Leofwine_draca A superior sequel to Chuck's first Vietnam effort, this is a small-scale drama of prison camp torture and escape, the second half packed with simplistic but pleasing action as Norris kills off dozens of enemy soldiers and generally acts as a hero. Yes, this is violent bone-breaking stuff with graphic head shots, people burning, and a protracted finale which just about celebrates Norris causing extreme bodily harm to his enemy. The tortures (rats are placed in bags over prisoner's heads, living men are burnt) are brutal in the extreme and give the movie a hard edge. The realistic jungle locations give the feeling that this was filmed in the middle of a sweaty tropical inferno somewhere and add to the experience.Norris reprises his role as Colonel Braddock in what is a prequel to the first film, explaining how he managed to escape from the bad guys. The escape is exhilarating as it should be, and fans of the revenge genre will be in their element - this offers up the same kind of "kill everything that moves" moral that Arnie's COMMANDO so superbly displayed. The supporting cast are pretty good and each fits into their respective character with ease. Soon-Tek Oh's dastardly Colonel Yip is a baddie you love to hate, one of the nastiest opponents of Norris' film career and a real swine. Familiar faces include Steven Williams as a captive who turns on his friends, and Professor Toru Tanaka (previously in AN EYE FOR AN EYE with Norris), sadly underused as a heavy. This is mindless but entertaining '80s fare, not for those easily offended but a darned adrenaline-pumping time for those who aren't.

ebiros2 This movie has lot more story to it than the part 1.Most of the scenes in this movie are beautiful. On the average, Golan-Globus made some of the best quality budget movies of the '80s. Many of them had compelling titles that made you want to go to the theaters and take a look regardless of the content. Chuck Norris' chronic sour expression spoils the mood of this movie. He's supposed to be the hero, so lighten up Chuck, we don't want to be depressed watching you.Soon Tak Oh was great as the villain. The inevitable duel in the end was one of the most memorable martial arts combat scene of the decade.Good movie that could have been better if Chuck wasn't so down all the time, but part 3 answers to that.

andrewhaeufle the first missing in action was, okay, i guess, mindless action, cheesy. this was MUCH better though. it actually had a pretty good interesting story. the first part of this film is all the torture this crazy man yin. he runs the place. he is such a dick he made me want to go into the movie and kick his ass. the second half is chuck doing what he does best, kicking ass and blowing stuff up. and the ending is as satisfying as it gets, Braddock vs. yin. i found this film very predictable, but isn't that all 80s action films? ha but i loved it anyway. instead of mindlessness of the first missing in action, this one had heart. it was very phisicological for an action film. this had a certain effect, especially in this one scene were yin burns a letter from Braddock's wife. it was pretty original compared to the first one witch was obviously rip off of Rambo first blood part 2. this film is very good give it a watch!

lost-in-limbo Cannon productions backs another American colonel James Braddock film to the surprising hit that was the 1984 Chuck Norris starring post-Vietnam action-flick "Missing In Action". This sequel 'The Beginning' is a prequel to the original and from the trivia on this site it explains that it was actually made before Joseph Zito's film which was shot back to back with number two. I guessed they liked Zito's effort more, and you can see why. But this spirited entry is not a complete lost.This very low-cost, raw looking sequel (prequel) seems to primarily parade around its many fragmented set-pieces of brutally unpleasant torture and demoralizing spirit-breaking with little in a way of story to back it all up. Due to this it could lull and get fairly repetitive making it feel longer than it is, but it gets you emotionally invested and few and far between are some effective moments like a rat in a bag sequence. After a slowly lean get-up amongst the stinking hot jungle setting and POW camp (which for most part is completely dreary), it finally breaks the shackles in the last half-hour or so with blistering action (even if some of it is poorly conceived) complete with explosions and Norris suitably paying back some of his own medicine in what is a fittingly tough and cheering confrontation (due to what has gone before it) with the sadistically malevolent Colonel Yin performed with smarting glee by Soon Tek-oh. Norris looking quite weathered and bruised goes about things in a steely and scrappy manner until the rage he kept inside finally breaks out after the constant torment to get him to confess to the unheralded crimes. The acting is inconsistent, but the cast features the likes of Steven Williams (probably best known for his part as X in the 'X-Files' series), John Wesley and Professor Toru Tanaka. Lance Hool's direction is fundamentally gritty, but authentic in style. Adding to the drama is Brian May's bombastic score with a somber touch at times within its cues.Although I've seen this feature quite a few times, it's not as entertaining as the first film, but Cannon's cheap-jack b-grade fodder still packs grit and brute force.