Firewalker

After a series of ideologically tinged action B-movies for Cannon Films, which anointed Chuck Norris as the bearded battering ram of Reagan’s America, and the absurd animated television project Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos, the star decided to use his exclusive contract with Cannon to try out a new type of role. The first project in this vein was Firewalker, which was intended to turn the martial-arts expert into an Indiana Jones-type adventurer. Though the screenplay attempts to pile up exaggerated adventure scenes and fill them with catchphrases, it all falls apart due to the fact that Norris is incapable of playing a protagonist who doesn’t take himself seriously because, after all, he takes himself deadly seriously. And that’s not even to mention the hopeless unlikable nature of the main duo and the complete lack of charm and levity, which are crucial for a film in this genre. Whereas Chuck’s previous movies are memorable for their bombast and lack of discernment, Firewalker is particularly bland and forgettable. (2015-10-11)