Bullet Points: Hellbound
There is no denying that Cannon Films played a huge part in the career of Chuck Norris. From the Missing in Action franchise to over the top action blockbusters like Invasion U.S.A. and The Delta Force, Cannon Films and Chuck Norris had a mutually beneficial relationship for many years.
But it has been said that all good things must come to an end and for Cannon Films and Chuck Norris the end came in the form of the 1994 film, Hellbound.
- In the Beginning: Our movie begins way back in the year 1186 A.D. King Richard and his knights are tracking down an emissary from Satan himself known as Prosatanos. Prosatanos (Christopher Neame of Licence to Kill fame) has kidnapped a royal baby and with his satanic scepter plans on sacrificing the child from royal blood and opening up the gates of hell. Fortunately the good guys arrive in time, rescue the baby and seal up Prosatanos in a tomb. King Richard takes things a step further and with his mighty sword cuts the scepter into pieces. But the prophecies state that when the time is right, Prosatanos will be back and he’ll once again be looking to open up the gates of hell. Guess what? The prophecy was right!
- Fast Forward: In present day Chicago (and by present day I mean 1994 Chicago), Sergeant Frank Shatter (Chuck Norris) and his partner Detective Calvin Jackson (played by Calvin Levels of Adventures in Babysitting fame) are doing their usual police work, busting pimps, hoes and drug dealers. But Shatter and Jackson’s routine night would soon become anything but routine after a hooker lands on the hood of their car after being the victim of a defenestration. Shatter races up to the room where the now dead hooker was projected from, there he encounters Prosatanos, Shatter shoots at the satanic emissary, but to no avail. Prosatanos disappears and Shatter discovers that a rabbi has been murdered after his heart was ripped out from his chest (that’ll do it every time). Along with the rabbi’s heart, Shatter finds one of the pieces of the scepter.
- Spirit of Cooperation: The rabbi that was murdered was not just any rabbi, Rabbi Shindler was a highly respected man visiting the United States from his native Israel. After the murder, Shatter and Jackson’s presence is requested in Jerusalem so the two can answer the questions of the local police force in Jerusalem. The two street smart Chicago cops meeting with Captain Arrad, who pumps our heroes for information and reminds them that they are not police officers in Israel, they are simply tourists. Arrad goes on to warn Shatter and Jackson that they should keep out of the investigation. Guess what? They don’t!
- Evil Has a New Name: As Shatter and Jackson start meddling where they have been warned not to meddle by looking for the man who killed Rabbi Shindler, all signs start to point to a Professor Lockley. Lockley looks an awful lot like Prosatanos and for good reason. Prosatanos and Lockley are one in the same and when you think about it what a perfect cover. As a professor of archaeology there would be educational reasons for Lockley to try to recover the pieces of the scepter, totally disguising Prosatanos’ evil reasons for wanting all the pieces of the scepter. Lockley also wisely chose an assistant who is the daughter of a duke, meaning she has royal blood. The devil truly is in the details.
Hellbound should be celebrated for giving action movie fans around the world an epic encounter they could have only dreamed of between Chuck Norris and evil in its purest form, direct from Satan himself. Hellbound should also be celebrated as the final chapter in Norris’ Cannon filmography. I had never seen the film prior to watching for this review and I was pleased that Chuck’s time at Cannon ended on such a high note. Hellbound combines action, comedy and fantasy in what I would classify as Chuck’s most unique Cannon Film.
And I would classify this next section of my review as bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Face: Lockley’s assistant Leslie was played by Sheree J. Wilson, who was also working with Chuck Norris on his hit TV show Walker, Texas Ranger.
- Product Placement Quote: “Either that guy is nuttier than a Snickers or there is some real heavy shit going down!” – Calvin Jackson
- The Name Game: In my opinion, Frank Shatter is not only one of Chuck Norris’ greatest character names, it is one of the greatest character names in movie history.
- Disturbing Quote: “Why don’t you just cut my nuts off with a dull ass butter knife?” – Calvin Jackson
- Divorce Settlement: It should be mentioned that while this was a Cannon production, this was after Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan had their nasty split. Globus must have gotten custody of Chuck Norris in the divorce, while Golan got Charles Bronson.
