Missing in Action

"The war's not over until the last man comes home."

1984 1h 41m EN

😐

5.9

MID

🥫

19%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.5

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 597🥫19%Rotten Tomatoes●43Metacritic★5.5IMDB · 18,026

ActionAdventureThrillerWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

American servicemen are still being held captive in Vietnam and it's up to one man to bring them home in this blistering, fast-paced action/adventure starring martial arts superstar Chuck Norris. Following a daring escape from a Vietnamese POW camp, Special Forces Colonel James Braddock (Norris) is on a mission to locate and save remaining MIAs.

“The war's not over until the last man comes home.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Chuck Norris
Col. James Braddock
M. Emmet Walsh
Tuck
David Tress
Sen. Porter
Lenore Kasdorf
Ann
James Hong
Gen. Trau
Pierrino Mascarino
Jacques
Erich Anderson
Masucci
Joseph Carberry
Carter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joseph Zito
Writers: James Bruner, Lance Hool, John Crowther
Languages: English, Vietnamese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.9× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Vietnamese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Missing in Action Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joseph Zito, shot by João Fernandes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jay Chattaway. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Daniel Loewenthal shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joseph Zito directs. João Fernandes behind the camera. Jay Chattaway scores. Daniel Loewenthal cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Vietnamese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 8.9× over at the box office.
342 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Vietnamese.
5Part of the "Missing in Action Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Joseph Zito, shot by João Fernandes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Jay Chattaway. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Daniel Loewenthal shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Chuck Norris and M. Emmet Walsh and David Tress carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "The war's not over until the last man comes home.".
11IMDB entry: tt0087727 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 16 themes, including "vietnam war", "vietnam veteran", "martial arts", "patriotism".

The technical file

Cinematography: João Fernandes
Original score: Jay Chattaway
Editing: Daniel Loewenthal
Production design: Ladislav Wilheim
Costume design: Nancy Cone
Sound: Charles Grenzbach
Stunt coordinator: Aaron Norris
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Status: Released
Budget: $2,550,000
Box office: $22,812,411
Return: 895% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Missing in Action (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes: 19% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 43/100
IMDB rating: 5.5/10 · 18,026 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

2 nominations total

Part of

Missing in Action Collection

Missing in Action Trilogy starring Chuck Norris.

Also by

Joseph Zito

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-12-31
★ 5/10
Ah, Colonel Braddock. I heard much about you. Welcome to the People's Republic of Vietnam. Chuck Norris is Col. James Braddock, a survivor of a Vietnam Prisoner of War camp who many years later decides to return to find proof - and liberate - American soldiers still being held against their will. As the 1980s boom for martial artists becoming filmic action stars gathered apace, Chuck Norris carved his own spot upon the testosterone fuelled wave. Much like a lot of films of its ilk, Missing in Action is of course daft, violent, jingoistic but also crucially it's a whole bunch of fun. This naturally comes down to expectation levels for a production of this type, park the brain and enjoy the cheese and carnage. It's a bit disappointing to find that we don't get to see much of Norris' martial artistry, it' s more a case of gun play and standard fists and kicks taking the lead in this one. The story is hardly taxing and many scenes just serve to show some flesh and pecs, but with M. Emmet Walsh along for the ride as an ebullient side-kick, there's enough here for the undemanding action film fan to enjoy. 5/10
JPV8522023-01-02
★ 7/10
Not an all too bad Rambo-esque copycat from the folks at Canon. Chuck Norris makes for a charismatic hero although the plot felt choppy. But the fight scenes were at least passable and in the end I had a fun time, which is all I can ask from 1980s action schlock. 3.25/5