Dreadfully Boring

Charming and brutal

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This is one of my favorite Chuck Norris movies. It has one of the best opening scenes ever with the silhouette of Chuck fighting an unknown adversary over a neon background. It looks fantastic and is such an innovative opening scene that really creates a cool atmosphere.Josh Randall (Chuck Norris) is an ex-Special Forces Vietnam veteran who ends up in Hong Kong after the war, eventually becoming the head of security for the Lucky Dragon Casino, run by fellow American expatriate, Sam Pascal. When Sam is killed by an unscrupulous rival, Josh goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.The film is well paced with plenty of Chuck-related ass whupping and doesn't skimp on the violence either. When Chuck's girlfriend is murdered it's a pretty shocking scene, especially the bad guy's hair and mustache.Overall, Forced Vengeance is a fun Chuck Norris flick with plenty of fight scenes and action to keep action fans happy. Worth Watching...8 out of 10

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

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.

No one expects high art from a Chuck Norris film, but this one is one of his poorer outings. The pace is tedious, the dialogue bad, the plot weak, and the acting substandard. Norris is no Olivier but he can act better than this, and definitely outacts some of the other actors in this one. Some of martial arts scenes are competent enough, but don't make up for the overall poor quality of the film. Its surprising that it came from MGM, who must have been really disappointed with what their dollars produced. If you want to spend a couple of hours watching him go rent Delta Force, which is more entertaining and has Lee Marvin as the world's oldest US special ops commando.