Silent Rage (1982)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Michael Miller

Writer:

Joseph Fraley (writer)

Release Date:

2 April 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The king of martial arts versus a bionic killing machine!

Plot:

Dan Stevens is the sheriff of a small Texas town who checks out a disturbance which turns to murder...

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Murder | Axe Murder | Comic Sidekick | Terror

Cast

Chuck Norris	...	Sheriff Dan Stevens
Ron Silver	...	Dr. Tom Halman
Steven Keats	...	Dr. Phillip Spires
Toni Kalem	...	Alison Halman
William Finley	...	Dr. Paul Vaughn
Brian Libby	...	John Kirby
Stephen Furst	...	Charlie
Stephanie Dunnam	...	Nancy Halman
Joyce Ingle	...	Mrs. Sims
Jay De Plano	...	Biker Leader
Lillette Zoe Raley	...	Tatooed Biker Mama
Mike Johnson	...	Biker at Cafe
Linda Tatum	...	Biker Mama #1 at Bar
Kathleen Lee	...	Biker Mama #2 (as Kathy Lee)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Bodean	...	Biker in Bar
David Unger	...	Boy #3 at the house (as David Andre Unger)

Runtime:

Sweden:91 min | USA:103 min | Belgium:96 min (video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Texas, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Dr. Spires finds the body of Dr. Vaughn, the syringe in Vaughn's neck can be seen vibrating with his pulse.

Quotes:

Dr. Philip Spires: I did it John! I made history! We did! I'm the only one left who knows how we did it.

Movie Connections:

References Taxi Driver (1976)

A Chuck Norris movie with a difference.

A dangerous, disturbed hulk of a man named John Kirby (Brian Libby) snaps one morning and kills two people; sheriff Dan Stevens (Norris) arrives to apprehend him but Kirby just won't go down easily. He's pumped full of bullets and the team of doctors attempting to save him later decide to use him as a guinea pig for their formula. This makes him even more invulnerable than before. Of course, these doctors couldn't have picked a worse test subject, and Kirby becomes a relentless killing machine, a la Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers.

"Silent Rage" isn't always to be taken completely seriously - it has silly moments here and there. It also could have benefited from a better leading lady. Of course, it being a Chuck Norris movie, it wouldn't be complete without giving us a chance to watch him doing what he does best, as he humiliates an entire biker gang, in an entertaining enough sequence. Veteran comic actor Stephen Furst is on hand to play – what else? – a comedy relief bumbling deputy. His presence was a little too incongruous for me, although he at least made his character reasonably likable.

Director Michael Miller of "Jackson County Jail" fame does have a way with suspense in this movie that offers Norris a change of pace. It's part cop vs. killer movie, part "Frankenstein"-type story, and part slasher, with the martial arts not playing a very big part. Miller reels us in with a grabber of an opening – it's chilling the way that it's both unbelievably tense and chaotic at the same time. A prowling camera is an asset in this scene, and also in a very "Halloween" inspired sequence around the half way point.

Libby is well cast in his role, and is even more positively creepy once he no longer has dialog. Three solid actors play the ambitious doctors of varying moral compasses. Ron Silver is the well-intentioned one, Steven Keats is the ruthless one, and William Finley is the ambivalent one. They're quite an interesting and entertaining trio.

This movie comes recommended to Norris fans wanting to see him in a different genre. It's certainly no worse than other horror movies to come out around the same time. It's fairly entertaining and actually moves at a respectable pace until its low-key final confrontation (it actually plays out silently (appropriately enough) instead of with music) and predictable final shot.

It's pretty good stuff.

7/10