Good Guys Wear Black
"Everything went wrong by the numbers, and that takes planning." - Booker
release year: 1979
genre: action/drama
viewing setting: home DVD 3/24/26 and DVD 8/6/22 and 12/10/13 and 10/10/04
synopsis: Ex-CIA operative realizes that other surviving members of his team are being assassinated.
impressions: This is one of Chuck Norris' earlier works, and it shows: there's not a lot of action, and there's a fair bit of plot. I think the conspiracy angle is a good one, but there just aren't any notable martial-arts-using bad guys like in later Chuck Norris movies. Still, it's a good government-conspiracy-and-betrayal adventure.
things to watch for: Chuck's behavior at the very end...he just figures out the core problem and decides to get rid of it
something this movie has that no other movie has: a flying karate kick through the windshield of a speeding car
acting: Chuck Norris does fine, but he seems to be lacking the confidence that he had later in his career. Anne Archer, in an early role, is a mysterious woman who may or may not be part of the problem. Lloyd Haines is Chuck's CIA friend who helps out. James Franciscus is the villainous politician who has zero hesitation in ordering people killed to further his own career.
final word: Worth seeing, but not his most action-packed work.
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