''Good Guys Wear Black'' is a 1978 American
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
starring
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...
and directed by
Ted Post
Theodore I. Post (March 31, 1918 – August 20, 2013) was an American director of film and television. Highly prolific, Post directed numerous episodes of well-known television series including '' Rawhide'', ''Gunsmoke'', and ''The Twilight Zone'' ...
.
This was the second film to feature Norris as the star, following ''
Breaker! Breaker!
''Breaker! Breaker!'' is a 1977 American action film directed by Don Hulette and starring Chuck Norris.
Plot
J.D. (Chuck Norris), a trucker from California, returns from the road to learn that an old friend was assaulted and paralyzed by Sergea ...
'' (1977). However, this is the one that Norris considers his "breakthrough".
Following years of
kung fu film
Kung fu film () is a subgenre of martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema set in the contemporary period and featuring realistic martial arts. It lacks the fantasy elements seen in ''wuxia'', a related martial arts genre that uses historical ...
imports from
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Ko ...
during the 1970s, most notably
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...
films followed by
Bruceploitation
Bruceploitation (a portmanteau of "Bruce Lee" and "exploitation") is an exploitation film subgenre that emerged after the death of martial arts film star Bruce Lee in 1973, where filmmakers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea cast Bruce Lee l ...
flicks, ''Good Guys Wear Black'' launched Chuck Norris as the first successful homegrown American martial arts star, having previously been best known for his film debut as a villain in Bruce Lee's ''
Way of the Dragon
''The Way of the Dragon'' (, originally released in the United States as ''Return of the Dragon'') is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Bruce Lee, who also stars in the lead role. This is Lee' ...
'' (1972). ''Good Guys Wear Black'' distinguished itself from earlier martial arts films with its distinctly American setting, characters, themes, and
politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
, a formula which Norris continued with the similarly successful ''
Force of One'' (1979).
The film featured a first screen appearance by Norris' brother
Aaron Norris
Aaron Norris (born November 23, 1951) is an American stunt performer, director, occasional actor, and film and television producer. He is the younger brother of action film star Chuck Norris.
Career
1974 to 1988: Stunt work to directing
Whil ...
and final appearances by
Lloyd Haynes
Samuel Lloyd Haynes (September 19, 1934 – January 1, 1987) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the Emmy Award-winning series ''Room 222''.
Biography
A native of South Bend, Indiana, Haynes served in the U.S. Marines from ...
and
Dana Andrews
Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and character parts ...
.
Plot
In 1973,
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
Conrad Morgan (
James Franciscus
James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was an American actor, known for his roles in feature films and in six television series: ''Mr. Novak'', ''The Naked City'', '' The Investigators'', '' Longstreet'', ''Doc Elliot'', an ...
), the chief delegate diplomat in negotiating the terms of the end of the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, made a deal in Paris, France with Kuong Yen; a North Vietnamese negotiator. The deal called for Yen to release certain key
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
POWs
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...
in exchange for Morgan setting up a death-trap for an
elite
In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...
group of CIA
assassins
An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder.
Assassin may also refer to:
Origin of term
* Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins
Animals and insects
* Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviida ...
, known as the Black Tigers. The treaty was signed and the Black Tigers were sent into the Vietnam jungle to their unwitting demise, having incorrectly been told that they were on a mission to liberate American POWs. However, the negotiators failed to account for one thing: the commandos' team leader was Major John T. Booker (
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...
). Despite all odds, Booker survives, as do the four men wise enough to have remained in his general vicinity.
Five years after returning from
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, Booker, now living in Los Angeles, is working as a
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
professor at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, and with a hobby of race-car driving. At UCLA, Booker lectures on how the war should not have happened, and that the U.S.
should not have been involved. Sitting in on one of his lectures is a bright female reporter named Margaret (
Anne Archer
Anne Archer (born August 24, 1947) is an American actress. Archer was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971, and in the year following, appeared in her feature film debut ''The Honkers'' (1972). She had supporting roles in ''Cancel My Reservation'' (1 ...
) who has some very specific questions about the botched rescue mission. To their shock, someone is slowly killing all the surviving members of the
special forces team.
Booker is suddenly thrown back into his past when Morgan's appointment as
Secretary of State spurs Yen to blackmail his ex-negotiations buddy into making good on his unfinished deal: the extermination of the Black Tigers.
Cast
*
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...
as Major John T. Booker, The Black Tigers
*
Anne Archer
Anne Archer (born August 24, 1947) is an American actress. Archer was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971, and in the year following, appeared in her feature film debut ''The Honkers'' (1972). She had supporting roles in ''Cancel My Reservation'' (1 ...
as Margaret
*
James Franciscus
James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was an American actor, known for his roles in feature films and in six television series: ''Mr. Novak'', ''The Naked City'', '' The Investigators'', '' Longstreet'', ''Doc Elliot'', an ...
as Senator Conrad Morgan
*
Lloyd Haynes
Samuel Lloyd Haynes (September 19, 1934 – January 1, 1987) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the Emmy Award-winning series ''Room 222''.
Biography
A native of South Bend, Indiana, Haynes served in the U.S. Marines from ...
as Murray Saunders
*
Dana Andrews
Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and character parts ...
as Edgar Harolds
*
Jim Backus
James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom '' Gilligan's Island,'' the father of James Dean's character in ''Rebel Without a Cause ...
as Albert, The Apartment Doorman
*
Lawrence P. Casey as Mike Potter, The Black Tigers
* Anthony Mannino as Gordie Jones, The Black Tigers
*
Soon-Tek Oh as Major Mhin Van Thieu, The Black Tigers
* Joe Bennett as Lou Goldberg, The Black Tigers
*
Jerry Douglas
Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer.
Career
In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he has ...
as Joe Walker, The Black Tigers
*
Stack Pierce
Robert Stack Pierce (June 15, 1933 – March 1, 2016) was a Hollywood actor who was previously a boxer and professional baseball player.Speakers InternationaStack Pierce His acting career began in the early 1970s with television roles in th ...
as Holly Washington, The Black Tigers
* Michael Payne as Mitch, The Black Tigers
* David Starwalt as Steagle, The Black Tigers
*
Aaron Norris
Aaron Norris (born November 23, 1951) is an American stunt performer, director, occasional actor, and film and television producer. He is the younger brother of action film star Chuck Norris.
Career
1974 to 1988: Stunt work to directing
Whil ...
as Al, The Black Tigers
* Don Pike as Hank, The Black Tigers
* Benjamin J. Perry as Finney, The Black Tigers
* Kathy McCullen as Kelly
* Michael Stark as Pitman
*
James Bacon as Senator
* Hatsuo Uda as Shoeshine Man
* Virginia Wing as Mrs. Mhin Van Thieu
*
Viola Harris
Viola Harris (July 5, 1920 – August 23, 2017) was an American actress known for roles in television, theater and film from the 1950s to the 2010s.
Career
Harris appeared in a number of films including Woody Allen's ''Deconstructing Harry'' i ...
as Airline Ticket Agent
* Jacki Robins as Fat Lady
*
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 ...
as CIA Agent
* Warren Smith as James, Morgan's Chauffeur
* Dick Shoemaker as Newscaster
Production
Norris had been offered a number of
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
films but turned them down because he did not want to be limited. "
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...
movies were all karate with a little story thrown in. I want to have a story with some karate scenes."
Norris said a friend wrote the script from a storyline he devised with one of his students.
"My country wasn't built on sacrificing people to expedite principles", said Norris.
Norris said he "peddled" the script "all over Hollywood. The night before I was to meet this producer – I'd gone through everyone; he was the last – I thought, 'What can I say to this guy that I haven't said to everyone that's turned me down?' I went to bed, and about 2 o'clock in the morning, the answer popped into my head. And when I met the producer, he asked me the same question the others asked, 'Chuck, why will this movie make money?' And I said, 'First of all, there's four million karate people in America. They all know who I am. And if only half of them go to the movie, that's a $6 million gross on a $1 million budget.' And he said, 'Sounds good to me'."
The film was produced by Allan Bodoh, Mitchell Cannold and Michael Leone. Bodoh ran Mar Vista Productions, who in a two-year period made ''Dirt'', ''
Acapulco Gold
Acapulco Gold is a strain of ''Cannabis sativa'' that was popular during the 1960s counterculture movement for its potency and unique color.
History
First recorded in the United States in 1964, Acapulco Gold was defined by the ''Oxford English ...
'', ''
Dogs
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
'' and ''
The Great Smokey Roadblock
''The Great Smokey Roadblock'' is a 1977 comedy road film written and directed by John Leone. It stars Henry Fonda, Eileen Brennan, John Byner, Dub Taylor, and Daina House. The film is also known as ''The Goodbye Run'' and ''The Last of the Cowbo ...
''.
Norris said during filming that he compared "''Breaker! Breaker!'' with Clint Eastwood's ''
A Fistful of Dollars
''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, a ...
'' and ''Good Guys Wear Black'' with ''
Dirty Harry
''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates ...
''."
Filming started in May 1977. There was an excellent support cast including Dana Andrews. "I do one film a year just to keep my hand in", said Andrews.
"I want to be as big in the movie industry as I've been in the karate industry", said Norris. ""I know I can do it because I've got the faith to do it."
Norris said his character of Booker "had more feeling than the Clint Eastwood characters. Booker's sensitive, caring about people, but if pushed he can take care of the situation. That's like me. I'm an easy going guy but in the ring I have a fanatical desire to win. I want Booker to be someone people can relate to, a hero to worship. Take Bruce Lee, who was an Oriental but able to pull Caucasians. I'm taking a little from Eastwood, a little from Lee, and a little special effects from James Bond. John T Booker is someone moviegoers can emulate, to be that kind of person, a guy who doesn't push his weight around, an easygoing person who can be dangerous."
Chuck Norris had a long dialogue scene with James Franciscus about the Vietnam War. Steve McQueen, who Norris knew, saw it and advised Norris to let support characters take care of the exposition, "then when there's something important to say, you say it."
"Let the co-stars do the b.s. dialogue", Norris says McQueen told him. "I do it. Eastwood does it. Bronson does it."
Norris later stated:
Release
Rating
The film was originally rated R but Norris lobbied successfully to have it changed to PG. "My argument was the strong, positive image I project on the screen", he said. "The word karate, unfortunately, connotes violence to many people. Actually, it's a means of avoiding violent situations, and a form of defense if you have no choice and you're backed into a corner."
Distribution
The film was distributed by
American Cinema Releasing.
Reception
Box office
After opening on five screens in Denver on June 2, 1978, the movie would go on to gross $18 million at the US box office, due in part to a year-long publicity tour Norris did. (The actor estimated he did over 2,000 interviews in a year and says he had to go to hospital for laryngitis.)
Critical response
Linda Gross of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "cynical, reasonably entertaining... the slick, efficient murders are less gory to watch than disturbing to contemplate." ''The Washington Post'' said "the little plot it
he film
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
does have goes a long way." Tom Buckley of ''The New York Times'' said the film was "short on everything."
"The first time I saw myself, I didn't feel embarrassed yet thought I could be better", said Norris. "But, by the fourth viewing, I wanted to hide behind a chair."
According to Norris, the critics said that "I was the worst thing in 50 years. Well, I wasn't good, but my feelings were hurt. I said, 'I'm not trying to be Dustin Hoffman; I just want to project a strong positive hero image on the screen.' I went to Steve
cQueen and he said, 'In ''Good Guys'' you talk too much. Too much dialogue. Let the character actors lay out the plot. Then, when there's something important to say, you say it, and people will listen. Anyway, you'll get better as an actor. You should have seen me in ''The Blob''."
The producers went on to make ''
Go Tell the Spartans
''Go Tell the Spartans'' is a 1978 American war film directed by Ted Post and starring Burt Lancaster. The film is based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel ''Incident at Muc Wa'' about U.S. Army military advisors during the early part of the Vietnam ...
'' with Ted Post.
The film was meant to be the first in a series.
However no further Booker movies resulted.
Other media
In popular culture
Chuck Norris' character in ''
The Expendables 2
''The Expendables 2'' is a 2012 American action film directed by Simon West, written by Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone and based on a story by Ken Kaufman, David Agosto and Wenk. Brian Tyler returned to score the film. It is the sequel to ...
'' is named Booker "The Lone Wolf", in homage to John T. Booker in ''Good Guys Wear Black''. (It also references his movie “Lone Wolf McQuade.”)
See also
*
Chuck Norris filmography
Chuck Norris is an American actor and martial artist. He has appeared in a number of action films, such as ''Way of the Dragon'', in which he starred alongside Bruce Lee, and was The Cannon Group's leading star in the 1980s. He played the starri ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Ted Post
1978 films
1970s action films
American action films
American martial arts films
Films directed by Ted Post
Films scored by Craig Safan
Films set in 1973
Films set in 1978
Films set in Los Angeles
Films set in Paris
Vietnam War films
1978 martial arts films
1970s English-language films
1970s American films