MISSING IN ACTION 2: THE BEGINNING - Sorry Charlie!

I was too young to really grock the whole Vietnam thing - born in 1969 means that I missed the bulk of the festivities and had no concept about what was being reported on the news. I think I vaguely remember Nixon on television and some references to 'Nam in a state of the union, but that's about as far as my hands on experience goes.

On the other hand, being a teenager in the eighties meant that I was in the prime demographic for the fallout of the war, and the cathartic need the nation had to finally win in media: Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Rambo, the A-Team and of course Missing in Action were all there on hand to rewrite history and make things all better for the vets of the world. I had no real grasp on the politics, but I loved the Big Dumb Action Movies That Went Boom.

While the politics and impact of the war are best left argued by men far more scholarly and versed in history than I, I am however qualified to tell you that this is some Prime Ground Chuck!

This time out, we start in the early seventies. The previous film mentioned that Colonel Braddock had been captive for 8 years, and had been away from prison for one, so assuming that the date of the first movie was more or less the time of release, we must be about 1975. Braddock is hitching a ride on a chopper for some reconnaissance with four other solders when they receive a distress call from some troops under heavy enemy fire. The pick-up goes all wrong, the chopper gets hit by a missile launcher, and everyone bails out - and promptly gets captured.

Fast forward a number of years, to some stock footage of Reagan (in what I guess counts as his last screen appearance) at a press conference, his famous "We wont close the book, wont write the last chapter" speech from the opening of the Vietnam Memorial Wall (that bit I do remember). Meanwhile, Braddock and his buddies have been guests of Charlie, under the tender mercies of Colonel Yin (played to mustache twirling perfection by Hollywood oriental stock player Soon-Tek Oh) and his goons.

While one might think that a ton of high grade military hardware and an army of heavily armed men is a bit overkill for keeping five Americans locked up, it turns out that Yin also has a booming business on the side growing, manufacturing and smuggling opium. And so it goes, every day is a new adventure in rock moving and torture for Braddock and his men while their captors get off playing mind games on the Americans.

When a nosey Aussie newspaper reporter stumbles on the camp, looking for sequestered away POWs, a wealth of resources unexpectedly land Braddock (well, beyond the bamboo poles and dirt that Braddock had to work with up to this point). So Now it's up to Braddock to somehow escape captivity, find his way out of the booby trapped jungle hell, rescue his comrades and put a first class beatdown on Colonel Yin for all his hospitality over the years.

Needless to say, much ass kicking ensues.

You know, I've always wondered why Chuck never got a higher standing in the Action Hero pantheon. He's certainly no better or worse an actor than Stallone or Schwarzenegger, and his Kung Fu is certainly above reproach. As far back as Return of the Dragon where he got a first class beatdown from Bruce Lee up all the way up through The Octagon and Good Guys Wear Black, what Chuck may not have had for acting chops, he more than made up for in raw power and sheer grace. And yet he was never able to break out of the second tier of action stars like Van Damme and Segal and into the Big Time. (Well, I guess a television series for nine seasons counts as big time - but I mean commanding multi-bazillion dollar paychecks like Ah-nold did).

It's a damn shame, I tell you.

Apparently Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (hereby known as MIA2 henceforth) was shot at the same time as the first MIA, but producers Golan/Globus decided that MIA was the stronger film and opted to release that one first, and I can see why. In MIA:2, Chuck dials back the action pretty much until the final reel and punps up the drama and the pathos in the meantime. Not that Chuck is unable to carry the film with his stoic "grin and bear it" demeanor - and it is a intense film - but it's more character building and introspective than the other chapter. I can see why an audience hungry to see Norris deliver a Charlie get his ass handed to him in two fisted manner would sell better.

And they would be right - the first MIA went on to clean up at the box office. The prequel did pretty good money too - at least enough to warrant a third movie. So while it's jingoistic and about as deep as a teaspoon of water in regards to America's involvement in the Vietnam war, MIA:2 is a reasonable way to kill 91 minutes. Chuck is a compelling enough action star to carry the movie, Soon-Tek steals the show as the bad guy and the third act is satisfying enough to make the hard core brutality worth sitting through.

BREASTS ON DISPLAY: 4
EXPLOSIONS: 126
ROUNDS FIRED: 4,102
PUNCHES THROWN: 87 (and one roundhouse kick)
HANDRAIL DEATHS: 1
CAR CHASES: 0
FRUIT CARTS DESTROYED: 0
NINJA? No
F BOMBS DROPPED: 0
BEST LINE: You really didn't think I'd leave. . . .without making sure you were dead?

THE DVD -
Sadly we get a full frame edition - although not necessarily pan and scan. As I understand it, most of Cannon's output was matted into a wide screen format on release, so I don't think we're losing any picture. The framing doesn't seem tight or cropped like you would normally get in a pan and scan print. Not the most desirable outcome, but it could be worse.

The print used is fair, but not outstanding. I noticed all kinds of instances of scratches and print damage - and of course there was grain in the stock footage intermittently used throughout that stood out. It's not a perfect release, but considering I paid about 3 bucks for it, I don't have a lot of room to complain.

THE EXTRAS -
We get . . . wait for it. . . . a trailer. Not even a promotional booklet insert!

THE BOTTOM LINE -
While it takes a while to get to the meat of the action, Missing in Action 2 manages to be compelling enough to hold you till the final reel.