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| Images Courtesy of Cannon Releasing Corporation |
The 80's were perhaps one of the most interesting decades
of American action cinema. While the 70's boasted some of the most
impactful and artful offerings of a post-Vietnam reflection facing the end of
free love and the pending takeover of corporate sponsorship, the 80's saw
American auteurs pushed to the sidelines in favor of macho action films to
assuage Cold War paranoia. America and its muscle-bound heroes were
undefeatable symbols of capitalism and freedom. Perhaps the most
"American" of all these celebrated personalities is Chuck Norris and
Joseph Zito's Invasion U.S.A is perhaps the most emblematic summation of
Norris' legacy.
What begins as a Red Dawn clone quickly reveals itself to be more of an awkward cousin of John Milius' grim masterwork, eschewing nihilistic patriotism for a more hopeful offering that ensures Chuck Norris is going to kill every single bad guy. Norris stars as a former CIA operative who comes out of a well-earned retirement to thwart an invasion of the United States by Latin American guerilla soldiers led by a soviet operatic (sounds familiar). Norris cowrote the screenplay that plays like a warning to the audience. Still, despite the cold war paranoia that inspired these films, Invasion ultimately plays as patriotic wet dream, showing that no one is above Lady Liberty’s avenging angel wrath.
Richard Lynch steals the limelight as the villain, giving a menacing performance that perfectly accentuates Norris' minimal dialogue. However, it is the action scenes that are the centerpiece of the film. Particularly the bombing of a stereotypical American neighborhood and a climatic shootout in a shopping mall. A condemned neighborhood and mall were used for both scenes, allowing the crew to literally destroy the buildings which only increases the tempo of each sequence, ensuring Norris duel wielding Uzis feels almost normal given the circumstances.
Joao Fernandez' gritty cinematography is the strongest element, approaching the machismo ladened proceedings with poise, giving everything an almost documentary like feel. Ultimately, however, everything impressive is housed around a rather milquetoast center, showcasing how thin the story is and what greatness could have been achieved had the approach been more serious. Instead, we are treated to Norris vaporizing someone at close range with a bazooka.
Now available for digital rental or on a recently released 4k UHD from Vinegar Syndrome, Invasion U.S.A. is one of those essential 80's film that when revisited, underwhelms, reminding the viewer that sometimes, nostalgia is something best left in the mind's eye.
Kyle Jonathan