Missing in Action 2: The Beginning * (1985, Chuck Norris, Soon-Tek Oh, Steven Williams) – Classic Movie Review 10,336

Director Lance Hool’s 1985 film Missing in Action 2: The Beginning brings back Chuck Norris in the Seventies-set prequel to 1984’s hit Missing in Action, in which Colonel James Braddock (Norris) has a terrible time in a North Vietnam POW camp before escaping.

Missing in Action 2: The Beginning is a tacky and violent downmarket action thriller, some way behind the original, but done with a little zest.

Also in the cast are Soon Teck-Oh, Cosie Costa, Steven Williams, Bennett Otah, Joe Michael Terry, John Wesley, David Chung, Toru Tanaka, John Otrin, and Christopher Cary.

It was shot in Mexico and St Kitts, and produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus for their Cannon Group company. It was half the success of the original but it was still another welcome hit for them, so a sequel was ordered up. Costing $2,410,000, it grossed $10,755,447. The original cost $2,550,000 and grossed $22,812,411.

Sequel: Braddock: Missing in Action III.

Missing in Action 2: The Beginning is directed by Lance Hool, runs 95 minutes, is made by The Cannon Group and Golan-Globus Productions, is released by Cannon Film Distributors (1985) (US) and Guild (UK), is written by Arthur Silver, Larry Levinson and Steve Bing, is shot by Jorge Stahl Jnr, is produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, is scored by Brian May and is designed by Michael Baugh.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,336

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