Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988) Cannon/Action RT: 103 minutes Rated R (language, strong violence, attempted rape of a minor) Director: Aaron Norris Screenplay: James Bruner and Chuck Norris Music: Jay Chattaway Cinematography: Joao Fernandes Release date: January 22, 1988 (US) Cast: Chuck Norris, Aki Aleong, Roland Harrah III, Miki Kim, Yehuda Efroni, Ron Barker, Floyd Levine, Jack Rader, Melinda Betron, Richard Prieto, Jan Schultz, Keith David. Box Office: $6.1M (US)
Rating: ***
The sequel Braddock: Missing in Action III, which seems to have nothing to do with its two predecessors, reveals something amazing about its main character. I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I didn’t see it with my own two eyes. Col. James Braddock (Norris) has the ability to be in two places at once. I’m not kidding. Check it out. The third installment of the action series opens during the fall of Saigon in ’75 where we find our hero running around in search of his wife Lin (Kim). In the previous MIA film, Braddock was interred in a POW camp in ’75. How can he be there and at the American embassy at the same time? It has to be magic. Either that or the makers screwed up. The MIA movies aren’t known for their continuity. Either way, the character is back to wage one-man war one more time.
Mistakenly believing his wife has been killed, Braddock returns stateside without her. 13 years later, he’s approached by Reverend Polanski (Efroni, The Delta Force) who informs him that Lin is very much alive and he has a 12YO son. He doesn’t believe the holy man until he’s “invited” to CIA headquarters where head agent Littlejohn (Rader, The Blob) tells him to ignore the news and leave things alone. You know that Braddock isn’t one to back down. Littlejohn appears to know it too. When he tells him to watch his step, Braddock replies, “I don’t step on toes. I step on necks.” LOL! Only Chuck can get away with a hokey line like that.
The former POW returns to Vietnam yet again, parachuting in this time. He locates Polanski at a mission he runs for Amerasian children. The reverend leads Braddock to his wife and son Van (Harrah). It’s a short-lived reunion though. As they’re about to make their escape on the river, they’re captured by General Quoc (Aleong, The Quest) who kills Lin and takes father and son into custody. Naturally, Braddock gains the upper hand after a torture session and fights his way out of the compound with the boy in tow. He gets away; Van isn’t so lucky. Quoc captures him along with the other children at the mission. Luckily, Braddock has a hidden cache of weapons hidden nearby. His new mission is to rescue the kids and get them safely across the Cambodian-Thai border ahead of Quoc’s army.
The premise of this third installment is a bit different from the other two. It would have been just as easy to have Braddock go in and rescue another group of POWs, but the makers wanted to try something more original. At the time, I had no idea Amerasian children were so reviled by the Communist government of Vietnam. The ugly, bleak conditions under which they and their families are forced to live would be considered unfit for human inhabitation in the US. I guess they’re a constant reminder of the American soldiers that destroyed their country. What Braddock is doing in Braddock: Missing in Action III is a very noble thing. The fact that his own son is one of them makes it personal as well.
There’s no lack of action in Braddock: Missing in Action III. That’s one thing that’s never in short supply when it comes to one of these MIA flicks. As absurd as the notion of a one-man army is, it’s always fun to see action stars like Norris do it anyway. And let me tell you, his character is no slouch. He can kick ass and take names with the best of them. Norris, who co-wrote the screenplay with James Bruner, brings his usual taciturn, stalwart persona to the party. He even makes a stab at real drama in trying to connect with the son he never knew he had. He won’t win any awards for it, but he gets points for trying. Sadly, that aspect of the plot goes underdeveloped.
What’s cool about Braddock: Missing in Action III is the unintentional hilarity of its villain Quoc. The main is a walking, talking cartoon bad guy. He gives new meaning to over the top. Every time Braddock gets the better of him, he reacts by screaming “Braddock!” in an exaggeratedly exasperated manner. I kept expecting him to shake his fist in the air. As serious-minded as MIA3 is, I cracked up each time Quoc got pissed at Braddock. The end, which I won’t reveal although the outcome is a foregone conclusion, is actually touching. I never thought a Chuck Norris actioner from Cannon would have that effect.
Maybe I’m being too easy on it, but I like Braddock: Missing in Action III. Directed by Chuck’s little brother Aaron, it delivers the goods well enough. It has plenty of action and violence with Braddock racking up yet another high body count. I love how he handles the Vietnamese soldier that tries to rape a young Amerasian girl. KABOOM! Yep, there’s plenty of KABOOM too. What kind of Chuck Norris movie would it be without it?
