Unsung Heroes: Eye of the Tiger

Eye of the Tiger could be described as a true hidden gem, the sleeper action hit of 1986 or as one of the most unsung action movies of the golden era of action.

The filmed starred Gary Busey as Buck Matthews, a Vietnam veteran who is returning to his quiet hometown after a stint in prison following some trumped up charges courtesy of the crooked local sheriff. It doesn’t take Buck long to find that his hometown is not the same as when he left it. The town is being terrorized by a drug dealing motorcycle club led by a really bad guy named Blade (played by William Smith) and nobody has had the guts to step up to stop it. Well nobody until Buck Matthews takes a stand. Yaphet Kotto plays Buck’s reluctant wingman in the film, J.B. Deveraux. J.B. is looking to get out of town when Buck first returns home and he tries to encourage his friend to do the same. But despite his vocal protests, when push comes to shove J.B. realizes he can’t very well let his stubborn best friend take on an army of drug dealers all on his own and he’s got Buck’s back.

When it is all said and done, it is our two heroes Buck Matthews and J.B. Deveraux who are standing tall as the end credits roll… but there are others in Eye of the Tiger who deserve some recognition for their heroic actions. And if you are an unsung hero of an unsung action movie, you may be the most unsung heroes of them all…

Jamie – The Narcotics Kingpin

I should preface this by saying that the movie never comes right out and says that the Jamie character (played by Jorge Gil) is involved in the selling and distribution of illegal narcotics. But considering he looks like the poor man’s Tony Montana and his home base is in Miami, I am fairly confident that Jamie is at least dabbling in drug running.

Buck and Jamie actually met in prison. Buck intervened on Jamie’s behalf when he was being attacked by multiple inmates and saved Jamie’s life. When the two get out of the big house (conveniently on the same day) Jamie gives Buck a note with a phone number, telling him to call it whenever he needs help. And this proved not to be an empty gesture. Jamie stayed true to his word and when Buck called in his favor, Jamie supplied Buck with the kind of firepower a guy taking on a band of heavily armed motorcycle maniacs is going to need.

So while it may seem strange to call one drug dealer an unsung hero in a movie where the bad guys are drug dealers, for being a true friend to Buck I believe Jamie has earned his spot on this Unsung Heroes list. Especially since we never got the sequel to Eye of the Tiger where Buck is now sheriff of the town and we find out that Jamie had an ulterior motive for helping Buck eliminate Blade in the first film and Jamie and his Familia are now running drugs out of that same desert air strip.

The Bingo Lady

One of my favorite scenes in Eye of the Tiger is when Buck Matthews finds most of the townsfolk at the weekly bingo game. Buck interrupts the proceedings and gives an impassioned call to arms speech as he tries to get some help with his impending war with Blade. But it was a waste of time.. the townsfolk are just too damn scared to help. So a frustrated Buck throws up his arms and leaves… and as soon as he leaves, our bingo caller resumes her duty and calls the next number.

This woman (Kathryn Fuller) would not have been able to help Buck. She is elderly and frail. What the hell could she do against bad guys with automatic weapons? But she knows calling those numbers and keeping the bingo game going gives the members of her community a little bit of joy so she is going to keep doing what she does best. She’s a professional, who believes there is no job that is too small.

Jimmy – The Loyal Friend

When Buck returns to work on the construction site he is greeted by his old friend/co-worker Jimmy (Douglas Dirkson). Jimmy tells Buck how crappy things have been since Buck has been away, how management doesn’t know what the hell they are doing and that he believes Buck will be in charge sooner than later. Then he brilliantly rhymes the word luck with Buck (that alone would have at least given him consideration for this list.)

But where Jimmy really shines is when Buck needs somebody to watch his young daughter Jennifer, who was hospitalized after Blade and his boys literally drove their motorcycles through the Matthews house, destroying everything and killing Buck’s wife in the process and traumatizing Jennifer. Jimmy comes straight from the work site to the hospital EVERY SINGLE DAY to keep an eye on Jennifer and make sure she is safe from any further acts of retaliation from Blade. Friends like Jimmy don’t grow on trees and we would all be better off having a Jimmy in our lives.