The Best of Chuck Norris

A legend has departed. It’s incredibly sad to hear the one and only Chuck Norris has passed away, a mainstay of martial arts, action cinema and pop culture who we simply thought would be around forever.

He remains a crucial key figure of martial arts history in the west, who forged his own path and found a creative outlet through movies and television. He would also become a well-loved philanthropist, king of a health and fitness empire, best-selling author and man of faith who inspired many. In later years, the hilarious "Chuck Norris Facts" only endeared him further to a new online generation, and he seemed to enjoy the good humour.

With so many films and shows to mention, this is by no means a definitive list below, and there may be debate how others should be included. But here are just a few of my personal favourites which, I feel, demonstrate the scope of his journey on screen, and hopefully encourages exploration for new fans.

The Way of the Dragon (1972)

After Hong Kong star, Bruce Lee, established himself as a new box office draw to watch out for, he leveraged his success into a new deal with Golden Harvest studios that would allow him to write and direct, as well as star in his own future projects. Sadly, he only had the chance to complete one film under this deal before his tragic death (and before shooting his legendary Hong Kong x Hollywood crossover, Enter the Dragon). Yet, The Way of the Dragon remains one of Lee’s best-loved films, and a strong blueprint for his taste and style. Shot partly on location in Rome, and incorporating more comedy into the mix, Lee, always the perfectionist, recruited top fighting talent from America, including Chuck Norris (and Norris’ own student, Bob Wall) as formidable villains. The brutal and calculating fight against Norris in the coliseum remains a staple of martial arts cinema and storytelling through fight design.

Good Guys Wear Black (1978)

After making a dent in Hong Kong, Chuck Norris had his sights set on the prospects of an acting career. Encouraged by one of his martial arts students, none other than Steve McQueen, Norris pursued low to modest budget action pictures that could showcase his authentic skillset in recognisable, homegrown adventures. In this story, after an elite military outfit (known as the Black Tigers) is betrayed by handlers during a mission in Vietnam, only Major Booker (Norris) and four others escape with their lives. Five years later and back home in America, Booker discovers a plot to kill all remaining members of the botched rescue mission, forcing him into a game of survival while exposing the conspiracy. Despite having starred in Breaker, Breaker, the better-received Good Guys Wear Black is widely cited as his true breakthrough. Better known in later years for cartoonish 1980’s action, his 1970’s output, this being a good example, blends the tone and aesthetic of a gritty 1970’s thriller with occasional bursts of karate.

The Octagon (1980)

Entering the 1980’s with his signature blend of eastern inspired heroics, The Octagon would become another cult favourite and VHS hit among Norris fans. Scott James (Norris) is plagued by painful memories as a fighter, but must face his demons head on when hired to infiltrate a terrorist operation run by his adopted brother, who is training men in the deadly art of the ninja style. The film features a fun supporting cast, including screen icon Lee Van Cleef, American Ninja star Tadashi Yamashita and Norris’ longtime friend and collaborator Richard Norton playing the villainous enforcer, plus multiple stunt roles (as he told me himself), this is a fun and zany highlight of the sub-genre, marking an early entry for the incoming ninja craze, and the growing fandom of American martial arts B-movies which found an enduring audience on video.

An Eye For An Eye (1981)

Imagine Harry Callahan dispatching goons with spinning kicks, and you’ll be tonally en-route to An Eye For An Eye. Undercover police officer, Sean Kane (Norris), is assigned to the Narcotics division of the San Francisco Police Department. Following a dangerous operation, his partner is killed and it soon becomes clear their assignment was linked to a smuggling deal involving the Chinese Tong. Surrounding the rising action star with character actor favourites, such as Christopher Lee and Richard Roundtree, An Eye For An Eye delivers a deeper, substantial cops vs criminals action-thriller, more akin to a Dirty Harry than a Rambo-style vehicle (though, make no mistake, Norris would embrace this branding a few years later). For a look at Norris sinking his teeth into something a little different, this is an early overlooked gem.

Code of Silence (1985)

One of his toughest and most violent 1980’s features. Eddie Cusack (Norris) is a Chicago cop who plays by his own rules, which become an especially dangerous habit when he breaks the force's unwritten "code of silence" to blow the lid off a police cover-up. Now left without backup, an outcast from his former allies, Cusack is hurled into a deadly conflict with drug kingpins. Crafted with precision by The Fugitive and Under Siege director, Andrew Davis, this taut action-thriller ratchets up the tension and pays off with impressive stunts and major action set pieces. Reportedly, the script was first offered to Clint Eastwood as a proposed fourth Dirty Harry film (with a working title of Dirty Harry IV: Code of Silence) but Eastwood turned it down. Still, this was said to be one of Norris’ personal favourites from his catalogue.

The Delta Force (1986)

A favourite among Norris fans, and a highlight from Cannon Films’ wild and eccentric catalogue, The Delta Force stands as one of the most entertaining action flicks of the 80’s. When American Travel Ways Flight 282 is hijacked by a group of terrorists, the elite team of Delta Force, under the leadership of Captain Scott McCoy (Norris), is called in to handle the situation. Still haunted by an ill-fated hostage rescue years before, this team will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Teaming up with Hollywood icon Lee Marvin in his last ever screen role, and under the watch of director (and Cannon co-owner Menahem Golan), the action is spectacularly over-the-top, and the body count ludicrously high. With Norris a favourite among the Cannon stable of stars, The Delta Force (and others during this period) helped establish the larger-than-life, one-liner spewing brand of American on-screen heroism that Chuck Norris would become known for.

Walker, Texas Ranger (1993-2001)

Defying any label of being a mere video action star, Chuck Norris proved his immense popularity and status by helping develop, and later starring in (and executive producing with his brother, Aaron Norris) this long-running network series. Walker, Texas Ranger was a major action show of the 90’s which ran for eight successful seasons and even spawned spin-off movies. Playing a modern-day peace officer with a traditional sense of resolve, Ranger Cordell Walker (Norris) is a decent, fair but tough man of the law, ably assisted by his capable and trusted team, solving cases and bringing even the most dangerous criminal organisations to justice. While portraying plenty of martial arts action in a major CBS network show, the series was intentionally family-friendly and favoured a wholesome, moralistic style, no doubt in line with Norris’ own values. To date, the series has been broadcast in well over 100 countries, stills receiving regular syndication, and has picked up legions of fans through TV repeats and DVD boxsets. There is also a fantastic crossover episode with fellow CBS series, Martial Law, in which Walker works alongside that series lead, Detective Sammo Law (Hong Kong legend, Sammo Hung) for crossover appeal.

The Expendables 2 (2012)

Audiences were thrilled to see Norris join the all-action ensemble of Sylvester Stallone’s love-letter franchise to the glory days. In the second film of the series, after a seemingly simple deployment, things go horribly wrong when one of their team is killed. With the odds stacked against them, the Expendables take on a daring mission of revenge against the arms dealer responsible, and recruit some old allies along the way. Crafted with confidence and skill by Con Air director, Simon West, this first sequel feels like the most self-aware and enjoyable in the franchise. Anchored by a dramatic opening, EX2 still manages to embrace the fun and extravagance of classic 80’s action and sees the first films’ short cameos from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis expanded into full-on action scenes, with Jean-Claude Van Damme joining as the scenery-chewing villain. The cherry on top, of course, is seeing Chuck Norris (as Booker) join Stallone’s Barney Ross and co, dispatching bad guys and making knowing in-jokes around the internet’s Chuck Norris Facts. A fun and satisfying delivery on the promise of the franchise, and a joy for Chuck Norris fans.