Customer Reviews

Silent Rage [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Chuck does horror in the 1982 classic "Silent Rage" in which Chuck Norris, as Sheriff Dan Stevens, takes on a superhuman biological project gone bad in John Kirby. John Kirby was already dangerously disturbed before he was killed, but after he is brought back to life by a mad scientist, this guy is unstoppable!! I mean I am talking Michael Myers style!! John Kirby is evil, dangerous and deadly as he kills a bunch of people on his way to a match with Sheriff Dan Stevens and his karate kicks. Will Chuck be a match for John Kirby? On paper, the answer is no, but with Chuck's karate kicks and chops having more power than shotgun blasts, one would have to give the edge to Chuck Norris in this matchup.

Notwithstanding Chuck Norris' notorious karate scene when he beats the butts of an entire biker gang in a bar all by himself, this movie does have some horror merit to it, although not much. First, you gotta love the music in this flick, especially John Kirby's theme or death song. Kirby does look mad and evil at times in this movie and is quite effective at presenting this look to the audience. I was especially impressed with his killings in the beginning before he became superhuman, just brutal kills!!! That being said, this movie is very light to nil on scares.

Give John Kirby credit guys as this guy has skills. Can Chuck Norris stop him? Better check it out along with Chuck Norris's comic sidekick in the 80's classic karate horror flick named "Silent Rage". The kills are decent in this movie and the killer, John Kirby, is extremely formidable. The acting is average to slightly above average for this type of flick and there are moments where horror is evident as John Kirby stalks his victims. I must admit this is not a great or a good horror movie, but I do speak of "Silent Rage" with affection as it does not try to do too much with its simple plot.

The good thing about "Silent Rage" is that it stays within itself and does not try to do too much with silly twists. The creators of "Silent Rage" do a decent job of presenting an evil and maniacal killer with superhuman strength killing people for the sheer enjoyment of it; and it is up to Chuck Norris to stop John Kirby? After watching this movie myself, I do not know who is more unstoppable between the inhuman John Kirby and the infallible Chuck Norris. Check out Chuck Norris in "Silent Rage" NOW!! Do not expect a great horror movie and you should enjoy yourself mightily.

a must for all chuck fans ,indestructable madman (brian libby) goes on the rampage after being injected with a super healing serum ,needless to say chuck comes to the rescue not only [whooping him],he even has time to take on a gang of bikers in what is a classic bar room brawl,in which chuck shows why he was six time karate champ.this film should be taken for what it is sheer enjoyment!sit back and watch chuck at his [brawling] best,the baddies are excellent too,watch and judge for yourself.

Chuch Norris as I have never seen him. As the Sheriff of a small town he does battle with an indestructible man. This man started the movie as a mental patient who commits murder at an apartment complex. Theman is gunned down by the police. At the hospital he is made indestructible by doctors(mad scientists).He then proceeds to kill everyone who poses a threat to him. Before he and Chuck meet up Chuck whips a motorcycle gang. At the end of the movie he and Sheriff Chuck wage war all over the countryside. Nothing Chuck does to him will kill him. Sheriff Chuck finally throws him in a well. It ends with the mad killer springing out of the water. My only dissapointment was that there wasn't a sequel. A very exciting movie. A bit different for Chuck Norris though.

I usually find Norris' movies somewhat dull and repetative, but this movie crosses over the endless, cookie cutter karate flicks to a somewhat pioneering style, that is more of a thriller than simply just martial arts. I find this movie accentuates Norris' gifts (physical ability) and avoids his flat acting pretty well. We are also fortunate to have some decent actors involved in the project, despite it's lack of success and occasional lapses in interest.

The movie does a surprisingly good job in establishing these characters and identifying with the audience. This helps in many of the horror scenes, where you actually find yourself caring about the characters and getting drawn into the suspense. I personally found the final fight scenes with Norris and Libby very entertaining. Because of the invincibility of Libby's character, you can't help but to wonder how it's going to end. We know Chuck can't lose, but we also know that it's impossible for him to win. The ending was quite logical and somewhat frightening, since it takes you by surprise and you realize that it's the only way it can go.

The movie does have it's problems though. It does have some lapses in the story, that appear deliberately put in just to get Chuck in some fights with bikers. I found much of the biker scenes somewhat silly and poorly thought out. Also, I had a problem with Libby's character losing his mind in the span of a few minutes, just because the people downstairs were arguing a lot. I realize that he was unstable to begin with, but he just calls up his doctor, says "I'm losing it" and goes right outside where he picks up an axe and turns into a viscious killer.

All in all, it is a very entertaining "B" movie flick, that showed a lot more than just Norris wiping the floor with someone. To me, this is the only film of Norris' that I can think of, that I actually enjoyed watching many times. The reason is, that it does'nt just focus on him and keeps him more of an important character, rather than carry the entire movie. This is a good idea, considering Norris' limited acting ability, but exceptionally talented physicality . If you have'nt seen this movie yet, check it out. It is an early 80's low budget movie, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

After unbalanced John Kirby (Brian Libby) snaps and kills two people, he is gravely wounded by police after a scuffle with Texas sheriff Chuck Norris. Kirby is taken away presumed to be dying, and Norris thinks that's the end of it. But scientists attending the wounded man try out a new serum that accelerates the healing process, and it works - but his mind is even more deranged now. Things go from bad to worse when Kirby disappears.

Meanwhile, Norris tries to patch things up with former girlfriend Allison (Toni Kalem) while he and his friendly deputy Charlie (Stephen Furst) clean up a motorcycle gang in a great barroom scene where Chuck says "You're next" to the last punk who's standing up. After Chuck decks the last one, Charlie then suggests that they read them their rights.

Things get more tense that night when Kirby stalks the three scientists - and Allison. Norris then meets his match in a man who's basically indestructible.

Not a bad punch-up/slasher film. Some good action sequences and a few geniunely suspenseful scenes. At least the "indestructible killer" plotline put a neat twist on things. Katey Sagel of "Married With Children" sings the "love" song.

In 1982 the film world was blessed with the marrige of two unstoppable forces: the awesome horror genre, and the human machette, Chuck Norris(because he cuts down anything in his path). The result was positively mind-blowing. We, Sid the Elf, did not give Silent Rage 5 stars for any other reason other than it was an absolute b masterpiece.

First, the plot. Basically, this film is a more b, sci-fi version of the 1978 horror classic Halloween (Divimax 25th Anniversary Edition). Silent Rage was made in 1982, so it's clearly a direct ripoff which adds so much to its B level. The difference in this one, though was they made a huge upgrade. Sid loves Loomis, loves him. But, not even Loomis can beat out an often shirtless, cowboy hat wearing Chuck Norris. Who was at the height of the flowing blonde mullet stage here. The movie revolves around a brutal killer, played by the same guy who played Ramon the pool man in Seinfeld. This guy gets morbidly injured and is brought to the hospital. One of the doctors just can't accept the fact that this wonderful human is gone, so he decides to defy logic, reason, and science to bring the guy back to life and make him totally indestructable in the process.

So, this guy goes on another killing spree, but this time he picked the wrong place. That's right, he picked the town whose sherrif just happens to be Chuck Norris. Wow, seriously, talk about an all-time stupid decision. Too bad those doctors didn't fix Ramon's brain. Sid is just sad that Ramon couldn't talk, because if he did he probably would have been less than truthful with Chuck about his crimes. Then, we could have heard Chuck get mad at Ramon, run down his crimes and at the end of the list add, "and LYING to the sherrif." Having Ramon being a mute was just one of the things they did to make this flick extreme b. When they were trying to get the point across that Ramon was indestructable they showed holes that had been shot into him, just close up. It looked like someone stuck their finger in tan jello then pulled it out. The acting could not have been worse, either. Ron Silver, credited as Sal Pachino for some reason, was unbelievably b. His awful/wonderful performance came to crescendo when his corpse was hanging on the back of the door and his eyes were darting back and forth like he was at a tennis match. Also, Chuck has never been better. He even tried some comedic one-liners. You haven't lived until you see the Chuck Norris "OK, this line is coming up in a second and I have to nail it" face. Ironically, he passed down this wonderful trait to his son Mike Norris which is exemplified in the famous "B.S." scene in the classic Death Ring.

And what about the final fight scene between Norris and Ramon? It was a work of art. You had alternating closeups of Ramon and Norris. Ramon making his "I'm mad and crazy and I smell bad enough that it's even bothering me" face. And Chuck making his "Dude, I'm Chuck Norris, you are so freaking dead" face. Add to that, the music. Sid thought this was genius. Anytime you have a showdown scene between two guys in a horror movie the music should always be pornoesque. It is a mortal lock to creep the viewer out everytime out of the gate.

So, at the end of the scene, Chuck roundhouse kicks Ramon down the well. Sid wouldn't change a thing. And you know it's coming, the guy jumps out of the well water as the credits roll and the cheesy title song plays. The only thing that was missing was the prospect of watching Silent Rage 2 and reviewing it next week. It's not too late Chuck! It's only been 26 years. Pull a Stallone for Sid, please.

This multi-layered, many-textured exploration of the inner determinants of phychological motivation can be a watershed experience in your life, if you have the requisite desire and an open mind. A stunning love story is woven within the ever-varied fabric of an adventure tale, a horror story, a medical drama and a sophisticated comic farce. Dan and Alison want nothing more than to move on with their life together, buying a small ranch near Navasota and raising mohair goats, but fate cruelly intervenes with an unstoppable psycho-monster created by scientist Ron Silver in this, the greatest movie role of his entire life. Fortunately, we are occasionally rescued from drowning in tears by the remarkably deft and cerebral comedy of Stephen Furst, in one of his glittering early silver screen outings. The true star of this movie, though, is the plot. The producers, the crew, the actors, all knew they were working with an irreplaceable treasure of a plot, solid gold in story form, and their devotion, their energy, yes, their LOVE is evident in every frame. This is one of those magic films of which you will never tire, no matter how many times you see it and see it again -- it is the 1980s version of that incomparable 1943 classic, "We've Never Been Licked," starring Robert Mitchum, which in turn was loved by an entire generation. The day after I saw Silent Rage, I bought some cowboy boots like Chuck Norris was wearing (didn't I TELL you this film changed my life?) but they were stolen a few weeks later -- still, I remember them to this very day. Do not miss Silent Rage. It will burn a permanent, enduring, lasting, persistent, turgid scar on the Mobius strip of your soul, with white light searing the ineffective sunglasses of your mind's eye while impetigo dances with the hair on your scalp. Thank you Chuck Norris, thank you Ron Silver, thank you Brian Libby. The world can never properly repay you for making a movie like this one.

Karate master Chuck Norris is at his butt-kicking best here as the sheriff of a small Texas town being menaced by a zombie-like maniac killer who's been brought back from the dead by a mad scientist. This is a pretty good action flick with a nice horror flavor. This DVD has good sound and image quality, but is lacking in bonus features. It has trailers for three other movies, and that's it! But I still recommend it (after all, you can zoom in on those tattoos!) to all Chuck Norris fans, and all martial-arts fans in gemeral.

It's no secret I love horror films...maybe it's not quite as well-known that I like martial arts films, also, admittedly no where near to the same degree, but I do like them. I dimly recall seeing this movie when I was young, but had largely forgotten about it until somehow in one of my searches, I came up with a "horror" film starring Chuck Norris.

My memory held only scant tidbits of the flick, but I figured with Norris, I pretty much knew what to expect, but was interested in seeing his foray into my favorite genre. So, I coughed up the cash and ordered it.

Now I don't REGRET it; the film is enjoyable in it's way, and has that perfect 80s vibe that any good Chuck Norris film has (middle-of-the-road acting, simple plot and dialogue, bordering on softcore porn love scenes, over-the-top fight scenes, and a hilarious score). However, in all honesty, I have to advise anyone looking to buy it that it may not be what you expect.

The story borrows a lot from "Halloween" in it's execution as others have pointed out; the main heavy skulks silently (and we're talking NINJA silent, a la Michael Myers) in the shadows, turning up where you least expect it, and can take multiple gunshots and keep coming back for more. He is different, however, in that we are at least given a reason for why he's off his nut, and why he's virtually (perhaps even literally) unstoppable. There's a bland attempt to infuse a little comedy as well, as Stephen Furst, "Dorfman" from "Animal House", garners a chuckle or two in his comic relief role as deputy, but it really seems kind of forced for the most part.

Of course, there's the staple "big fight" scene (actually TWO, although one is not in any way associated with the plot, it's just Chuck), which is what you really see a Chuck Norris movie for, but be warned: the martial artistry is really kept to a minimum...so if you're one of those looking for a "Chuck Kicks @ss" movie like "The Octagon" or "Good Guys Wear Black", you're going to be disappointed. There is some gore (the first ten minutes is actually pretty good in the horror vein; with a bit more of a deft hand on the script, the beginning could kick off a really good slasher flick), but other than a little stalking about, there's not much to be had in the "scary" vein, either. Some of the plot devices are so contrived they progress to ridiculous; as Our (as yet unarmed) Killer is stalking a particular victim, we see the unfortunate soon-to-be-deceased is making himself a snack...now how many of you out there slice your salami with what amounts to a machete? Seriously, I've seen smaller bayonets...

...convenient for our silent baddie, I guess.

Finally, I felt the ending was both predictable and dissatisfying. For it to be a Chuck flick, I totally expected something more.

So in fairness, unless you're a fan of Norris' films, you probably won't dig this one much; if it's horror or martial arts you crave, this attempt at combining the two dilutes both to the point where you'll feel cheated when the credits roll.

Me, being a sucker for 'bad' films, horror flicks, and Chuck Norris, give it three-and-a-quarter stars...I'll watch it again, but it won't be often.

I got this movie based off a review by Sid The Elf. Not only that, but I considered myself to be a huge Norris fan in the 80's. He was the only white guy you'd associate with kung fu (I don't consider David Carradine part of that, sorry). There was Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Chuck Norris. I even had a neighbor who looked like Norris, and we used to call him Chuck Norris.

Anyway, I'm also a big sci-fi fan, so the combination of Norris and some creepy dude killing people with an axe was enough to sell me. The movie's about what you'd expect from the time period: predictable storyline with a predictable outcome. And they HAD to throw in some cheesy love-interest for Norris: some busty brunette who couldn't act to save her children's soul. The effects were cool for the time and was surprised to see the fat guy from Animal House try his role as deputy, Norris' sidekick.

A huge downfall to this DVD were the special features: trailers for really bad movies made in the 90's (Bad Boys, The Professional [which really wasn't bad]), and a trailer for this movie. BUT, if you're able to read 7 different foreign languages you can practice your grammar on this movie with the subtitles that are offered.

Overall, really not a bad movie. Worthy of a rent, but buy it only if you're a Norris fan.