Dent pour dent

After his iconic battle against the legendary Bruce Lee in 1972's Way of the Dragon (and with the encouragement of cinematic superstar and karate student Steve McQueen), six-time, undefeated world karate champion Chuck Norris felt it was time to move permanently into the world of cinema.

The nicely paced, entertaining and well-structured film is filled with solid direction and wonderful performances.Chuck Norris is cool, a bit humorous and totally believable as a courageous, but dangerous hero. It's also no surprise that the legendary Christopher Lee brings a touch of diabolical class to his villainous role while the great and always reliable Richard Roundtree delivers another solid performance.

Add to all of this a kick-ass musical theme by talented composer William Goldstein (Chuck's Forced Vengeance) and you have an early 80s action/adventure that is a real joy to watch.

If, like me, you're a fan of Chuck Norris's early 80s martial arts/action films, I highly recommend An Eye for an Eye.

Overall worth watching..8 out of 10

'Chuck Norris doesn't need a weapon... he is a weapon!' Oh, yeah. Don't you know it! This is what I like to see. Where can you get a Norris film which has him in a red sports car, flaunting a blinding fashion sense, glowing golden hair, a sensitive pet dog called Mort, Mako as his comical martial arts mentor, an unstoppable henchman, Richard Roundtree, Christopher Lee, haunting flashbacks, plenty of fodder for some ass-whooping and of course that fuzzy mo. Hey wait on. What, there's no mo on show?! I don't know, but I guess I have to deal with it. Even though it has dynamism of its own. More so than the man! Anyhow all of this can be found in director Steve Carver's "An Eye For An Eye", who was also responsible for the highly amusing and surprisingly stylish Norris' outing "Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)".

Carver knows his stuff, by keeping it at a cracking pace, competent flair and plastering it with brilliantly stylised and choreographed action set-pieces. Some lively suspense, and jolting thrills are randomly worked in along the way. The premise is routine, and the twists foreseeable. Vengeance, vengeance. I think Norris has got vengeance on mind, and flashy slow motion is the weapon of choice. Of course nothing is going to get in his way. This makes it quite exciting, over-the-top and at times comical. Yes there's some intentional humour too, even in the wonky script. The San Francisco backdrop is well-used (from the gritty to the attractive) as its spaciously photographed and William Goldstien's moodily appealing score is pitch-perfect. The wooden plank that's Norris does what's needed of him, and strangely holds your attention in an adequate turn. A tip-top supporting cast give it a little more credit. Mako brings a wilful personality that suitably feeds off Norris. Richard Roundtree's cynical, frown-beating Capt. Stevens and Christopher Lee's smooth presence features largely as Morgan Canfield. Rosalind Chao, Maggie Cooper and Matt Clarke are solid too. In a role that's hard to forget is Professor Toru Tanaka as the formidable, stone-engraved opponent that Norris must encounter. A swiftly executed and undoubtedly engaging actioner.

What a cast "An Eye For An Eye" has! There's Christopher Lee, Mako, Professor Toru Tanaka, Richard Roundtree, and Terry Kiser. Oh, and there is also Chuck Norris, and unfortunately once again he gives a performance that is pretty lacklustre, especially since the supporting players give pretty lively performances. But I'm sure that Norris' inadequate acting doesn't matter to many people, since they are more concerned if the movie delivers some solid action. Well, there are some good action sequences. The martial arts, while not as breathtaking as those found in Hong Kong movies, do come across as believable and exciting. The problem is that we often have to wait for a considerable amount of time for the action sequences, and this surrounding plot is familiar and predictable. The movie is fairly well produced, looking a lot better than Norris' low budget movies made in the 1970s. In the end, this movie is only so-so, but if you've ever wanted to see a martial arts movie produced by Frank Capra Junior, here it is.

In my review of Forced Vengeance, I mentioned that there are three looks to Chuck Norris: smooth-faced, moustache, and bearded. I'd call "Forced Vengeance" Moustache-Norris' best, "The Hit-man" Bearded-Norris' best, "The Delta Force" Norris' best in general and "An Eye For An Eye" Smooth-Faced-Norris' Best.

Despite being a sold action movie that is very fun and thrilling, the acting is bad and story is unoriginal. Chuck Norris plays a cop who witnesses his partner being murdered after being set up, quits the force and seek vengeance. There's really nothing more to it than that. And as I mentioned earlier, the acting is bad (for the most part). Chuck Norris is simply a bad actor. I've seen better acting by first-time high schoolers in a drama class. He has gotten better over the years, rising from terrible to just okay. I laughed at Norris during a few parts. Nobody else is necessarily "bad," but everybody really is cheesy. Every martial-arts film is cheesy-as-can-be! Christopher Lee is the only real actor in this that can be taken seriously. But due to an all-around corny movie, it affects him. A movie with good acting was not what they were trying to get at. This is a straight-up action movie that stirs-up smart thrills and excellent action. This features some of Norris' best physical fight scenes and gun fights. Easily top 5 for Norris in terms of action and suspense. The build-up of mayhem and destruction that comes is exciting. Even though its cheesy, its the good kind; the over-the-top, cartoony cheese. There can't be a strong sense of danger and not be thrilling. Actually it can be dull, but this isn't a bad movie. The action is fabulous and danger is lots of fun. Props to Christopher Lee too.

3.5/4

Avemb's "An Eye for an Eye" is an effective martial arts actioner vehicle for the current champ of the genre, Chuck Norris. Helmer Steve Carver mixes a realistic approach with comic strip elements effectively and though results are routine. Pic should please fans of chop-socky.

Norris toplines as a San Francisco cop who quits the force and goes after revenge when his partner and partner's girlfriend are killed by drug traffickers. Aided by his former police boss Capt. Stevens (Richard Roundtree), Norris evens the accounts and takes care of the drug ring.

Making solid atmospheric use of S. F. locations, Carver segues from realistic violence and tension to comic strip hokum in the form of a huge oriental villain (Toru Tanaka), whose menacing antics tip the audience that the film is all in fun. Format has Norris, in traditional Western genre fashion, helped and heckled by an old pro "master" James Chan (Mako), whose wisecracks provide comic relief.

Norris's acting is improving and his balletic fighting and kicking skills remain tops in the field. Chris Lee is fine as an urbane villain, while Maggie Cooper is cute as romantic interest for Norris. Tech credits are good, My review was written in August 1981 after a Midtown Manhattan screening.