Film

A Force of One

Name: A Force of One
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Released: 1979
Cast: Jennifer O'Neill, Chuck Norris, Clu Gulager, Ron O'Neal, Bill Wallace

A 1979 Chuck Norris vehicle where a karate champion trains cops to fight a martial-arts-using killer. It's a lean, efficient action film with decent fight choreography and genuine stakes, made when action stars still had to be able to move. For anyone who enjoys straightforward genre entertainment and practical stuntwork over CGI spectacle.

TMDb rating

2.5

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Hard Target1993

John Woo's American debut with Jean-Claude Van Damme hunted for sport. Kinetic action direction, inventive kills, and genuine momentum that justifies the premise. A masterclass in how to sustain tension.

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Sudden Impact1983

Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry film with a revenge plot that actually matters. Excellent supporting cast, real stakes, and Eastwood at peak screen presence. The action serves character rather than replacing it.

But A revenge film about sexual assault; it's earned but heavy. Also, some of Eastwood's earlier work has aged poorly in tone, though this one holds up better than most.

The Hidden1987

Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri as cops chasing an alien that possesses bodies. Smart sci-fi wrapped in a buddy-cop thriller package. Genre-blending done right, with real humour and heart beneath the premise.

But The practical effects are dated, which some find distracting. Tonal whiplash if you expect it to be either pure action or pure horror; it's genuinely both.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from A Force of One

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Raging Bull1980

Both are films where martial skill and fighting prowess are the character's only language. LaMotta and Logan express themselves through violence; the films respect that rather than condemn it, but Scorsese's film interrogates what that costs.

Scorsese's black-and-white masterpiece about boxer Jake LaMotta. Raw, visceral, and absolutely committed to the physicality of its subject. It's a film about violence and self-destruction made by someone who understands the weight of both.

But It's brutal and misogynistic by design, and it doesn't apologise. Also, it's glacially paced and emotionally punishing in ways that genre entertainment never is.

The Long Good Friday1980

Bob Hoskins as a London crime boss whose empire collapses over one weekend. Tense, intelligent, with real violence that lands because it's earned. One of the best British thrillers ever made.

But It's deliberately paced; this isn't a film that rushes. The ending is ambiguous in a way that bothered some viewers in 1980 and bothers some now.

Lethal Weapon1987

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as mismatched cops. Genuine chemistry, clever action sequences, and a script that knows it's entertaining. The blueprint for buddy action films, and it still works because the partnership is earned.

But It hasn't aged entirely gracefully in places. Also, if you've seen the sequels, you know this does the formula once and perfectly; returns diminish fast.

Above the Law1988

Steven Seagal's debut: a Chicago cop trained in martial arts takes on corruption. Solid action, credible fight work, and Seagal hasn't yet become a parody of himself. Interesting because it actually cares about its plot.

But Seagal's acting is wooden and his character is self-righteous to a fault. The film is aware of neither, which undercuts the drama repeatedly.

Cobra1986

Sylvester Stallone as a cop hunting a serial killer. Stripped-down, efficient, and weirdly stylish for what could be a generic procedural. The neon-lit 80s aesthetic is the real star.

But The characterisation is thin to nonexistent. It's essentially a series of action beats connected by the thinnest plot thread imaginable.

Bloodsport1988

Jean-Claude Van Damme's first leading role: a soldier enters an underground martial arts tournament. The splits alone are worth it, and there's genuine affection in how the film treats its own absurdity. Peak 80s action.

But The acting is stiff and the plot is tissue-paper thin. It's basically an excuse for tournament fight scenes, which is fine if you want that, but there's nothing else to hang onto.

Raw Deal1986

Arnold Schwarzenegger as an ex-cop infiltrating the mob. Propulsive action, a sense of fun, and Schwarzenegger doing what he does best. It knows exactly what it is.

But The script is forgettable and the dialogue is occasionally unintentionally silly. It also climaxes in a final act that's pretty blunt about its own carnage.

Bronson2009

Both use physical prowess as the entire plot—a man defined entirely by what his body can do. But where Norris's film builds a world around that skill, Refn asks what happens when that skill has nowhere legitimate to go.

Nicolas Winding Refn's stylised biography of prisoner Charles Bronson. Visually extraordinary, wildly kinetic, and genuinely unsettling. Transforms a true-crime premise into formal experimentation.

But It's gratuitously violent and deliberately ugly. Also, it's more interested in aesthetic provocation than empathy, which reads as callous to some.

Day of the Fight1951

Kubrick's camera treats the boxer's body as precisely and respectfully as Norris treats his martial artist's. Both films understand that fighting is a craft requiring obsessive discipline; Kubrick just made that visible without the plot.

Kubrick's 16-minute documentary following middleweight boxer Walter Cartier through fight day. Intimate, rhythmic, and shot with extraordinary care. It's martial discipline rendered in pure cinema.

But It's a fragment—only 16 minutes. It's also a documentary rather than drama, so if you want narrative, there isn't one. The black-and-white grain requires patience.