Plot: When a woman is murdered in the same fashion as a presumed dead serial killer dubbed `The Terror’, LA policeman Danny `Hero’ O’Brien believes the killer is still alive and searches for his old nemesis.
I’ve only ever seen Hero and the Terror probably twice but since losing Chuck Norris recently, I’ve been wanting to revisit some of his movies which I haven’t covered before.
From Cannon Films, I think this is a little underrated as it still holds up as a solid cop thriller with Chuck Norris playing the “Hero” Danny O’Brien who takes down the “Terror” serial killer also known as Simon Moon (played with quiet menace by Superman’s Jack O’Halloran). All seems well however, Danny starts to have a nightmare, and he fears Simon will break out of prison… which of course, he does.
I’ve always wanted to read Michael Blodgett’s 1982 novel of the same name which I will pick up soon.
What I like about this is that we see a different side of Chuck Norris; where he is usually the pinnacle of stoic manliness, here he shows vulnerability and even fear. A hero that actually fears the villain is always a fun concept and it works well here. The final showdown between the two is worth the build up as Danny may have met his match.
I also like how Danny’s son-to-be wife Kay (Brynn Thayer) is an actual character rather than just the love interest. The restaurant scene is a highlight as she talks about her fears of getting older which is something we can all relate to.
It’s not exactly an adrenaline rush of action, but there is enough to keep things moving with several fight scenes and like I said, the finale is worth the wait.
The supporting cast includes the late, great Steve James (who is killed off too easily in my opinion), a young Branscombe Richmond as a thug and the also late, great Billy Drago who plays a good guy doctor. The legendary Ron O’Neal also shines as The Mayor who is helpful to Danny rather than making things difficult.
The tone is serious here with no one-liners and is almost more of a slasher movie with fight scenes rather than an action picture and for the most part it works.
David Michael Frank provides the score which has some cool electric guitar riffs which has always been his specialty having done the music to Showdown in Little Tokyo, One Man Force, Best of the Best 2 and many more.
Overall, Hero and the Terror is far better than I remember with Chuck Norris showing slightly more vulnerability than we’re used to. There are a few decent fight scenes and Jack O’Halloran makes for an intimidating villain. It’s not quite up there with the likes of Invasion USA and Delta Force, but it’s still entertaining for some nice character moments too.