My Cultural Diet

After two undercover narcotics officers are killed by an unknown assailant, the police enlist karate champion Matt Logan (Chuck Norris) to train their officers in hand-to-hand combat. Though reluctant at first, Logan is persuaded after getting a glimpse of the city’s drug problem, but will his training do any good when more officers start dropping? And how will it affect his upcoming championship bout? Released on the heels of Good Guys Wear Black, A Force of One suffers from the same fundamental issue: it lacks any real urgency given its supposedly gritty storyline. At times, the film just seems to meander along, with characters — like Clu Gulager’s police lieutenant — ambling through their scenes. When the inevitable twists happen, it’s all rather meh and relies on characters doing really stupid things. I did like the film’s depiction of the larger karate community, though, as Logan rubs shoulders with his peers and fellow combatants; it makes me wish someone would make a film about the ’70s California karate scene. I also appreciated the fact that, unlike in many of Norris’ movies, his character doesn’t immediately land in bed with the female lead (Jennifer O’Neill) despite their mutual attraction. But the kindest thing that I can say about A Force of One is that it set the stage for one of Norris’ best films, 1980’s The Octagon.

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