Bullet Points: Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
Under the leadership of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, The Cannon Group released more films per year than any other studio in Hollywood during their heyday. But of all the films under the Cannon banner, only one of them was a prequel, an unplanned prequel, but a prequel none the less… 1985’s Missing in Action 2: The Beginning.
- Cambodia Bound: The movie begins in 1972 Vietnam, Col. James Braddock (Chuck Norris, Invasion U.S.A.) is tagging along on a chopper flight that is crossing the border from Vietnam to Cambodia. But the chopper never makes it to Cambodia… along the way the pilot gets word of a firefight nearby that has American soldiers pinned down… Braddock makes the call that they are going to go down and bail them out. The impromptu rescue mission doesn’t pan out as the chopper takes a direct hit, forcing Braddock and four other soldiers to jump from the chopper to the river below. All five would officially be classified as missing in action…
- Fast Forward: The movie then jumps ahead. Based on the news footage of President Ronald Reagan and his tribute to the Vietnam Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery from May 28, 1984, we can assume we’ve jumped ahead about 12 years but honestly it could have been less since the movie never clarified. The timelines in the Missing in Action series gets fuzzier and fuzzier as the series goes on. Whether it was a few years or 12 years, there’s definitely the sense that the Vietnam War is over. But the war is not over for Col. James Braddock and the men that went missing in action with him. All five have been stuck in a P.O.W. camp that is ruled with an iron fist by the egotistical Colonel Yin (Soon-Tek Oh, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown).
- State of the Camp Address: We are first introduced to Yin as he addresses the prisoners under his watch. Yin brags about how his prison camp is inescapable… unless they consider death a form of escape. Yin then throws in the caveat that if Col. Braddock would sign a confession stating he is guilty of war crimes, then Yin would free the others. This speech seemed a bit odd considering this could not have been new information for the men Yin was directly addressing, but it did provide some exposition for the viewing audience. To punctuate Yin’s point about his prison camp being inescapable, we see a prisoner make a run for it and promptly get killed via flame thrower.
- Born To Be Bad: I would like to nominate Soon-Tek Oh’s Colonel Yin as Cannon’s Most Evil Villain. Colonel Yin has a major hard on for Braddock and goes to great lengths to get Braddock to sign the war crimes confession. Yin plays mind games with Braddock, like burning a letter Braddock’s wife wrote to her husband right in front of Braddock and telling Braddock how his wife has given up on him and has decided to remarry. Yin also tortures Braddock. For example, Yin has Braddock hung upside from a tree, then has a bag with a rabid rat inside tied around Braddock’s head. But Braddock stands his ground, refusing to sign a confession for crimes he did not commit, that is until…
- Bad Medicine: Franklin, one of the men who was captured alongside Braddock is battling malaria and his condition deteriorates as the movie goes on. With Franklin on his death bed, Braddock does the unthinkable he turns to Yin for help and agrees to sign the confession in return. Yin administers a shot to Franklin, presumably with medicine that will help treat the malaria… but in pure Yin fashion it is actually an opium overdose. Something Yin doesn’t reveal until after Braddock has signed the confession. Then to put the icing on the double cross cake, Yin has the alive but doped up Franklin taken outside and set on fire while Braddock is force to watch.
- He Can’t Stands No More: Braddock is officially pissed past the point of no return. Braddock fake hangs himself in his cell and when a guard comes to check on him, Braddock subdues the guard and makes his escape from the inescapable prison. Yin has no intentions of letting Braddock off that easily, so he calls upon his business partner Francois and Francois’ helicopter to help him find Braddock (Side Note: In addition to ruling a over a prison camp, Yin is in the opium business with Francois. Props to Yin for sticking to a job he loves instead of going all in on what would actually make him a ton of money and put him on easy street… I guess). While Yin and Francois are flying around looking for Braddock, Braddock has doubled back and raided Yin’s arsenal… things are going to get very interesting when Ying returns!
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning is a great example of a slow burn storyline. Every time it appears Braddock and his fellow prisoners are going to catch a break, they are cut down and the hatred for Colonel Yin grows and grows. By the time the movie gets to the Yin vs. Braddock finale, the desire to see Yin get his comeuppance is off the charts and the audience gets a more than satisfying ending as a result.
Speaking of satisfying endings, here are some Bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Faces: Steven Williams plays David Nester, one of the soldiers who went missing in action with Braddock, but a man who is eventually labeled as a traitor by his fellow Americans, when he takes a position as Yin’s man servant. Williams is probably best known for his TV work on 21 Jump Street and L.A. Heat, but he also appeared in action movies like Crash & Byrnes and The Elite… Yin’s two top guards were played by Professor Toru Tanaka (Revenge of the Ninja) and David Chung (Ninja III: The Domination).
- Directed By: Missing in Action 2: The Beginning was directed by Lance Hool. Hool is primarily known as a producer, but would go on to direct three other films including 1987’s Steel Dawn starring Patrick Swayze.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Soon-Tek Oh choke another man’s chicken, then Missing in Action 2 is the movie for you.
