User Reviews

This middle chapter of the James Braddock trilogy is a prequel to the original Missing In Action that traces the origin of Chuck Norris's not-quite-iconic franchise player. The film is centered around Braddock's detention at a Vietnamese prison camp with several other American POWs, who are held at the mercy of a malevolent colonel who subjects them to a variety of cruelties. Of course, Norris is never one to sit idly by while injustice is being done, and he soon navigates a daring escape, blowing tons of stuff up and gunning down dozens of bad guys in the process.

Though The Beginning boasts all of the hallmarks of an enjoyable B-action flick (slow motion explosions, liberal use of machine guns, a hero seemingly impervious to damage, etc.), Missing In Action 2 spends a lot more time developing the characters and the scenario than fans of the genre may be used to. While this relegates most of the action to the third act and slows the pace a bit, the film benefits from the more immersive approach, and delving deeply into the horrors of the POW experience brings home the real-world resonance of the piece while simultaneously bolstering the pay-off when the guns n' grenades portion of the plot gets underway.

The dramatic emphasis also allows the usually stone-faced Norris to showcase his acting chops a bit, and even when he's called upon to express actual emotions, he does a capable job of humanizing Braddock beyond the scope of an interchangeable action hero. I'm keenly aware that most people curious about the Missing In Action series aren't all that interested in seeing Norris cry, so I should post-script that endorsement by adding that even though this outing is a bit more serious-minded than some others you'll encounter from the era, Chuck still doles out plenty of vengeance upon his captors with flame-throwers, Uzis, explosives, and good old-fashioned karate leaps out of trees.

Your basic good-vs-evil movie is only as strong as its villain, and we get a suitably malicious match for Norris in Soon-Teck Oh's Colonel Yin, who notches up serious baddie points by burning people alive, tormenting Norris with news from the home-front, and humiliating one prisoner by having the least attractive prostitutes you'll ever see strip him naked and mock his genitals. In adherence to the sort of muddled logic you only find in '80s action films, Colonel Yin is a rare breed of Vietnamese overlord who speaks perfect English and is proficient in advanced martial arts.

The presence of veteran henchman Professor Toru Tanaka is a welcome addition, and always entertaining character actor Steven Williams lends his services as a conniving turncoat, who, in true Williams fashion, fights valiantly to steal the movie by taking big meaty bites out of every scene he's in.

Most of the shoot 'em up aspects of the film are fairly standard, but MIA2 does boast a few truly memorable scenes during the extended prison camp segments, the most effective of which is the "rat in a bag" sequence. Though the majority of Colonel Yin's tortures aren't all that creative, when he orders his men to stuff Chuck's head and an agitated rodent into the same burlap sack, it becomes impossible not to recognize his ingenuity.

Though The Beginning dramatizes the true fates of some American soldiers left behind in Vietnam, any parallels to reality are readily negated by Chuck's propensity for invincibility. He does get kicked around a bit as a prisoner, but once he assumes the mantle of heavily-armed liberator, his (we assume) highly-trained captors suddenly forget how to aim their weapons, and Norris is able to elude even the most voluminous volleys of gunfire by simply rolling out of the way. The absurd apex of Chuck's super hero capabilities arrives when he opens a hatch to free some of the prisoners, only to discover that he has been lured into a trap. Instead of POWs, the compartment is filled with a dozen enemy soldiers, who immediately open fire with their machine guns inches from our sturdy protagonist's face... and somehow miss him entirely.

Of course, such silliness is to be expected from a film like Missing In Action 2, and when the result is a fun and entertaining 90 minutes, it seems beside the point to complain about the improbabilities. Judged against the other work being churned out by Norris and his contemporaries during the era, The Beginning is a surprisingly thoughtful offering that balances its heart and its gonads rather adeptly. Above average is definitely good enough in this case.

A superior sequel to Chuck's first Vietnam effort, this is a small-scale drama of prison camp torture and escape, the second half packed with simplistic but pleasing action as Norris kills off dozens of enemy soldiers and generally acts as a hero. Yes, this is violent bone-breaking stuff with graphic head shots, people burning, and a protracted finale which just about celebrates Norris causing extreme bodily harm to his enemy. The tortures (rats are placed in bags over prisoner's heads, living men are burnt) are brutal in the extreme and give the movie a hard edge. The realistic jungle locations give the feeling that this was filmed in the middle of a sweaty tropical inferno somewhere and add to the experience.

Norris reprises his role as Colonel Braddock in what is a prequel to the first film, explaining how he managed to escape from the bad guys. The escape is exhilarating as it should be, and fans of the revenge genre will be in their element - this offers up the same kind of "kill everything that moves" moral that Arnie's COMMANDO so superbly displayed. The supporting cast are pretty good and each fits into their respective character with ease. Soon-Tek Oh's dastardly Colonel Yip is a baddie you love to hate, one of the nastiest opponents of Norris' film career and a real swine. Familiar faces include Steven Williams as a captive who turns on his friends, and Professor Toru Tanaka (previously in AN EYE FOR AN EYE with Norris), sadly underused as a heavy. This is mindless but entertaining '80s fare, not for those easily offended but a darned adrenaline-pumping time for those who aren't.

Because the makers of the films thought that the second one was better than the first, the first films becomes a prequel to the second film, which became the first.

But the reality is that the above statement is more interesting than the rest of the film.

Braddock has been in a concentration camp for heaven knows how long because he refuses to sign a confession stating that he has committed war crimes, and is in desperate need of a shave.

because of his refusal, he and his soldiers are subjected to many dressing downs from the head bad guys, and in one scene, Norris is forced to eat a rat, which he probably enjoyed.

it's a cannon film, so it's not all that bad, Norris has some great screen presence, but his acting skills are still nothing more than him looking perplexed into the distance.

But whilst watching this, I couldn't help but think if that the soldiers went just that little farther over the horizon, they would wander onto the events of Rambo: First Blood Part 2, now that would have been something, Norris and Stallone team up for the ultimate dressing down.

It's understandable that the film wasn't released first, as it does become a little slow in the second act, but then thankfully, the film goes over the top in the final third, and we have the obligatory Norris walking away from a big explosion shot.

It's not Cannon's greatest hour by a long shot, because it takes it's self too seriously, but if your a Norris fan, it's pretty much a given you'll want to see it.

I have seen lots of bad movies, but this one is so bad it's beyond belief. I hate these war films in the style "Americans are the best and all the others are garbage". I don't understand how can anyone shoot a "film" like this, how can anyone produce it, and how the hell can someone watch it..... The plot is about American soldiers constrained in Vietnam during the absurd USA-Vietnam war. Everything in the film is directed against Vietnamese people, Vietnamese are shown as evil, cruel bastards with no regret and Americans are shown as those who are always good, fair and against violence. I don't understand how could Chuck Norris condescend himself to something like this. How the hell can someone who in real features to be against violence, against racism and so on act in such a crap?? The "movie" is full of unnecessary brutal scenes, the whole atmosphere is depressive and racist. The fight scenes are terribly choreographed, Norris is slow and clumsy and he appeals very non-athletic. Besides Norris is a bad and wooden actor and so is the rest of the "actors" in this crap-movie. And what the hell was the end supposed to mean?? Terrible hand-to-hand combat with hardboiled murder at the very end?? Gosh!!! I beg everyone, If you have any discernment, never watch this. It's a violent and racist crap with no plot and no acting. If you want to have REAL entertainment with REAL martial arts watch for example Jackie Chan's Police Story!!!

Only with Cannon can you have the sequel be the prequel when it was supposed to be the first movie. The Joseph Zito-made Missing In Action was considered to be the better of the two movies, so this one was turned into the second movie, but everything worked out pretty OK.

This was directed by Lance Hool, who sold the script to Chuck Norris, who was looking for a movie to pay tribute to his brother Wieland, who had died in Vietnam. They took the script to Cannon, who had a Vietnam POW movie in development, so that's how we got two movies so quickly. Also, I'm amazed that Vietnam movies were impossible to make in Hollywood before Stallone and Norris changed everything.

Years before he freed US POWs in the first film, Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris was tortured in a North Vietnamese POW by Colonel Yin (Soon-Teck Oh, who was also in Good Guys Wear Black). He and his fellow soldiers have been forced to grow opium and if they want to be released, Braddock has to confess to war crimes. I mean, it's Chuck Norris. Do you think he's going to do that?

Yet that's exactly what Captain David Nester (Steven Williams, X from The X-Files) believes should happen and he's joined the side of the enemy as they subject the Americans to torture like guns being shoved in their faces and fired with no bullets. Then, after a fight that Braddock beats Nestor in, he gets a live rat dropped in a bag covering his face while they tell him that his wife thinks he's dead and has remarried.

That's also not a fake rat.

Then, to add even more pain, Braddock exchanges an admission of guilt to Yin's charges of war crimes in order to get medicine for Franklin, a soldier with malaria. Yin overdoses the soldier with opium and burns him in front of Braddock, who escapes from the camp and - as you can imagine - murders every single other soldier, which includes pro wrestler Professor Toru Tanaka.

This came out three months after the first movie but still made $11 million at the box office.

This movie is an great example of history distortion. The movie describes Vietcong (Vietnamese communists) like devils. I totally disagree with the movie's content as well as the violence in the movie. In general, this movie contains nothing objective but want to say: "American is the best and others are trash.". Now, you can go to Wikipedia to learn something useful about Vietnam War and about the bloody crime of American troops& allies.

"In 1995, the Vietnamese government reported that its military forces, including the NLF, suffered 1.1 million dead and 600,000 wounded during Hanoi's conflict with the United States. Civilian deaths were put at two million in the North and South, and economic reparations were expected. Hanoi concealed the figures during the war to avoid demoralizing the population"

Don't waste your valuable time to watch this deceptive movie. I think this movie want to shame the Vietnamese people.

Missing in Action 2: The Beginning starts during the Vietnam war in 1972 & starts as Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris) of the US army hitches a ride in a helicopter to Cambodia, however the helicopter comes under enemy fire & the crew along with Braddock have to bail out in the Vietnamese jungle only to be captured by the Vietnamese & taken as POW's. Back home in the US although hope remains that prisoners of war still survive the men are classed as 'missing in action' & rescue efforts cease, ten years pass & Colonel Braddock & some of his men are still being held as POW's by Vietnam under the false pretence of war crimes. Imprisioned in a POW camp in the middle of the jungle run by the strict General Yin (Soon-Teck Oh) & left to rot there by the country they once served there seems little hope of escape, but Colonel Braddock is a strong man & when the time is right will make his move in a bid for freedom...

Directed by Lance Hool this supposed sequel to the original Missing In action (1984) was actually filmed first & chronologically is set before the original Missing in Action but the producers (probably the executives at Cannon) felt the original Missing in Action was the better film & decided to release that first & promote Missing in Action 2: The Beginning as a prequel. Released theatrically only four months after the original Missing in Action in the US I can see why the producers switched the films around, while I wouldn't say there's a huge difference the original is slightly better. There's a lot of predictable clichés going on here, from the evil Vietnamese General to the tough US soldier who stands up to everything thrown at him, the first hour is just General Yin torturing Braddock in order to try & get him to sign a war crimes confession (the details of the war crimes that Braddock was supposed to have committed are never revealed despite the whole plot revolving around it) while the last half an hour is the all American hero victory against the enemy as Braddock totally obliterates the camp & all the bad guy's which is a clear attempt at a political statement by saying how great & morally strong the US is as it stands up for good against the evils of the world. Unintentionally quite funny at times Missing in Action 2: The Beginning is quite fun on a mindless level, it moves along at a decent pace & there's just about enough going on to sustain ones interest. Take it for what it is & don't expect a masterpiece then Missing in Action 2: The Beginning is a reasonable time waster but little else.

The action is competent but nothing special, the explosions & shoot-outs are OK but I have seen better. There are one or two funny aspects to Missing in Action 2: The Beginning though, Braddock's US army issue uniform he is captured in seems to be holding up surprisingly well after ten years of imprisonment in a POW camp & why do the Vietnamese guard the only rope & wood bridge across the mountain with a huge flamethrower? Surely the Vietnamese need to cross it so it being set on fire & burnt with a flamethrower isn't going to help anyone? Why not just put a guy with a machine gun there? Then there's the classic scene with Chuck Norris hanging upside down from a tree, General Yin orders his men to put a big Rat inside a bag & stick it under Chuck's head which they do. After a struggle & lots of squeaking & thrashing about blood seeps through the bad & it is removed only to show Chuck Norris unhurt with the now dead Rat in his mouth! A scene that needs to be seen, it really is quite funny even though it's definitely not meant to be.

Filmed in Mexico the lush green jungle locations look nice, the action is alright but again like the original Missing in Action a little bit wimpy, why when Chuck Norris throw's a grenade into a wooden hut at the end & it goes off does the hut not even catch fire? With a supposed budget of about $2,500,000 like the original this has decent production values & one feels it was made to cash-in on Rambo. The acting is bad, Chuck Norris can't act & that's all that needs to be said.

Missing in Action 2: The Beginning was indeed meant to be the beginning & be released before the original but as it stands it's good for a few laughs & some nice jungle scenery but little else. Followed by Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988).

This movie has no use for a plot and it makes no apologies about it. The closest the entire film comes to forming a plot is when the words "Geneva Convention" are randomly thrown out by Chuck Norris in the first couple minutes. Luckily Colonel Yin quickly shoots down the idea that the real world has any bearing on the movie's setting and we're off to the races- Jungle style.

***there may be spoilers****

The beginning of the movie shows all of the members of Norris' crew being captured and declared Missing In Action (hence the title). From that point on the movie is set ten years later where we find the men still being held hostage and all but forgotten.

For some reason the prisoners just don't seem like they have been there ten years though. In the opening prison camp scene one of the prisoners is complaining how he can't sleep and explains that every time he closes his eyes he sees his wife GINA! If he had been there ten years wouldn't he have established at some point that his wife is named Gina? Couldn't he just say "when I close my eyes I see my WIFE!"? Well either way, the story is they've been there ten years so we'll go with that. Why they have been held hostage in a remote Vietnamese torture camp for ten years without being killed makes no sense although there is a faint attempt to explain it for the sake of giving the men a reason to be there, the colonel a reason to torture them, and the film a reason to exist.

The reason Norris and his men are being held, you ask? Apparently the Vietnamese colonel is a very prideful man (although he's not above sentencing himself to live in a jungle prison camp for ten years in order to monitor it and ensure that nobody escapes) and he requires that Norris sign a document stating that the Americans have committed war crimes against the Vietnamese and accept their guilt. The fact that this is the entire reason these men have been held in the camp for TEN YEARS is completely ridiculous. We are to believe that Norris is such a dedicated soldier that he refuses to sign the document even though he could simply sign it, go home, eat a pizza, get some reinforcements, and go back to finish off the remaining Vietnamese and any record of what he signed.

Because Norris refuses to sign the document the vengeful, yet oddly patient, Colenel Yin keeps him there and occasionally tortures him now and then for good measure. Apparently Colonel Yin has no problem imprisoning, degrading, and killing human beings, but he draws the line at forging someones signature.

The movie does provide some of the best jungle action pre Arnold Schwarzenegger's Predator however. There are some good fight scenes with many two and even three hit combos dealt out by Norris. Throughout the movie the Colonel always has the upper hand and uses the line "you lose" every time he foils Norris. With a one liner as great as that there's little doubt that it will be used against him once Norris turns the tables by the end of the movie. And in the jungle Norris doesn't disappoint.

By far the best part of the movie is the end when Norris gets his mitts on a cache of Columbian firearms/explosives and comes back to the camp for sweet revenge.

And the most hilarious part of the movie is the fact that the only escape from the jungle camp is by crossing a very long wooden bridge over a huge ravine and this wooden bridge is guarded by a guy who's only weapon is a flamethrower. Stop and think about that. Instead of a machine gun, they give the guy guarding the WOODEN bridge a flamethrower to defend himself. So does that mean every time someone tries to escape he shoots at them with the flamethrower, the bridge burns down, and he has to rebuild it the next day to go back to the camp?

In the final scene Norris gets his revenge and beats down the colonel like an arcade wizard using cheat codes at the Mortal Kombat machine. Like I said before, the phrase "you lose" is conveniently dropped right before the death blow is administered. What more can you ask for in a movie that gave the entire premise away with the title?

This is an above average prequel, with a good enough pace and good performances. It has a few shocking moments, and all the characters were pretty cool, plus Soon-Tek Oh is extremely menacing as the main villain. Chuck was somewhat bland at times in this, however, this was a challenging role, and for the most part he was up to the challenge as were the rest of the cast. It had a few dull moments here and there, and the characterizations could have been a bit better, however it's helped by a good enough, pace, good performances, and for the most part unpredictable. The finale is pretty exciting, and the story is kind of engaging, however it could have been a lot better, plus Chuck seemed to be a little bored in places. This is an above average prequel that's well worth a watch!. The Direction is good. Lance Hool does a good job, here with good camera work, good angles, nothing overly fancy but he got the job done, plus he kept the film at a good pace. There is a little bit of violence. We get quite a few bloody gunshot wounds, a couple gory impaling's, and a gory wound. The Acting is very good. Chuck Norris for the most part was fantastic as always, and really did good with some of his emotional scenes, however he looked bored at times, and as a result was kinda bland, however he kicks that ass, and for the most part was tons of fun to watch! (Norris rules!). Soon-Tek Oh is fantastic as the main villain, he is extremely menacing, evil, and was very interesting to watch, as he was so unpredictable!. Steven Williams does pretty good with what he had to do i liked him. Cosie Costa and John Wesley are both good with what they had to do. Rest of the cast do fine. Overall well worth a watch!. *** out of 5