norris film in spite of it , he was on his best period with his various hits, such as ¨The Octagon¨, ¨An eye for an eye¨, ¨Forced vengeance¨, ¨Lone Wolf MacQuade¨, and ¨Missing in action¨ among others. Rating : Average but entertaining. The picture will appeal to Chuck Norris fans.

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.

I liked it. With Norris you expect lots of martial arts and/or guns versus normal criminals and terrorists. But then you run across this flick! This is as close to a supernatural flick as you can come without any actual suernatural elements. The mute killer is one scary guy, far more terrifying than Jason Vorhees or Michael Meyers. Oh, and like all good Frankensteinian critters, he's still there at the end, waiting for a sequel that will never get made. As most people are used to seeing Stephen Furst doing comedy, it's really disturbing to see him die in a flick.

This movie is pretty much how everyone describes it (a B-grade flick), but there is one worthy element that I feel most people have missed. Brian Libby's character creation was nothing short of brilliant. During the first half of the movie this might not be so noticeable, but towards the end, and especially during the final fight sequence, his movements and mannerisms are highly original and unique. The director would have told him to play the part of a man that has become almost zombie-like, and who has the ability to recover quickly and suddenly, and then left the rest up to the imagination of Brian. Well Brian certainly rose to the occasion, and his work in that last portion of the movie alone should have earned him an award. So yeah, the movie overall might be B-grade stuff, but Brian Libby deserves credit and recognition where it is due, and it is worth while seeing the film just for what he brings to the screen in that last half. I'll add an extra few points out of respect to Brian Libby, and give the film 7/10.

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