A Force of One

1979 "He hears the silence. He see's the darkness. He's the only one who can stop the killing."
5.1| 1h30m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 01 June 1979 Released
Producted By: American Cinema Productions
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Karate champion Matt Logan is enlisted by the police to train officers in self-defense after narcotics agents are killed by an assailant using the martial arts.

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Reviews

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined
BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Leofwine_draca Dull. Monotonous. Routine. Boring. Tedious. Dreary. Mind-numbing. I could go on but you get the picture – this cheap, early Chuck Norris outing is lacking in all of the areas that made the later films he made for Cannon so popular. There is no choreography in the fight sequences, no budget, no semi-decent acting, no proper photography, and hardly any stunts or action to speak of. The quality of the video transfer I watched was appallingly grainy, detracting from any enjoyability factor I would have got from the film otherwise, but any way you look this film is a dud. A mess and a boring mess at that. The plot actually reminded me of those old Santo movies. Norris is basically playing himself as a worldwide karate champion who takes time off from his matches in the ring to help out the local police force, searching for the karate killer who butchered their companions.The clichés are dragged out so slowly that you'll feel like you're trapped in a time warp with this movie. There are the stock characters, from the badly-dressed female love interest to the overacting police lieutenant – although actually Clu Gulager's hilariously mannered performance is one of the funniest things in the whole movie. Aside from Gulager the performances are strictly routine, with Norris himself particularly bad as the wooden lead, not having developed any of the charisma or acting style he possessed in later years.The action is dreadful, both inside the ring and out. It's one of those films where most things happen at night so you can't really make out what's going on. It helps to disguise various shortcomings as well. The best action is saved for the finale in an extended fight/chase, but even this is a bit of a let down as the guys basically slug it out in a pitch black field until one of them makes a mistake and pays for it with his life. No guesses for who ends up surviving in this movie then. Despite some level of realism and an "on the street" aspect in regards to the atmosphere, A FORCE OF ONE is just so boring that I have no option but to regard it as the worst of the karate man's many films.
Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW) After he did "Good Guys Wears Black" Chuck Norris, comes back with "A Force of One", which is not the biggest thing on the big screen, but it is very watchable though. Norris plays Matt Logan, a karate instructor in California who helps the police catch a killer who uses martial arts for murder. His target, cops! Anyone in their right mind who kill with martial arts is dishonorable and should be dealt with personally. Jennifer O'Neil plays the cop who works with Logan, and learns a thing or two about discipline. The full-contact scenes were great, it kept my interest in the martial arts alive. It's a shame that Logan's son(Eric Laneuville, before St. Elsewhere) got killed by the men he taught. And now, the fight to the finish is what the movie is about. Very tame, yet entertaining throughout. "A Force of One" isn't supposed to be high action, it's more fusional than most martial arts films. It is a big keeper for Chuck Norris fans! 2.5 out of 5 stars!
tenshin-3 I saw this when it opened back in '79. I actually saw Bill Wallace fight the week before and Chuck Norris was in his corner. I had just started studying karate about a year earlier so I was psyched about seeing it. I have to disagree with a few people's opinions about this movie. While no one would EVER confuse this with Academy Awards material; for what it is, it's not bad at all. In fact, it can be downright enjoyable! As for the fights, a lot of people have been putting them down, especially the ring fights. I thought that they were, for the most part, outstanding. You have to remember that back when this was filmed, the concept of "fighting the camera" to bring the audience into the fight was a relatively new concept and was very effective for its time. Granted, it's been WAY overused since then, but remember that this was 1979. So just keep in mind it's time and limitations and I think that you can really have a blast with this one. I do.
froggy-38 What I found interesting was that Clint Richie was in this film. It was interesting to see Clint, who was a real bad ass, having to play second fiddle to a yuppie wanna be like Chuck Norris. Clint was not only a genuine tough guy, but he was a fast talking guy who would rather talk his way out of fight, than to actually fight. But when he was forced into a fight, he was terrifying. Clint could do it all.. Ride, shoot, fight, and a real ladies man. Not a bad actor either. Most of Clints earlier teenage friends are all dead or in prison.. Which gives you an idea of the kind of background he came from. Tough as nails, but a good friend.