Comeuppance Reviews Josh Randall (Norris) is a soft-spoken tough guy who's used to being an enforcer. But he really gets in over his head when he travels to Hong Kong. Working for the boss of a popular casino, Randall notices something dangerous is afoot when heavies want to buy the casino but the management refuses. People start dying all around him, so he and his old 'Nam buddy LeRoy Nicely (Minor) try to fight off the baddies while protecting the casino owner's daughter. Evil gangster boss Stan Raimondi (Cavanaugh) is greedy and wants not just the casino money, but Randall's blood. Meanwhile, Inspector Keck (Shaw) is trying to use his side of the law to figure out what's going on. Will Josh and LeRoy get answers? Will they get justice? Find out today! Forced Vengeance is classic 80's Chuck. It was still when he had blonde hair and a blonde mustache. It seems Chuck movies can be broken up into two eras: blonde Chuck and red-head Chuck. At some point in time his hair turned a rusty, russet color, thus dividing his career into two halves. Not that one is better than the other, necessarily, but it makes his movies easily identifiable. This particular outing takes a while with its setup, and the pacing isn't necessarily break-neck, but is solid and reliable. It's like an old tank that just keeps rollin' along at its own pace. You get your rewards, but it's not instant gratification like the kids are used to today with their MTV and their e-lectronic gizmos.Even though Golan and Globus had nothing to do with it, this whole film has a look and feel that is very Cannon-esque. From the opening slow-motion, silhouetted fight in front of the neon (much like the opening of one of Sho's classic Cannons) to the way the rest of the film is shot, it will certainly put you in that Cannon frame of mind. The movie uses its Hong Kong locations to very nice effect, and the music by William Goldstein is so sweeping and dramatic, it helps the film rise to heights it might not necessarily have reached otherwise. The main theme is especially cool. Another soundtrack observation: there is an excellent disco/muzak theme of "Super Freak" which is a lot of fun as well.Chuck, who gets some suave line readings and wears tuxedos in this one, gets to channel his inner James Bond. Can you imagine him as an official Bond? We can only dream. Fan favorite Richard Norton is here too, but in a "Where's Waldo"-esque cameo that defies you to spot him. Here's a hint: with his blonde bowl haircut and matching mustache, he looks like he just stepped off the set doing stunt work for Chuck. (Indeed he did do stunt work on the film, along with John Barrett and Aaron Norris, among others). And he appears almost naked, wearing only a pair of tiny red shorts. Still and all, this movie could have used more Norton. The massive red flower Raimondi wears on his lapel is almost the same size as Norton's shorts. Coincidence? Or a visual motif? In other wardrobe news, Chuck's wide array of cowboy hats not only is impressive, but they almost become secondary characters in the movie, as at one point Chuck woefully decries "Why do they always pick on my hat?" Truly the eternal question.When Forced Vengeance was originally released on VHS, it came in one of those awesome MGM silver big-boxes. The kind with the cover on a hinge and the cassette in a plastic tray. We love those. Now the film is on DVD of course, but for the coolness factor, you have to love the original packaging. So for some classic kicking and punching Chuck style, Forced Vengeance is a prime example of why everyone finds him so endearing.

Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW) Being a champion in the martial arts has its perks. In "Forced Vengeance", it says it all. Chuck Norris plays Josh Randall, head of security in a Hong Kong casino where the son of it's original owner works. When Josh returns with money owed from a California gambler, he sees David Pascal (Frank Michael Liu) fire a worker for skimming, and make him leave without his pants. Josh would later visit the original owner, Sam (David Opatachu). When David and Sam meets a competing casino owner (Michael Cavanaugh) who gives him an offer, Sam refuses. Josh puts his martial arts action into overdrive when the father and son are murdered. He would later take it to the max when his girlfriend and Army buddy gets attacked. The big goon gets his just desserts for raping and killing Randall's girlfriend. And for the inspector (Lloyd Kino), he helped Josh after finding out about his partner Keck (Jimmy Shaw) worked for the crime boss. The staircase fight scene was classic, short and swift. Hong Kong was a big place, and it really put Las Vegas to shame. "Forced Vengeance" is really high impact, and it's a Chuck Norris classic all the way. 4 out of 5 stars

Scarecrow-88 The head of security for a small Hong Kong casino, Josh Randall (Chuck Norris) will have to protect the daughter of his murdered boss from a ruthless syndicate, Osiris, headed by a mysterious figure. This figurehead's identity Randall will scour the city to uncover while trying desperately to keep not only Joy Paschal (Camila Griggs) safe from harm, but his own girlfriend, Claire (Mary Louise Weller). The "face" of Osiris is Stan Raimondi (Michael Cavanaugh), whose serpentine smile and unwavering stand about acquiring the Red Dragon Casino from the ownership, preferably "retired", Sam Paschal (David Opatoshu) and his son, David (Frank Michael Liu), will result in two murders, indeed making it easier to get what they want from a helpless Joy if Randall cannot stop him. The difficulty Randall faces is keeping two beautiful women hidden within Hong Kong knowing that Raimondi has "eyes everywhere".I guess you could call "Forced Vengeance" Chuck Norris' "Hong Kong film"; he gets to don a cowboy hat and boots, certain to stand out of a crowd( but who cares?, it's Chuck Norris), move through the busy streets, often encountering all types of hired henchmen of all shapes and sizes. Osiris' plan to build a "Las Vegas in Hong Kong" is of vital interest to Raimondi, and he will pay top dollar to see that this dream becomes a reality. I love all the on-the-spot locations and seeing Norris in his prime, just taking out one nameless Osiris "employee" at a time, inside Hong Kong was always a thrill to me.This was a great period for Norris, having just made "Silent Rage" prior to this (a film which even has Mad Scientist/Halloween overtones which have given it a cult following), as well as, "An Eye for an Eye", it wasn't really until the next film, "Lone Wolf McQuade" that he would become a bonafide star. FV has certain action movie tropes you are familiar with such as stunt extras who show up for their beating, (..leaving the screen after a kick to the face or stomach), the old war buddy the hero needs to protect his women who is killed while Norris is away, the bulky giant who towers over his victims(..using his superior strength to overcome not only the hero's protector friend, but Norris' girl), the sleazy businessman (in this case Raimondi) who will use whatever means is necessary to get what he seeks after (eventually getting his ass handed to him by the hero at the end), and the hero's ascent upon the grounds of the chief nemesis who has caused all the trouble leading to the climax (and, of course, the hero must face the giant who took the lives of his friend and girl). A badly choreographed accidental lynching on board a yacht (you can see the harness) and the giant's removal of a commode (you can actually see the cracks *before* the giant pulls up the commode!) hurt the film. It shouldn't be a surprise that the acting is a bit flat, with Norris not required to emote as much as use his martial arts skills to send lots of men crashing in a heap to the ground. This was a favorite of mine growing up when I would watch a more censored version on cable which might influence a sentimental stance that will always bring me back to it. Love the opening credits and the score which accompany them, assuring us a lot of Norris kicking ass. Surprisingly, Cavanaugh puts up a pretty good fight before Norris bests him.

waldosanmiguel Chuck Norris is not known for his acting chops or his classics. But this one is the best and honest of his pictures. Honest because he knows and the director knows that in order to make an action movie soar is to make it as violent and as simple as this one. Its simple but is told in a very straightforward way. You identify the bad guys, they misbehave, Chuck finds them and kick their asses. The final confrontation between Chuck and the big Chinese guy is done with some realism. Chuck is bloody and angry he is not fighting him in a conventional karate way, he's hitting him with everything he has, he even tries to drown the big fella in a toilet. My favorite by far. Peace.