Chuck Norris: Missing in Action 1 and 2 [Blu-ray]

Revisiting Chuck Norris has it's moments! His 1-liners, his brand of action whether dispatching bad guys with an arsenal of weapons or with his hands & feet, the man can b considered 2 b the original lethal weapon, sorry Mel!!These movies the better 1's of the trilogy were available individually by Walmart as part of their exclusive blu-ray line. They r now available together @ a fantastic low price!So fans of Chuck Norris, the time 2 act is now, go 4 it!!!

These are two classic movies and the packaging and disc are great quality!

Only MIA1 is wide-screen MIA2 is standard. I wanted to return them but technically it does say multi-format. It really should indicate that THEIR definition of multi'format is that one movie is one format and the other movie is a different format. I'don't suggest making a pass on this one and buy the movies individually if you want widescreen - meaning BOTH movies in widescreen.

Only way to make it better is all 3 together!

the two best Norris movies on bluray .

I love 80's action movies!

2 for 1 special. Chuck Norris as Col. Braddock in Missing in Action! Great movie with lots of action!

When Chuck Norris does push ups, he's actually pushing the earth down.

What we have here is a double helping of Cannon Films jungle set action movie silliness in the form of Missing In Action and its sequel, starring everyones favorite hirsuted martial artist Chuck Norris. Both films arrive in this American import two-fer box set from MGM on their own separate Blu ray discs and both are completely region free. The discs are essentially the same as the singular releases but together in this set work out as a cheaper alternative despite some rather ugly cover art which makes these look like straight to video 1990s titles. Utilising the original poster reproductions would have been far more preferable especially for the nostalgic Chuck Norris fan.Both of these movies were shot pretty much back to back, with Missing in Action originally intended to be the sequel but thanks to a far more successful Sylvester Stallone vehical with a very similar concept released around the same time and also the fact that producers Golan and Globus believed Missing In Action to be the better film of the two the release order was reversed. Subsequently Missing In Action 2 was released later with the subtitle 'The Beginning' as it was then intended to be a prequel of sorts which I am sure confused the hell out of the moviegoers these films were aimed at.The set up for Missing In Action needs no introduction to any red blooded guy who was old enough to remember video rental stores in the 80s. Chuck Norris stars as Colonel James Braddock, a Vietnam vet and prisoner of war camp escapee who now tired with trying to convince both his government and the Vietnamese that American POWs are still being held in the jungles of Nam wastes his days getting drunk in his crummy apartment whilst watching re-runs of Spiderman cartoons. When a news report mentioning Braddock's name in conjunction with American POWs pops up on TV the Colonel promptly looses it, smashing up his television set and making a dramatic four word telephone call........"It's Braddock, I'll go".What Braddock is actually agreeing to is a series of peace talks with the Vietnamese in Ho Chi Mihn City. Of course the grudge holding Colonel has more reason to take the trip than just shaking hands and making up with his one time persecutors especially as he is accused of war crimes by his dastardly host General Trau (James Hong). After a nighttime jaunt through Ho Chi Minh, Braddock dressed like a cat burglar breaks into the heavily guarded home of General Trau with one thing on his mind........the location of the missing American soldiers, information he will get whether he has to kill the General or not. As to be expected Trau ends up on the wrong end of Braddock's knife and despite a solid alibi in the form of female government official Ann Fitzgerald, Braddock is politely ask to leave Vietnam "Leave, or not leave at all!". From this point Braddock travels to Thailand to enlist the help of his one time Nam buddy Jack Tucker (M.Emmet Walsh) who owes him a favour or two and who also happens to own a boat perfect for an undercover trip back into Vietnam. With the help of Tucker's contacts, Braddock also manages to arm himself to the teeth with enough firepower to destroy half of South East Asia and sets off back into the jungle for a fiery final act where Braddock will stop at nothing to find his lost comrades. Director Joseph Zito who also brought us cult classics such as Red Scorpion and slasher flick The Prowler keeps the pace of the movie going despite a rather draggy middle section and a couple of dodgy continuity issues.There are a few genuinely exciting moments such as Braddock's race back to the hotel after offing General Trau or the finalé involving a jungle full of Viet Cong on one side and an approaching gun boat on the other. The visuals are neither pretty or artistic with some decidedly flat choreography accompanying the fights and battle scenes but in a z-grade kind of way they do get the job done much same as the electronic music score.Despite being produced around the same time Missing In Action 2:The Beginning looks remarkably different. Shot this time with the jungles of Mexico doubling up for the Mekong Delta and utilising a completely different crew, director and cinematographer. This has a more TV movie feel to the proceedings than Joseph Zito's gritty Missing In Action right down to the A-Team style opening which introduces us to the main characters in the form of a freeze frame which is then stamped with the soldiers name and MIA. The action starts in 1972 with a rescue chopper commanded by Braddock getting shot down over the Vietnamese jungle. All the men under Braddock's authority escape with their lives but are soon captured by the Viet Cong where they are taken to a POW camp run by the sadistic Colonel Yin (Soon-Tek Oh from The Man With The Golden Gun). Years pass and Braddock and his rag-tag bunch of men remain under the constant rule of Yin. Kept completely isolated from the outside world they are subjected to daily beatings, starvation, mocked up execusions and torture. Medical supplies are withheld despite malaria taking hold of one of the prisoners and to make matters even worse they are kept in the dark as to whether the war has finished or not.Obviously this is all for Colonel Yin's pleasure who also uses his power to tantalise his prisoners with the promise of freedom if only Braddock would sign a note of confession, fingering him with acts of war crimes. As to be expected our dogged hero will do no such thing as the confession would mean nothing politically and just spur on Yin's one man hate trail against Braddock. The first MIA movie had a relatively slow build up but picked up around the hour mark for the inevitable firefights and explosions. The Beginning to quote its subtitle seems to take an age before anything remotely exciting happens. True there are acts of barbarism, cold blooded executions, numerous fistfights and in one bizarre scene a little T&A with the arrival of some visiting prostitutes. But the movie does tend to plod rather than gallop and with the majority of the runtime kept within the camp you will probably feel as claustrophobic and cutoff as the men being portrayed. There are elements of First Blood Part 2 and believe it or not even Bridge On The River Kwai but Chuck Norris is no Alec Guinness or for that matter Sylvester Stallone so the slower character building scenes are far harder to chew with the viewer finding themselves urging the movie on to the final escape and the showdown between Braddock and Yin amidst the dramatic orchestral music score by Queen rocker Brian May.Watching these two remarkably cheesy 80s action flicks over thirty years after their release made me realise how easily pleased I was with films during this period and how desentisised I was to the art of bad movie making and terrible racial stereotypes. Every 80s action cliché is here in full force, whether it be gratuitous explosions, bandanna wearing good guys, a neon lighted strip club, grenades that never hit their target or silent hitmen wearing dark sunglasses. As to be expected the Viet Cong are terrible shots managing to hit everything but Braddock but maybe this is because Chuck Norris is so hard and the bullets just bounce right off him. I also look at these films as perfect nostalgia items, filling my sights and senses with sounds and visuals of a past, less stressful time and indeed during the first movie especially I found I had a massive smile on my face pretty much throughout the whole 101minute runtime which has to make the 8 quid or so I paid for this set worth it alone.Picture:Both of the MIA movies are presented in AVC encoded MPEG 4 1080p transfers framed at the correct ratio of 1.85:1. As I mentioned earlier the films were shot by different cinematographers giving different and varying results neither of which is right or wrong but just how they originally looked. The first Missing In Action has always been dark and grainy and this appearance transfers to the Blu ray edition too. I have seen this more times than I care to remember but the image is by far the best I have ever seen MIA look. The natural film grain is present and correct and doesent appear to have been tampered with in any way meaning the image retains its detail and naturally filmic textures. Colours are fine if a little subdued and black levels and contrast are fine within the confines of the low grade gritty 35mm print. Talking of print, there are no real problems with damage and thanks to a decent bitrate there are no compression issues either.In comparison Missing In Action 2 looks the better of the two with a clean and crisp transfer from good 35mm elements. Obviously this doesent look like a new film or a vintage title that has had extensive restoration work lavished it but considering its age and budget the results ate quite impressive. Fine detail and texturing is strong whether it be in and around the camp, the haggard faces of the prisoners or the jungle foliage and colours are far more robust than on the original MIA. Again blacks are good enough bringing out details in even the darkest prison cell and thanks to no apparent digital tweaking and a healthy bitrate the grain struture is intact and natural. Neither of these transfers are awe inspiring but considering what these films are they definatly warrant the upgrade and the visuals are far better than DVD could reproduce.Audio:Missing In Action and its sequel blast onto Blu ray featuring a pair of lossless DTS HD-Master 1.0 interpretations of their original mono soundtracks. The first film sounds the weaker of the two with flat dynamic range and a dull mushyness to the sound mix. High end isn't handled all that well and the action scenes lack noticeable punch and depth. Dialogue often sounds ADRed in (which it probably was)with an often noticeable shift in quality and background atmospherics. As with alot of uncompressed mono soundtracks, the music gets the biggest boost and the same can be said here with the disco themes around the seedy Bangkok bars sounding surprisingly forcefull with plenty of weighty bass responce.As with the visuals, the second movie sounds brighter and clearer with far better range. As to be expected from a mono mix this lacks atmospherics even in the jungle but dialogue is almost always clearly reproduced and everything from gunfire and helicopters through to the obligatory pyrotechnics sound good enough all things considered. Brian May's score (which uses some of the cues he produced for Mad Max 2)appears nicely textured exhibiting a little depth here and there even if the score itself often sounds slightly out of place in this movie and the track is free from damage and distortion.Extras:Unfortunately MGM haven't included any worthwhile extras apart from the original theatrical trailers.Conclusion:Neither of these Missing In Action entries are what you would consider good films but despite any of the limitations they may have remain thoroughly entertaining in B movie kind of way. The gung ho nature and overt machismo may be a little too much for todays audiences as will maybe the depiction of the people of South East Asia but those who grew up with Chuck and Co will no doubt enjoy revisiting these 80s time capsules. This two film set represents good value if you are a fan of the films and despite a lack of special features the transfers are far better than DVD.Please note that at the time of writing there isn't UK released Blu ray of either film but as these are region free they can be ordered in confidence. Recommended.

A great value double pack (Region Free) of two Chuck Norris classic movies.

Version francaise sur les 2 films dommage quil y ait pas le 3ieme sinon un petit classique

Liked Chuck Norris movies. Follows the same plot as most. Good for an evenings diversion if you have nothing better to do.

For Chuck Norris these two movies are his low end. Which are not too bad.