An Eye for an Eye (1981)

An Eye for an Eye (1981) *** (out of 4)After witnessing his partner murdered, Detective Sean Kane (Chuck Norris) flips out and goes after the men who did it. He resigns from his job but after his partner's fiance is also murdered he sets out to bring down the bad guys, which leads him to a drug operation.AN EYE FOR AN EYE is a pretty good Norris movie and I'd argue that it's at the very top of the ones that he has made. The story itself is pretty much your standard revenge tale but where the film really succeeds is with its non-stop action and a pretty stellar cast. The film certainly has some flaws here and there but if you're a fan of 80's action movies then it's a must see for its entertainment value.As I said, the best thing going for the picture was the very good cast. You've got Norris playing the type of role that suits him well. He's certainly believable in the role of a cop and his martial arts skills add most of the fun. You've got Mako in a supporting part and he adds some nice comic touch. Richard Roundtree was a bad muthafuc*er long before Samuel L. Jackson and he's fun here. Then you've got Christopher Lee is a somewhat thankless role but he's still fun to watch. Matt Clark and Rosalind Chao are good in their small roles as well. Then there's Professor Toru Tanaka who plays one of the bad guys and nearly steals the show every time he's on screen.The San Francisco location certainly help the film and we're also given a nice score as well as some good cinematography. Of course, people are coming to a film liek this for the action and there's plenty of that. Countless shoot outs and various other forms of violence certainly make the film quite memorable. Add the cast into all of this and you've got a very entertaining revenge picture.

A clean shaven Chuck Norris stars in this enjoyable formula action movie with an admittedly trite story. Chuck plays Sean Kane, a narcotics detective whose partner, Dave Pierce (Terry Kiser), is killed early on. Sean, despite having images of the nightmarish scene in his head, is determined to find and punish those responsible. This, of course, he does after resigning from the police force. Teaming up with his gruff and witty mentor, James Chan (Mako), Sean sets about determining the identity of some dope smugglers.As far as "vengeance for killing my loved ones" cinema goes, "An Eye for an Eye" is agreeable entertainment. An engaging Chuck delivers one of his better performances, and his supporting cast is pretty damn eclectic. His adversary is a smooth and dapper Sir Christopher Lee, as news station owner Morgan Canfield. Lee is cool but is kind of wasted in this part. Richard "Shaft" Roundtree is Chucks' boss, one of those standard issue superior officers who's weary of his employees' methods. The gorgeous and sexy Rosalind Chao is effective as the partners' grieving girlfriend; Maggie Cooper is likewise pleasing to watch as Chucks' love interest. A fine assortment of first rate character actors also helps matters: the briefly seen Kiser of "Weekend at Bernie's" fame, Stuart Pankin as effeminate pimp Nicky LaBelle, Matt Clark as one of Chucks' colleagues, and Mel Novak as the weaselly Montoya. The massive screen villain Professor Toru Tanaka makes quite the impression as a heavy - named The Professor - who, in one uproarious scene, expresses his displeasure by beating up a Volkswagen. J.E. Freeman, Robert Behling, and Nancy Fish have bits. But the show is completely stolen by the hilarious Mako, who endlessly criticizes Chucks' technique and reels off one liners. ("I tried to question him...he preferred to expire.")In the first of his two movies with Chuck, director Steve Carver delivers the expected action with skill and keeps the story moving forward at a good pace. Chuck kicks ass in high style, and has a nice showdown with the Professor, complete with silly sound effects. There's some fine location work in San Francisco and a solid music score by composer William Goldstein."An Eye for an Eye" isn't one of Chucks' best, but it does just fine for a nights' viewing. The sense of humour does help quite a bit.Seven out of 10.

(plot) Sean Kane is a lethal weapon whose partner (Terry Kiser) dies right in front of his very eyes. He is haunted by it ever since. He goes on the warpath for revenge to uncover the secret truths. You can guess the rest…Chuck Norris films are a mixed bag. He can make some good movies (Code Of Silence & Lone Wolf McQuade) Or he can make some really terrible one's that are cheapies, like most of his early films. This one is actually not that bad, though. It is a bit creaky at times when it comes to pacing and suspense, your villains are very poorly written. What was Christopher Lee even doing in this film? He's barely in it, aside from near the end. He was good like he always he is, but I get the feeling he needed a quick paycheck. I wish he had more screen time. When the action is present, it delivers. What Chuck Norris lacks in acting, he makes up for with his move set. He's very exciting to watch when it comes to fighting. The guy's got some serious movies and that is something I can't deny. Mako provides comedic relief as Norris's mentor. He's good at it! Richard Roundtree is solid as Capt. Stevens. Maggie Cooper is one of those wooden actresses you'd see around this time period. She's pretty bad as the love interest. Matt Clark has a great turn in the movie, whilst former WWF Wrestler, Professor Toru Tanaka makes for quite the intimidating foe. He was huge!Final Thoughts: it is what it is. I enjoyed the action, and ended up having an OK time. It's nothing great what so ever, but it sure beats watching most of Norris's early stuff. Worth a look for fellow action junkies5.5/10

How any Chuck Norris movie can be called "good" is beyond me. First and foremost, Chuck is a poor actor then and now. This movie doesn't have just a bad part, it is a bad part. And I will say, Chuck's later movies were actually better. Maybe because the scripts were better??? 'Cause his acting certainly wasn't. (Sorry, Chuck. You just don't have "it".) I recommend skipping this one unless you are a die-hard fan. (Does Chuck have any??) At least some must exist since this movie got a score above 2. Come on, be realistic, people. One or two "catch phrases" does not a movie make. One or two martial arts favorites also doesn't qualify to make this movie worth seeing. --Again, unless you are a die-hard fan.-- I found this movie trivial and unentertaining. I realize we're not looking for Oscar quality in an early martial arts film (especially an American one from the 1980s), but bad is bad and this movie is BAD.