2025-03-21

Movies I've watched 2

Forced Vengeance (1982)

Before he was forced to work in the Cannon mines, Check Norris plays a casino enforcer in a popular setting of 80-90s actions movies, Hong Kong, where he needs to solve the murder of his employer and his son. It's a serviceable revenge/martial arts movie, but feels too similar to an earlier of Chuck's, An Eye for an Eye. I only wish that Chuck was willing to be as ridiculous as Van Damme in Tsui Hark's Knock Off, also set in Hong Kong. The slomo fight in silhouette is still a good opening! Why are those two ladies following Chuck? You'll have to watch the rest to find out.

The Exterminator (1980)

A movie about a Vietnam War veteran who becomes a vigilante against the criminals of New York City should be up my alley...and it mostly is. I just wish the pacing was better - seconds after showing a criminal gang ambushing and paralyzing the main character's best friend, the movie quickly moves on to him consoling the friend's wife, then again to him about to torture a gang member that he somehow kidnapped. This happens again when he kidnaps a mob boss from a restaurant restroom, but at least we can see him about to push his target out of the window. There's still some good scenes, like when he breaks up a child prostitution ring by burning the leader with a gasoline and the entire matchbox, and shooting a discount Danny DeVito with a mercury poison infused bullet. We also get to see the detective character cook a hotdog by spitroasting it with two forks and running a current through them - I haven't been this amused by a food prep scene since Sylvester Stallone cut a pizza slice with scissors in Cobra.

Die Hard (1988)

It's like Under Siege, but in a building. It's great.

Die Hard 2 (1990)

It's like Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, but in an airport. It's good.

Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995)

It's like Sudden Death, but in New York City. It's alright.

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

It's like Air Force One, but in Washington DC. It's meh.

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

It's like an old man completely giving up, in movie form.

This is a plan file, right?