BaronBl00d Review of Breaker! Breaker!

Breaker! Breaker! (1977)

Enjoyable Blend of Truckin' and Martial Arts

[6/10 · 24 July 2020]

This appears to be Chick Norris's first starring role - and, well. he cannot really act. He gets better with more movies under his belt, but the films he does are fun nonetheless because what he lacks in acting he certainly adds in ass-kicking, Watching Chuck kick someone who deserves it in the groin or the head or wherever is just plain enjoyable. This time around he plays a trucker in California who has just let his little brother drive his first load by himself only to get stuck in an incredibly corrupt town called Texas City, California. This town makes and sells moonshine. makes up charges and fees for anyone passing near their town. Cars are stolen and crushed for money. You get the general idea. This little brother is basically kidnapped. Chuck goes in and asks questions, and then the ass-kickings start to happen. All the townspeople are dolts with IQs that surface around 60 with the exception of the judge - a drunken reprobate played with relish by George Murdock. The town's depravity and nastiness are done in almost a surreal fashion and is definitely over-the-top. Because of that, we get lots of thin, one-dimensional performances which when added to Norris's dubious abilities as a thespian mean that this film is not getting by on acting. It is not. It has - like most of Norris's films - heart at its center. But let's be honest here - people watching this film want to see Norris kick ass. there is plenty of that. One particularly well-done scene is in a horse corral with Norris, shot and holding his gut, meeting head to head with one of the cruel deputies who was just beating Norris's brother. The scene is filmed well and I liked how the camera caught the horse's eyes often as the fighting was going on. There is a huge denouement with a bunch of trucks bulldozing the town. It was okay. I liked this movie. You get what you expect. So, it delivers what it was meant to deliver. If you are looking for anything else, I would keep truckin'!