sol- Shot and near fatally wounded by his corrupt former partner, a police officer reemerges as a mob contract killer; he might be working undercover or he might be trying to getting to revenge, with things becoming clearer as the film progresses. If this sounds like a confusing plot description, it is because the film is arguably too complex for its own good; the action scenes are generally well done and Chuck Norris even turns in a decent performance as he mentors a local kid and gets to utter some witty quips, but these highlights are hard to appreciate as the film pitches Norris so deep undercover that it is hard to say where his agenda lies. What can be made out from the film is nevertheless often entertaining. There are many atmospheric nighttime shots and Joel Derouin's jazzy music score is perfectly moody. There is also a thrilling sequence set in the snowbound backwoods of Canada, where half the film is set, and the final few scenes are pretty powerful, over-the-top as the actions of vengeful Norris might well be. Salim Grant also deserves a special mention as the local boy who Norris befriends. There is a particularly touching scene in which Norris confesses to being scared of bullies when he was a kid too, and Grant manages to be wide-eyed and genuinely taken with Norris throughout without the film ever getting mushy or sentimental in this regard.

bayardhiler And with those bad ass words, Chuck Norris goes on the war path to bring down the mobs and those who wronged him. 1991's "The Hit-man" is a very unique film from Norris' career, manly because it's arguably his darkest one. Directed by Aaron Norris, it starts with Chuck, who plays honorable cop Garret, meeting his partner on the docks of seedy Seattle. Garret seems to think that something shady is about to go down and lo and behold, he's right. But just as the take down seems to be going right, Garret's crooked partner turns the gun on him and before he knows it, he's going out a window and landing on a car with a bullet in his chest. He should be dead, but against all odds he lives. (After all, he is Chuck Norris!). Fast forward three years later and we meet a very different Norris, one who has taken up the identity of a viscous hit-man named Grogan, who's working for the city's Italian Mob. But beneath the tough exterior lies Garret, who's willing to do whatever it takes to bring Seattle's underworld down without being found out. But protecting his true identity isn't his only worry; a French mob from Vancouver is moving south and on top of that, a random group of brutal Iranians is vying to take over as well. One of the first things Norris fans will notice is the increased profanity of the film (Norris himself swears a little bit more than usual), as well as a more graphic form of violence throughout the picture. However, none of these elements are ever overused and if anything, better serve the story by adding a little bit of realism and grittiness to it since the film does takes place in a very shady world. The movie also gives Norris a chance to expand his acting range by playing someone who is basically a good person trying to right some wrongs in the world using unsavory methods, be it his mission or helping out a young bullied kid face his fears (As a side note, Norris gets to sport a mullet which in all honesty, looks kind of cool on him). The location of dreary Seattle helps set up the mood of the film, in particular the lack of vibrant colors and dullness of it all. It's almost as if the filmmakers were trying to convey the feeling that this world Garret/Grogan finds himself in is omnipresent and inescapable. Then again, it could just be the fact that the story takes place in Seattle! As far as action goes, there's plenty of it here, whether it's by gun, explosions or fists and kicks. The villains are dangerous and they all add to the intensity of the movie, be it Al Waxman as mob boss Marco Luganni or Frank Ferrucci as the treacherous Iranian boss. But the villain who we really come to hate is Garret's crooked partner Delaney, played to slimy effect by Michael Parks. With his ruthless, sadistic persona, we can't wait to see him get his comeuppance and boy does he get it! To be sure, this is not the most accurate movie regarding real life undercover work since no police force would ever allow an officer to commit a fraction of what Norris' character does here. But hey, it is a movie after all folks! For what is though, "The Hit-man" is a movie for anyone looking for some quality action entertainment and a good story. Also starring Alberta Watson as Grogan's love interest, plus a cool opening song in the form of Andy Prieboy's "On the Road Again". Enjoy!!

Hypercampe Now this on has got it right! Everything in it is cool, starting with Chuck's mullet.Like in many of his films, Chuck goes around killing people, in this case a bunch of shady maffiosi and a crew of Muslims.I do not see this film being broadcast in Muslim countries as it contains quite a few very funny islamophobic jokes.One thing that I love with Chuck Norris films is that you know he is going to go around and have a nice time killing people. The fact that it is so predictable gives it all its charm, though it does take away all the suspense. But suspense sucks anyway, we just want explosions and naked chicks! This is a film that you watch for a good laugh and to learn a few good one-liners that you might toss out in a intellectual conversation at your girlfriend's family dinner party.

lastliberal I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. Chuck Norris has only made one movie that I really enjoyed (Code of Silence), and there is no one else's name in the movie that grabbed my attention. It seems as if have the people involved are named Norris. :-) Actually, this was a testosterone fest. None of these mobsters in the film seemed to have girlfriends or wives. If you are going to do an undercover cop movie with mobsters, it can't be family friendly. This film, although rated "R", was as tame as an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.The only satisfaction was seeing Michael Parks get his due, but you knew that was going to happen from the beginning.