Bullet Points: Firewalker
Cannon Films is synonymous with the action genre but I don’t immediately think of Cannon when I think of action comedies.
Chuck Norris is also synonymous with the action genre, but back in 1986 I would not have guessed that Chuck would star in an action comedy.
Released on November 21, 1986, Firewalker proved that both Cannon and Chuck Norris could do action comedy and do it well…
- Mid Day at the Oasis: Firewalker wastes no time getting right into the action as treasure hunters, Max Donigan (Chuck Norris, Invasion U.S.A.) and Leo Porter (Louis Gossett Jr, Iron Eagle) are in their dune buggy being chased by some bandits that work for a devious individual known as The General. Max and Leo’s previous encounter with The General ended up with The General receiving a nasty scar on his face… and now he’s out for revenge. After Max manages to crash the dune buggy in an oasis! The General has Max and Leo tied up to stakes in the sand and left for dead under the desert sun leaving them with only a glass bottle of Perrier water… this opening scene not only establishes the tone and tenor of the film, but also the Max/Leo chemistry.
- A Few Brave Men: The Perrier may not have quenched their thirst, but it did help Max and Leo escape certain death. The thirsty adventurers end up at a bar and that’s where Patricia Goodwin (Melody Anderson, Flash Gordon) shows up. Patricia speaks to the bartender and tells him she is looking for two brave, loyal and possibly not so smart men… the bartender does not hesitate to point her in the direction of Max and Leo. With the promise of big money, Max and Leo are more than willing to listen to Patricia’s story about a treasure map and gold… although she does lose them a bit when she tells them about a cyclops that protects the fortune. But they still saddle up and join Patricia on her expedition.
- A Few Cave Men: Max, Leo and Patricia follow the map and make the climb to the secret cave shown on the map. Once inside they find a variety of things like a burial ground, hieroglyphics, and a skull with a dagger inside. Leo and Max also find time for some photo ops…. and that’s when Patricia is momentarily snatched up and Max and Leo have to battle some native tribesmen looking to eliminate the intruders to their sacred cave. Max and Leo manage to ward off the attack and rescue Patricia… the guy who snatched her up was not as lucky as he freaked out when he saw the dagger that Max found and voluntarily took a plunge.
- What’s Next?: Max, Leo and Patricia stop at a local watering hole where they try to make sense out of everything they now know. Leo points out the markings on the dagger have both Mayan and Aztec symbols on it and then there’s the hieroglyphics and all of this is happening on Apache land, none of it is adding up. The bartender points them in the direction of the shaman Tall Eagle (Will Sampson, The White Buffalo) and he also warns them about El Coyote (Sonny Landham, Predator), who is watching the trio through the window, with his one good eye… what was that about a cyclops?!?
- The Adventure Begins: Now all the key elements are in play and Max, Leo and Patricia are about to embark on their big golden adventure where they will have to deal with evil spirits, poisonous snakes, unfriendly soldiers, rebel forces, nearly having their heads chopped off, their car sinking, a pit of boiling water and of course El Coyote who is looking to make Patricia a sacrifice!
The more times I watch Firewalker, the more I enjoy it. Chuck Norris cuts loose in this one, a far cry from the serious and more stoic characters he became known for, especially his other films with Cannon. I really wish we would have gotten more Chuck Norris/Louis Gossett Jr. team ups because they were a dynamic duo… and when you throw Melody Anderson a terrific trio!
How about some dynamic and terrific Bonus Bullet Points to wrap this post up?
- Familiar Barfly: I was a little disappointed that the bar scene where Patricia first meets Max and Leo didn’t result in the obligatory bar fight. But Firewalker makes up for it later when Max and Leo encounter the Big Man, played by Miguel Ángel Fuentes of The Evil That Men Do and The Pumaman fame, and a bar fight erupts!
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Chuck Norris and Louis Gossett Jr. disguise themselves as priests, then Firewalker is the movie for you.
- Familiar Face: John Rhys-Davies of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and King Solomon’s Mines fame plays Corky Taylor, an old friend of Max Donigan’s and the man who prevents Max and Leo from losing their heads and instead has a feast in their honor.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Sonny Landham read a PSI-Force comic book, then Firewalker is the movie for you.
