Chuck Norris is perhaps the most intriguing of the '80s action heroes; while he doesn't really have any stone-cold classics on his resume like Sly or Ah-nuld, his presence in popular culture is admirably prominent. I don't think there's a book called What Would Steven Seagal Do?, so despite Chuck's spotty filmatic track record, I'm sure he's pretty satisfied with his legacy.

Invasion U.S.A. falls somewhere in the middle of the "Best/Worst Chuck Norris Movie" rankings, but despite its bigger flaws, there's no denying its success as an enjoyably cheesy let's-blow-some-stuff-up vehicle. Granted, the film doesn't score too many points for originality, and the textbook B-action plot line pretty much writes itself: former (insert elite government agency here) operative (insert easy-to-remember tough-guy name here) is reluctantly pulled back into action when an attempt on his life leads to the death of (insert close friend or family member here).

On the plus side, thanks to the presence of splatter movie veteran Joseph Zito in the director's chair, Invasion U.S.A. features a couple of nifty gore set-pieces that are far more memorable than the film itself. One scene establishing lead baddie Rostov's sadism finds the perpetually scowling ne'er-do-well smashing an over-zealous amphetamine sampler's head into a table, thus forcing her coke straw up into her nose. Unsatisfied by this bit of brutality, he then throws her out a window, but not before thrusting his gun into the waistband of another unlucky victim and unloading it into the poor guy's crotch. Our lovable murderer apparently enjoys this method of dispatch, and a snitch has his manly parts ventilated in the exact same fashion later in the film. Rostov's other notable pursuits include the massacre of a boatload of unarmed Cuban men, women, and children, so his mean streak certainly makes him an adept villain.

Elsewhere, the over-the-top action sequences the genre demands are fairly well-executed, but they are also peppered with a degree of absurdity that is assuredly well above par in relation to many of the other offerings in the '80s canon. Hunter's foiling of a bombing inside a shopping mall is the most deliriously exuberant of the lot, and the damage he does to the retail center while driving his truck through the front entrance and plowing a trail of vehicular destruction through several stores is so massive that the wreckage left behind by the bomb itself seems like a spill on aisle five by comparison. Naturally, Hunter's demolition derby concludes with a shootout against a small army of assassins, who were apparently somehow able to walk through the mall strapped with machine guns and rocket launchers without arousing the suspicions of the other shoppers.

While mostly played for pyrotechnic value, the deeds perpetuated by the invading forces are truly horrifying when you imagine them transferred into the off-screen world. The launching of explosives into the windows of random suburban homes is a potent scenario, as is the devastation at a carnival we see the aftermath of, where it's clear many children were counted among the dead. A thwarted attempt to strap C-4 to a school bus full of youngsters further demonstrates the unrelenting callousness of the terrorist forces, and in this respect, Invasion U.S.A. doesn't skimp on giving us ample motivation to get behind Chuck.

Norris himself is certainly a sturdy and engaging action hero, but unfortunately Invasion U.S.A. finds him saddled with Melissa Prophet's sassy freelance reporter, who is ostensibly on hand to spark sexual tension and/or comic relief, but is so cloying and unlikeable that we're left hoping that Hunter catches her with a stray bullet.

The movie runs about 15 minutes too long to be a lean, mean action flick (I don't think the film would have been adversely affected if all of Prophet's ultimately useless scenes ended up on the cutting room floor), but once the mayhem gets going, the film rarely comes up for air, so the pace remains brisk throughout.

The climactic assault is impressively padded with extras, but sort of muddles our notions of exactly who the vaguely defined terrorist marauders are supposed to be. While most of the principal players alternately look to be Russian, German, and South American guerrillas, several members of the army look like they were plucked out of a New Jersey biker gang, and others seem to have been drafted from an amateur basketball league in Detroit. A few portions of the finale are downright baffling, such as one amusing sequence in which a cadre of terrorists runs through a series of abandoned offices while unleashing torrents of machine gun fire, reducing furniture and scattered paperwork to splinters, since there aren't any actual people there to shoot. I wouldn't think gunning down piles of documents would be considered an effective use of ammunition, but considering the veracity of the assault, I'm assuming these terrorists loathe paper goods as much as they loathe America.

Okay, it's silly as hell, but so what? This may not be Norris's long-sought masterpiece, but the end result is still a dependably entertaining B-movie with plenty of action. Considering that the cover art shows a diminutive Norse god double-fisting twin machine guns, I'd say Invasion U.S.A. delivers exactly what it's supposed to.

One thing I will say about Invasion USA is that when the action gets going it doesn't let up. It's like watching an Indiana Jones movie that way.

The Russians have decided that the way to conqer Ajmerica is to spread naked terror. So several landing craft land one night in Florida and terrorists disembark. The idea is to spread chaos and mayhem with attacks on civilians in places that they congregate.

We however have Chuck Norris on our side, a mysterious agent who has some history with the terrorist Commie leader Richard Lynch. So whrever they strike in the Miami area, Norris is johnny on the spot and does them n at a prodigious rate.

Surprisingly for a Chuck Norris film little martial arts is used except in the end with his final confrontation with Lynch.

It's cinem paranoia at its finest. The best acting is done by Norris's pet armadillo.

I never saw any of Chuck Norris' films until recently...with the exception of the two he made with Bruce Lee. And, when I finally got around to watching a couple, I was surprised that I actually enjoyed them. My third recent Norris film, however, was a violent, senseless mess....and that was "Invasion USA". After seeing it, I am not sure I wanna see any more of his films.

The film begins with some Soviets dressed up like they're the US Coast Guard. They stop a boat filled with boat people from, most likely, Cuba or the Dominican Republic (since they spoke Spanish)...and these Soviets just murder them all for kicks. They take the hidden drugs aboard and instead of just selling it to the drug dealers, they murder them. And, the film continues with much of the same...these Russian agents murdering people for kicks and in the most ridiculous manner...such as with bazookas!

Eventually, the leader of these scum attacks Hunter (Norris), as in a flashback you see that the psychotic leader of this group, Rostov (Richard Lynch), has a score settle with Hunter. They attack just after federal agents beg Hunter to find and destroy Rostov...something Hunter easily could have done long ago and he had a chance but was told NOT to. Despite the intensity of the attack on Hunter, Rotsov doesn't even bother looking to be sure they killed Hunter.

Then, after this failed attempt, a bunch of other random murders occur...such as Rostov's agents dressed up like cops wiping out a party by some Hispanic-Americans in Miami. And, they bazooka a home of a nice family preparing for Christmas. Then, they go to a shopping mall and mow down dozens--with machine guns, bazookas and the like. Then, Hunter arrives and the carnage is kicked up a few notches. All in all, it seemed VERY episodic and sadistic...just showing groups of folks getting murdered for seemingly no reason other than the audience's amusement.

You know that eventually there will be a big boss battle between Rostov and Hunter...which would have been entertaining. But all those innocent and non-innocent folks getting slaughtered was apparently just for our entertainment...which is just rather sick and nasty. If I see any more Norris films like this, I'm probably going to stop watching.

About the only thing I liked about this film is that it appeared as if Chuck Norris was doing all or most of his own stunts...which is pretty amazing and how the film managed to earn a 2. I can respect this while still having zero respect for the writing, directing and Norris' decision to make this mess. All in all, a very cruel and pointless film...with far LESS depth than most films in the genre.