Invasion U.S.A. (1985)

Invasion U.S.A. (1985)

Directed by: Joseph Zito

Starring: Chuck Norris, Richard Lynch, Melissa Prophet

America wasn't ready....but HE was!











There is a genre of film that I particularly love, and that is action films from 1987-1997.  I have yet to see one from this period of time that I have disliked.  Even the bad ones are fun to watch, especially with the right people.  Die Hard set a high bar of the genre, and the films that tired to replicate the success of it don't clear it, but they are fun none the less.

With that said, Invasion U.S.A. came out a few years prior, but falls into the same category.  Chuck Norris is one of those actors who I'm not expecting a Shakespearean performance out of, I just want a fun action movie with some butt-kicking.  And this one does not disappoint.

Basically, Norris' character Matt Hunter is a retired CIA agent who gets pulled back into the fray when a terrorist he put away starts a reign of terror by organizing an attack on the U.S.  But first, he wants to take out the one man who put him away.

Gun battles: Check
Explosions: Check
Car chases: Check
Bad guys who went to the COBRA school of shooting: Check
Cheesy one-liners: None that I recall

Invasion U.S.A. has been on Dave and I's "need to watch" list since we saw Electric Boogaloo.  I think we are most definitely be hunting down a few of the other Cannon films we want to see.  We really enjoyed the movie, even if it did have some questionable aspects (Mainly, the unlimited ammo guns)  (Also, not sure what the actual point of Melissa Prophet's character was)

A couple of fun things about the film.

A) Takes place during the Christmas season, so it has a place on my Christmas watch list now.

B) The homes that get blown up were actual houses that were set to be demolished for the expansion of an airport, so Cannon purchased them and used them in the movie.  Same for the mall that is used, as it was being remodeled, so they were able to actual destroy it.

C) Billy Drago has one of the briefest cameos I've ever seen for someone listed in the opening credits.


Norris falls into the same category of actor as Lundgren, Seagal and Van Damme for me: I'm pretty sure I will enjoy the film if they are in it.


If you're interested in purchasing the film for yourself, Shout Factory! just released it on blu-ray last month.  You can get it on Amazon here.

Madman (1982)

Madman (1982)

Directed by Joe Giannone

Starring Tony Fish, Gaylen Ross, and Paul Ehlers

Lore of the campfire,
Telling of his horror.
Lost in the woods,
With the madman and the stars.

Don't laugh at the tale,
Heed if you call him.
The Legend lives, beware the Madman Marz.
The Legend lives, beware the Madman Marz!


Madman is an '80s horror film that somehow slipped under my radar until recently.  Horror is one of my favorite genres, and I am always looking for something that is new to me.  Thanks to companies like Scream Factory, Olive Films, and Vinegar Syndrome, a lot genre titles are getting to see the light of day on Blu-Ray.  Madman was put out by Vinegar Syndrome earlier this year, and based upon the synopsis alone, I decided to take a chance on it.  And I'm glad I did, as I was not disappointed by it.

The movie starts off around a camp fire, in which scary stories are being told.  Max tells the tale of Madman Marz, a local legend who murdered his family one night and then was hung by the townspeople.  The next morning, Marz was missing (along with the corpses of his family) and has not been seen since.  But legend has it, if you say his name above a whisper in the woods, he will hear it and come for you and our friends.  Of course, one of the campers decides to test fate and yells out his name.

I'm not going to go to much into plot details, as I went into the movie blindly, and I would recommend the same for anyone who hasn't seen it.  The reason I think the movie worked so well for me was I knew nothing of the plot, and it wasn't going for a campiness factor.  The story takes itself seriously, and thus enthralls you as you watch. 

The acting is not the best, and for the most part the characters are very unlikeable.  Besides Madman Marz, Max (head counselor of the camp) is really the only person I liked.  Gaylen Ross is the only actor I knew (Dawn of the Dead), and I believe most of the actors were first-timers.

One of my favorite things of the movie is the soundtrack.  It's a bit hard to explain, but it really adds to the atmosphere of the film.  I guess the best way to describe it is synthesized. I found myself listening to it on YouTube while writing this entry, as I enjoyed it that much.  And the end ballad is great.

The kills are pretty tame, the suspense is done well, and the blood runs red.  I really wasn't scared by anything while watching, but I was on edge a few times while waiting for the inevitable to happen.

The look of Madman Marz is great.  I'm surprised more people don't talk about this movie, and I think it had the potential to be a franchise.  Marz most definitely could hold his own against Michael and Jason.

I'm not sure how previous home releases look, but the 4K transfer on the Vinegar Syndrome disc is beautiful.  For a movie that takes place for the most part during night, it is never too dark to see what is going on.  And I have yet to crack the fully-packed extras on the release, including a 90 minute retrospective on the making of the movie.


This is a great addition to my collection, and would make an awesome double feaure with The Burning, which came out around the same time.  If you are a fan of '80s slasher films, I highly recommend giving this one a look.  3.5/5