6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.9 |
Colonel James Braddock is an American officer who spent seven years in a North Vietnamese POW camp, then escaped 10 years ago
Starring: Chuck Norris, M. Emmet Walsh, David Tress, Lenore Kasdorf, James HongAction | 100% |
War | 36% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
French: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
German: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
All tracks are 48kHz, 24-bit
English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Watching the hokey Chuck Norris return-to-Vietnam movie Missing in Action today—28 years after its release—is a bit like watching a version
of Tropic Thunder with all the comedy edited out, leaving only cheeseball '80s action tropes. That is, it's nearly indistinguishable from a parody
of itself. With the recent proliferation of internet memes like "Chuck Norris Facts"—e.g., "Chuck Norris gives life lemons"—the impressively bearded
martial artist has become an ironically venerated superbeing capable of counting to infinity twice, texting using a rotary phone, and lighting
fires by rubbing two ice cubes together. As my personal favorite fact goes, Norris "puts the laughter in manslaughter."
Of course, the thing about ironic veneration is that by definition it's really only applied to things that were never that great in the first place. Hence, the
rabid "love" of so-bad-they're-good movies like Road House and Troll 2 and Showgirls. Likewise, Missing in Action falls
into a special category of awful, inadvertently hilarious filmmaking—a sort of far-right-wing camp kitsch, ridiculously patriotic and borderline racist. The
film is Reagan-era Vietnam revisionist hokum at its best—or worst, I guess—casting the U.S. as unimpeachably well-intentioned and portraying the
Vietnamese as commie red bastards, duplicitously evil and heartless. It's nigh impossible to view this as a straight-faced action film anymore.
Missing in Action makes its Blu-ray debut with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that looks about as good as a mid-1980s B-movie action flick can be expected to look. The film was shot on a rather grainy 35mm stock, but Fox/MGM has wisely avoided any de-noising or filtering—no repeat of the Great Predator DNR Disaster of 2011—and the picture is likewise free of artificial edge enhancement. The print itself is in very good shape; you'll spot some mild brightness flickering in a few scenes, but there are no scratches or stains and hardly any white specks. The level of clarity is unavoidably constrained by the gritty film stock and the spherical lenses used, but the sheer act of remastering the film in high definition brings out detail that just wouldn't be visible on DVD. Color is satisfyingly reproduced too, with dense green jungle foliage, fiery explosive blasts, and deep but not oppressive blacks. If Norris' skin tones look a bit ruddy at times, I suspect it's because Norris' skin tones are ruddy. Watching the film, there's definitely an immediate sense of yes, this looks better than I remember, so for hardcore Chuck Norris fans, the Blu-ray is probably worth the cost of the visual upgrade.
This is no top-tier, grade-A action flick, so it should come as no surprise that Missing in Action skips a multi-channel sound mix in favor of good old-fashioned mono. The film's Blu-ray release at least delivers a lossless track, with a DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 presentation that gets the job done adequately, with no overt hissing, pops, or crackles. Most importantly, dialogue is always high in the mix and easily understood, although voices can occasionally sound a bit too rounded and heavy in the mid-range. The explosions are thin and bass-less, but gunshots have a decently weighty pop. Otherwise, the effects are entirely unremarkable. Audio-wise, the best part of the film is undoubtedly when Braddock makes his way through the Bangkok streets, which are filled with deliciously cheesy 1980s electro music. The film also features a synth-meets-orchestral score by Jay Chattaway, best known for his work on various Star Trek series. The disc includes French, Italian, German, and Catalan dubs, all in DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0.
The lone supplement on the disc is the film's theatrical trailer, presented in high definition.
Missing in Action is an exceptionally dumb movie—a B-level Rambo ripoff at best—but there's no doubt that it has its cult fans. Whether they love it genuinely, ironically, or with a guilty pleasure glee is another matter entirely, but regardless, Chuck Norris apologists of all stripes should be happy with this Blu-ray upgrade, which more than adequately updates the film's home video presentation for the high definition era. There are no special features on the disc beyond a theatrical trailer, but it's not like this is a high-priced title. Do note that the release is currently a Walmart exclusive, but it should arrive at other retailers later this year.
4K Restoration
1985
1986
1985
1988
2K Restoration
1988
Special Collector's Edition
1988
2012
1968
2011
2002
1990
2003
Rambo
1982
2012
2008
Forces spéciales
2011
2018
2019
Ultimate Edition
2002
1986