[tabby title=”Braddock: Missing in Action III”]
In my review of Invasion U.S.A., I mentioned I’ve barely seen any Chuck Norris films, but now thanks to Shout! Factory, I’ve been able to check out two fun flicks on Blu-ray. The first of course was the aforementioned Invasion U.S.A. and the next flick was Braddock: Missing in Action III. I have yet to see the first two in the series, but after seeing MIA III, I can tell you that you really don’t need to check them out to be caught up in the story. It’s a straightforward rescue story, with Chuck Norris kicking some serious butt. As for the Blu-ray, it’s pretty good looking, but it’s sadly lacking special features.
[tabbyending] [tabby title=”Product Information”]
DISCS: 1
RUN-TIME: 103 min
ASPECT RATIO: 1.85:1
RESOLUTION: 1080p
AUDIO: DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo
LANGUAGE: English
SUBTITLES: English
REGION: A/1
RATING: R
PRODUCTION DATE: 1988
RELEASE DATE: Mar 15, 2016
When Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris) is told that his wife and 12-year-old son are still alive in Communist Vietnam, he mounts a one-man assault to free them. Armed with the latest high-tech firepower, Braddock fights his way into the heart of the country, and ends up battling his way out with several dozen abused children in tow. Struggling to protect the kids while outmaneuvering the sadistic Vietnamese officer General Quoc, Braddock ignites the jungles in a blazing race for freedom.
This is the final chapter in the action-packed Missing In Action trilogy, directed by Chuck’s brother, Aaron Norris (stunt coordinator on both Missing In Action and Missing In Action 2: The Beginning).
[tabbyending] [tabby title=”Movie Review”]
Chuck Norris is back in action during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Everyone is looking to get out, but James Braddock (Norris) needs to find his wife ( Miki Kim) before getting the heck out of the craziness. Sadly, after a bombing of the hotel where she is staying, Braddock believes his wife to be dead (she isn’t), and after getting shot, he is sent out of Saigon before he can find out the truth. 12 years later, Braddock finds out his wife is alive and he has a son.
Braddock heads to Vietnam to rescue his wife and son, but runs into the evil leader General Quoc (Aki Aleong) before he can get them out safely. He, along with his family are captured and tortured. Braddock must free himself and his family before they are killed, but he also needs to rescue a bunch of other abandoned Amerasian kids as well, as Braddock is the kind of guy that doesn’t leave any good person behind.
Braddock: Missing in Action III is certainly action packed enough to please plenty of fans of Norris, but it also has a heartfelt story as well, with Braddock meeting his presumed dead wife after 12 long years of thinking she was gone for good. It tugs at your heartstrings. The movie also knows when to have some fun as well, as General Quoc is a hilarious bad guy, shouting Braddock’s name whenever he sees him. He is so over the top, you can’t help but laugh.
I hardly have any complaints about the movie, save for some sketchy acting here and there, but nothing worth fretting over. It provides plenty of explosions and gunfire to please the action hounds, plus it’s got some meat behind the story as well. It’s certainly cheesy at times, but what Norris flick from the 80s wasn’t?
[tabbyending] [tabby title=”Blu-ray Opinion”]
Shout! Factory decided to skip the bonus features for this release. They did, however, do a great job on the audio and video. The disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 sound choice, which effectively utilizes your speakers. The video keeps a nice level of detail throughout. It’s a solid, bare-bones Blu-ray.
[tabbyending] [tabby title=”Verdict”]Having never seen the first two in the series, I can’t properly say whether or not this movie is as good or better than the other two. I can tell you that I enjoyed the flick enough to give it a recommend. I do wish the Blu-ray had some special features, but everything else on the disc is good.
[tabbyending]