''A Force of One'' is a 1979 American action martial arts film starring Chuck Norris, Jennifer O'Neill, Ron O'Neal, Clu Gulager and Bill Wallace. The film was directed by Paul Aaron and written by

Pat E. Johnson Pat E. Johnson (born in 1939) is a 9th degree black belt in the art of American Tang Soo Do. He is the president of the National Tang Soo Do Congress, which was originally created by Chuck Norris in 1973. Johnson is famous for the martial ar ...

and

Ernest Tidyman Ernest Ralph Tidyman (January 1, 1928 – July 14, 1984) was an American author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of '' Shaft'' w ...

and released by

American Cinema Productions American Cinema Productions was an independent Hollywood film production company that was founded in 1975 and filed for bankruptcy in 1981. The company, a division of American Communications Industries, began as a distribution operation known as ...

Plot

When a team of undercover

narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "to make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

officers is targeted by a serial killer, the police recruit karate champion Matt Logan to bring the murders to an end. Narcotics Officer Amanda "Mandy" Rust (Jennifer O'Neill) discovers that a traitor within the police ranks is behind the killings.

Cast

* Chuck Norris as Matt Logan * Jennifer O'Neill as Amanda "Mandy" Rust * Clu Gulager as Dunne * Ron O'Neal as Rollins * Bill Wallace as Sparks * Eric Laneuville as Charlie Logan * James Whitmore Jr as Moskowitz *

Clint Ritchie Clinton Charles Augustus Ritchie (August 9, 1938 – January 31, 2009) was an American actor. Early life Ritchie was born on a farm near Grafton, North Dakota, to J. C. and Charlotte Ritchie, and his family moved to Washington state when he ...

as Melrose * Pepe Serna as Orlando * Ray Vitte as Newton *Taylor Lacher as Bishop *Lisa James as Harriett * Chu Chu Malave as Rudy *Kevin Geer as Johnson *Eugene Butler as Murphy * Mel Novak as The Announcer *

Kevin Geer Kevin Scully Geer (November 7, 1952 – January 25, 2017) was an American actor of stage and screen. Kevin Geer's father died when he was an infant. He moved from Reno, Nevada to Los Angeles with his mother, Claire Scully Geer. After graduat ...

as Johnson * Karen Obediear as Alice

Reception

Critical response

Todd McCarthy of '' Variety'' wrote, "Though plot is far-fetched and production values aren't much superior to tv fare, likable protagonists and strong karate sequences will carry the day with the intended audience." Kevin Thomas of the '' Los Angeles Times'' called it "a swift, taut, handsomely photographed thriller... made with more craftmanship than most martial arts movies."

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his d ...

of the '' Chicago Tribune'' gave the film two stars out of four and dismissed it "just a poor excuse for a lot of fighting." K.C. Summers of '' The Washington Post'' wrote, "It's pretty good. Not only does it move along at a faster clip than many a higher-budget film, but it's done without a lot of gore — no small feat in a martial arts movie ... Another plus is that the romantic leads, Jennifer O'Neill and Chuck Norris, actually seem to like one another; they're relaxed and at ease before the camera, and their scenes together are a pleasure to watch." Norris said he was "ten times better in" the film than in his previous film ''

Good Guys Wear Black ''Good Guys Wear Black'' is a 1978 American martial arts action film starring Chuck Norris and directed by Ted Post. This was the second film to feature Norris as the star, following ''Breaker! Breaker!'' (1977). However, this is the one that No ...

'' (1978). The film was written by

who in a 1980 interview considered it his least successful effort as a craftsman. "I only wrote it to buy my mother a house." he said, although financially it was one of his biggest hits.

References

External links