Bullet Points: Hero and the Terror

1988’s Hero and the Terror is probably not the first movie you think of when you think of Chuck Norris’ time with Cannon Films. It has more in common with Chuck’s 1982 film Silent Rage, than it does Chuck’s other Cannon fare up to that point.

If you were like me and slept on Hero and the Terror, opting instead to watch The Delta Force or Invasion U.S.A. for the hundredth time, you may want to give Hero and the Terror a try… perhaps you’ll like it!

• Under the Boardwalk: The movie begins with a nightmare flashback as our cop hero, Danny O’Brien (Chuck Norris, Missing in Action) deals with his memories of tracking down and arresting the serial killing terror, Simon Moon (Jack O’Halloran, Superman II), at a shuttered seaside amusement park years earlier. We find out that it had been more than a year since Danny had that awful dream and he can’t help but wonder why as he confides in his former therapist/current pregnant girlfriend Kay (Brynn Thayer). Perhaps the dream was a premonition??
• Bustin’ Out: And wouldn’t you know who soon manages to escape from prison? Simon Moon! But it appears on the surface that Simon Moon’s freedom is short lived as he steals a laundry truck, crashes the prison gates and promptly drives the truck over a cliff and into the Snake River where his body is never recovered. Perhaps Simon Moon survived the crash??

• White Lines: Danny O’Brien doesn’t have time to worry about bad dreams or the news that the man who has haunted his dreams escaped prison, because he’s got a job to do. And that job includes an operation to take down some drug dealers, played by the ubiquitous Branscombe Richmond (The Taking of Beverly Hills) and Bob Wall (Enter the Dragon). O’Brien and his fellow cops, including Robinson (Steve James, Street Hunter), successfully take down the drug dealers and get a lot of product off the streets of Los Angeles but aside from further establishing Danny O’Brien as a quality cop and giving Steve James some more screen time, the whole drug busting scene is of no consequence to the rest of the movie. Perhaps this is the calm before the storm?
• Meeting in the Ladies Room: The movie shifts to the newly restored Wiltern Theater, a location that will become the epicenter for the remainder of the movie. We meet Betsy, the daughter of a preacher man who has come to Los Angeles against her father’s wishes. Betsy is interviewing with the theater manager, who offers her a job that she can start immediately. Betsy visits the ladies room before going to grab a uniform and that is when we find out definitively that Simon Moon survived the crash, as he emerges from an old tunnel that connects to the ladies room and promptly kills Betsy. Perhaps Betsy should have obeyed her father?
• Hooray for Hollywood: Later that night, The Wiltern Theater hosts the premiere of War & Love and when Ginger, the star of the movie, excuses herself to “powder her nose” before the movie begins, she becomes victim number two of Simon Moon’s comeback tour. But unlike Betsy, who Simon must have stashed somewhere, Simon leaves Ginger’s dead body in the park across the street from the theater for the world to find, the press is a buzz and speculation is high that Simon Moon is responsible and the mayor is feeling the pressure. Perhaps he should call in the man who busted Simon Moon the last time?

• Secret: What the mayor really wants from Danny is to shoot down the speculation that Simon Moon is back and responsible for killing a famous movie star… but Danny hasn’t ruled out Simon as a suspect. Thanks to some old blue prints finds out where Simon is hiding inside The Wiltern and that’s when the movie goes full circle, with Danny tracking down Simon Moon and having another confrontation with the behemoth. Perhaps Danny shouldn’t bother arresting him this time?

Hero and the Terror is heavier on the drama and lighter on the action than a typical Chuck Norris Cannon film, which is probably why I had a tough time sitting through the film in the past. But after finally sitting down and watching it from start to finish, I found Hero and the Terror was definitely worth my time, it allowed Chuck to step out of his comfort zone a bit and it was another chance to see the gone too soon Steve James on my television screen, which is never a bad thing… will Hero and the Terror join Invasion U.S.A. and The Delta Force as Chuck movies I feel the need to watch at least once a year, probably not, but it is a must see for any fans of Chuck Norris, even if you only watch it once.

I am about out of things to say about this movie, perhaps now would be a good time to throw it to the Bonus Bullet Points…

• Familiar Faces: The unnamed Mayor of Los Angeles was played by none other than Ron O’Neal of Superfly, The Final Countdown and Original Gangstas fame… Billy Drago of The Untouchables and Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection fame, found himself in a rare non-villainous role playing Simon Moon’s psychiatrist, Dr. Highwater.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Chuck Norris burn toast, then Hero and the Terror is the movie for you.
• Spoiler Alert: There’s a great moment where Danny and Kay stop at The Wiltern after Danny took Kay out for her birthday and Kay needs to use the ladies room… Simon Moon killing Danny’s pregnant girlfriend would be the ultimate serial killer move and I was legit on the edge of my seat as Kay made her way towards the ladies room, but Danny’s insistence that he go in with her, puts a stop to that and saves Kay and her and Danny’s unborn child in process.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Steve James run laps in an empty theater while listening to Mozart, then Hero and the Terror is the movie for you.
• End of an Era: Hero and the Terror was Chuck’s last Cannon film during the Menahem Golan era. Yoram Globus and Cannon would end up getting Chuck Norris in the nasty divorce between the cousins and go on to make three more movies with Chuck in the early 1990s… Delta Force 2, Hellbound and The Hitman.