Œil pour œil

When I was growing up, I would watch Eye For An Eye a million times a year. That was my favorite Norris movie, until I came across Lone Wolf McQuade in the video stores in 1987. I love that movie SO MUCH! The acting isn't that great (I don't think any of his movies have 1st rate acting), but being an action Norris movie, it's right on target! The musical theme to Lone Wolf McQuade fit very much in the movie. It sounds a bit like those Eastwood spaghetti western themes, but better! If anyone didn't like this movie, they're brain dead! (Anyone who's a Norris fan that is) :) If you're a TRUE Norris fan & if you love action flicks, rent this movie today, you'll love it!

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.

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.

Why do 90 percent of the people writing reviews on this site have to tell the entire synopsis of the movie?

It's a waste of time. Just tell us what you liked/disliked of the movie and go about your business!

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.