Sunday, July 07, 2019

Movie review - "Breaker Breaker" (1977) **

Chuck Norris' first film as star though the first real Chuck Norris movie was Good Guys Wear Black. It's a sort of trucker movie a genre briefly popular in the late 70s. Actually that's not really the case - it's part revenge melodrama, part corrupt sheriff ruling a small town flick, a little bit CB, some trucker, a bit of kung fu.

The first third is surprisingly limited on action but the last two acts have a decent amount. It feels low budget and cheap - limited locations, fights rather than stunts. The script is wonky... there's OTT moments like a mentally slow character.

The budget was big enough to cover the fee for George Murdock, an actor who I remember from an episode of Battlestar Galactica. He's an effective villain doing weird things like talking to a sock puppet and being believably corrupt. No satisfactory final show down though - Chuck beats up some cop in a horse corral.

Chuck is solid - as in literally a lot of the time. He has presence, moves well, and a middle America face that would serve him so well. He can also fight.

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