Black Tiger (1978) Online

I don't know what it is about this film, but I can never seem to tire of it. The acting is nothing special, the camera work is dated, and the plot is confusing at times. But this doesn't effect the enjoyment I receive every time I put this DVD on and watch it again. In fact, the story grows more intriguing with every viewing. If you are a Chuck Norris fan, this is an especially fantastic find, since he is at rare form from start to finish. The plot has Norris race around the western US trying to stop an assassin gunning for members of his former CIA Vietnam unit. This may be one of the first films to feature truly "extreme" stunts, including snowmobiling, jumping thru a windshield of a moving car, along with other motorcycle, race car, and skiing related action. Luckily, now you can find the DVD in discount stores easily, and I believe it's worth picking up.

**There are Spoilers** One of Chuck Norris' earlier works that has him play Maj. John T. Booker the leader of the secret CIA assassin/guerrilla unit named "The Black Tigers" who were used by this unscrupulous and power-hungry US diplomat Canrad Morgan, James Franciscus, as a bargaining chip in the 1973 Paris Peace Talks to end the Vietnam War.

Trying to smooth or grease both sides, the US and North Vietnamese, US diplomat Conrad Morgan made a deal with his Communist counterpart Quang Yang to have the Black Tigers sent into Communist-held South Vietnam on a suicide mission with them, the Black Tigers, thinking that their being sent to rescue a bunch of American POW's or MIA's. The Black Tigers led by Booker get pinned down by VC small arms fire and realizing that their mission is about to end, with all of them dead or captured, they make their way back to the designated spot in the jungle where their supposed to be pick up by US Army helicopters; only to find out they've been abandoned by their own higher up, like Conrad Morgan.

It's now five years later and Booker now a collage History Professor ,and part-time test car driver, meet's in his class Margaret, Anne Archer, who seems to know lot about his activities in Vietnam and the men that he commanded there The Black Tigers. Margaret also seems to know that "The Tigers" are being killed off to keep what they were doing in "Nam", being part of the covert Operation Phoenix, from getting out to the Amerian public.

A bit too long and somewhat lame action movie with Chuck Norris doing his best in trying to act seriously but not being that convincing. Booker teams up with Margaret in finding the remaining Black Tiger members before they end up getting killed off by a secret CIA hit-team lead, or controlled, by Conrad Morgan. It turns out that Booker can't prevent the killing of his fellow Black Tigers and even Margaret ends up getting blown out of the sky by a bomb placed in her passenger plane taking off from Squaw Valley.

Booker getting to the bottom of what's behind the killings which turns out to be that Morgan is about to be confirmed Secretary of State. Morgan in order to get confirmed want's all his dirty little secrets kept under wraps. Like the selling out the American MIA's, and their failed rescuers the Black Tigers, to the Communist in order to get them to sign a peace treaty in Paris back in January 1973.

Covering all the bases Morgan has the retired top US diplomat at the 1973 Paris Peace talks Edger Harolds, Dana Andrews,locked away in the Bethesda Navel Hospital psychiatric ward to discredit him. Horolds had written a letter to Booker and his friend and contact at the CIA Murray Saunders,Llyod Haynes, confirming Morgan's betrayal.

With everything cleared for his conformation as the third most powerful man in the United States government Morgan looks like he'll be rewarded and get away with the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of American soldiers but Booker has other ideas. In the end Morgan doesn't make it to Washingtn D.C to get sworn in as secretary of state. He's given a long ride off a short pier out at Chesapeake Bay where he's never to be seen or heard from again; courtesy of his new and unexpected limo driver John T. Booker.

Rugged commando John T. Booker (the almighty Chuck Norris in solid rough'n'tumble form) and his elite squad the Black Tigers are left behind enemy lines by their backstabbing superiors during a mission in Vietnam. Five years later someone starts picking off the surviving members of the squad. It's up to Booker to find out who's behind the killings and take the person down. Director Ted Post, working from a complex and cynical script by Bruce Cohn and Mark Medoff, relates the complicated and chillingly plausible plot at a steady pace, maintains a tough and paranoid no-nonsense tone throughout, astutely nails the bleak and shadowy zeitgeist of post-Watergate 70's America, and stages the rousing action scenes with aplomb. Moreover, the story makes a grim, yet relevant and provocative central point about government expediency and corruption. The fine cast helps matters a whole lot: the charming and fetching Anne Archer delivers an appealingly spunky portrayal of snoopy investigative lawyer Margaret, James Franciscus makes for a suitably slimy villain as ruthless and treacherous politico Conrad Morgan, Lloyd Haynes does well as Booker's shrewd buddy Murray Saunders, Dana Andrews likewise excels as the bitter and washed-up Edgar Harolds, and Jim Backus has a funny bit as a cheery doorman. Norris cuts loose with his patented lethal karate moves on several exciting occasions; the definite show-stopping highlight occurs when the Chucker does a fierce flying kick through a car windshield. Robert Steadman's slick cinematography gives the picture a nice glossy look and boasts a few breathtaking aerial shots. Craig Safan's funky, jazzy, pulsating score hits the get-down groovy spot. A worthy item.

Ted Post(Hang 'Em High)directed this early Chuck Norris vehicle regarding a contract out to kill members of a covert group sent into Vietnam on a bogus mission to secure POW's said to have been imprisoned in a camp. Norris stars as John T Booker, leader of the Black Tigers, leading five of the men out of Vietnam. He goes on to become a professor and part-time race car test driver, soon learning from an old pal in the CIA(Lloyd Haynes)that he and his men have a hit out on them. Booker will join forces with a mysterious reporter, Margaret(Anne Archer, simply lovely)who knows more than she's willing to divulge, in an attempt to find the remainder of his men(..those still alive) across the country, running into constant trouble along the way. James Franciscus has a memorable role as a handsome, ambitious, ruthless political negotiator, Conrad Morgan, eyeing the Secretary of State position, whose goal is to silence all who had a part in the "Phoenix Operation" and Booker will do everything in his power to see this bastard fail. Dana Andrews also has a small, but pivotal role as Morgan's right-hand man, Edgar Harolds, who was once in a higher position of political power, now an alcoholic, lonely man with only one ace under his sleeve to keep the wolves at bay. Soon-Tek Oh, as Major Mhin Van Thieu, was part of the Black Tigers, actually part of Morgan's camp, a hired assassin whose putting bullets into Booker's men.

Good Guys Wear Black, as any Norris fan can tell you, features one of Chuck's most memorable iconic sequences where he goes through the windshield of a moving car to kick an enemy attempting to flee. Norris also gets a chance to subdue those who attempt to thwart his mission of justice, by dropping his foes with martial arts kicks and other maneuvers..this is a great period for us Norris fans as he was a bit thinner, more agile and athletic, and could really move fast, giving his adversaries little chance to counter his arsenal of blows. Post, working from a rather convoluted espionage script, keeps the story going, with Norris in fine form. While he never was known for his acting prowess, Norris' other skills, such as screen presence, charisma, and fighting style, bolster GGWB rather well. I think this film features one of the better stories of Norris' career(..and Archer is certainly one of his better leading ladies), while not allowing him to kick and punch people throughout.

The film begins in Paris , 1973 during peace talks to end the Vietnam War.Later on, Riverside , California, five years later , a mild-mannered teacher named Booker (Chuck Norris) keeps his previous life as leader of a Vietnam commando (Soon-Tek Oh, Pierce, Aaaron Norris, among others) named ¨The Black Tigers¨ unit under wraps until he discovers that he's number one in a hit list. John Booker attempts to resolve why his former squad are being mysteriously killed, one time the Vietnam war is over.There's a conflict-ridden love interest as well, Norris falls in love with a lovely journalist (a youngster Anne Archer) who must to save her.

This exciting picture is plenty of action-packed, tension,suspense and cheesy sub-plot to boot with wild stunts .The movie displays a plethora of martial arts fights ,Norris cleans up the nasty fighters by means of punches ,kicks,bound and leaps with struggles certainly slick .It's violent, frenetic and hectic and not particularly literary but worthy entry in Kung-Fu genre , although runs out energy surprisingly early. Average Norris-thriller ,exciting and tense at times with fine work from Dana Andrews, Lloyd Haynes and James Franciscus as a brilliant and ambitious politician. And of course, Karate expert Chuck Norris who saves the day with lots of visceral violence , he's a nice wrestler who possesses incredible strength . The film belongs Norris's early period ,during the 80s as : ¨Code of silence,Delta Force,Silent rage,Octagon,Forced vengeance, Delta Force I,II, An eye for an eye¨ among others with successful box office at cinemas and video-rentals. In the 90s and 2000s with exception of ¨Walker Texas Ranger¨,the Norris star has gone down. Action addicts will give this one a passing grade ,all others need not apply. If you're a previous Norris fans,you'll like it but contains enough action and violence for enthusiastic of the Karate genre. The motion picture is regularly directed by Ted Post. It's followed by the sequel titled ¨A force of one¨ with Norris-Booker as team commander of some undercover narcotic agents who are being eliminated one-by-one.

I'm not sure when I first watched this one, but it must have been sometime in the mid 80's or so.Back then anything starring Mr. Norris was a sure thing in my book, I don't think that i was ever disappointed with any of his movies.I mean, how could you be? It is Chuck Norris!

Good Guys Wear Black opens in Paris, France in 1973 where U.S. Senator Conrad Morgan is negotiating terms on a deal with a delegate from North Vietnam, to release American P.O.W.'s, still imprisoned in Vietnam. Major John T. Booker and his elite army unit, the Black Tigers, are chosen to be the sacrificial lambs, so to speak. The 12 men are sent into the jungle under orders that they are to free American prisoners held in a camp, but when things go horribly wrong, Booker starts to suspect that they have been set up.

The plot in Good Guys Wear Black is quite good and I won't go further into it here. You'll have to watch the movie to find out more! It's a well- written one, directed by Ted Post, who's also done Hang 'Em High and Magnum Force. The cast is actually not that bad. Anne Archer, James Franciscus are all good actors and Chuck Norris is Chuck Norris, so it all evens out in the end. No, all kidding aside, even Mr Norris is good here..

If there's one gripe I have with this movie, it's the fact that as far as it being an action flick… it's a bit "talky", you know? I would have liked a little more action…I really wanted to like the movie more, and all it had to do was have Chuck fight more people, and have more scenes like the action set piece in the middle. That's ALL it had to do to win us over, but it's just a little too much talking…

So if you have the patience and you like 70's type action movies then you should like this.

Overall worth watching.. 7 out of 10

This movie is one of my first favorites. Here you have Chuck Norris, a real karate champion, plays John Booker, a war vet who is trying to find out why his comrades are being bumped off. Whoever's doing it is in big trouble. You don't mess with BOOKER! NO NOT EVER!! Many made a big mistake and it cost their own lives in the process. First, one person gets shot during skiing and Booker did the flying side kick to the Booker's assailant's wife. The major assailant put a bomb on the plane that killed his girlfriend after takeoff. And he used that ski pole to attack Booker which was no use to stop him. Then my favorite scene of all is where the same guy whose wife was taken out, gets into the Toyota Celica, and tried to run over Booker. In which he returns delivers the awesome flying dropkick to the windshield killing him. I later found out that the stunt was done by his brother Aaron. Doesn't really matter I enjoyed it all the away. Chuck Norris is the reason I got into the martial arts, and I would like to thank him all the way. He is my idol! 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The story of Good Guys Wear Black(1979) interestingly enough resembles the plot lines of Steven Seagal's early films of Above the Law(1988), Hard to Kill(1990), and Marked for Death(1991). The direction by Ted Post is very good. Good Guys Wear Black(1979) and the Dirty Harry picture, Magnum Force(1973) are the two best films for this average director. Chuck Norris stars in what is one of his better films before he would give up the cinema for television. Anne Archer is good in an early film role before she was a respectable actress. James Franciscus is terrific as the cold blooded and ruthless Politican Conrad Morgan. Has what is probably the best stunt of Chuck Norris's career with the scene where he leaps through the front window of a car and into an assassin for a martial arts kick.

this is one of Chuck Norris's earlier films.this movie i (belive it or not)more story driven,rather than focusing on martial arts action. Chuck Plays John T.Booker, an ex commando who suddenly finds that members of his former unit are being assassinated.Booker tries to warn those that are still alive and find out why they are being targeted. He believes he is also on the list,so his time is limited to find both the killer and the reason for the murders.Chuck actually uses his acting chops more than his fists and feet in this outing.he actually does an okay job in that dept.there are still some fight scenes in the movie,which actually look more realistic than in today's martial arts flicks.there are no flashy camera tricks here.back in the 70's people liked their action more authentic.i liked that about his film.if you are looking for an all out action movie,this 1 is not for you.however,if you like a little story in the mix,check it out. 7/10

Only Chuck Norris could overcome the horrible dialogue and his own stunning lack of acting ability to make this film entertaining. I loved this movie, proving love is blind, deaf and not necessarily based on logic or good judgement. And please.... Will somebody tell me why Jim Backus made an appearance? Was it really necessary to put him in that ridiculous doorman's outfit? Chuck's facial expressions were worth the 99 cents I spent to rent Good Guys Wear Black. He tries so hard to convince the audience he is really an actor, and I believe such effort is admirable despite the abysmal results. His fight scenes are almost identical to the dozens of fight scenes he's filmed over the past thirty years, yet somehow it looks cooler in 1977 clothing.

It might not have been Norris' breakout film, but he was on its way and a good stepping stone for things to come. Well he had appeared in a few films before hand, but not so much as a leading role and this was an attempt to create a new Bruce Lee for the American market. It's quite a routine vehicle for Norris, which while captivating it never truly capitalizes on the martial art skills that he bestows. Sure he gets time to hand out a beating or two, but in the end there's just not enough to go around. Most of the time Norris as ex-commando John T. Booker is racing around the clock trying to figure out a political conspiracy involving the extermination of his special-op team the "Black Tigers", and then maybe … that's when angry or tested he decides to beat the pulp out of someone. Sadly when that happens the sock 'em activity doesn't last all that long… by building up a punishing rhythm to only be over in a matter of seconds. Might be impressive to watch when in action (although the camera at times gets a little too close not allowing the space), but you feel short-changed hoping for more or at least some competition. The material could've seen any actor take the lead role, as it seems to ask more from as an establish actor, but then we probably wouldn't have seen the trademark stunt of Norris' stirring jump-kick through car windshield. This one sequence alone (along with a three on one car park showdown) shows what he could bring to the table.

So far I guess it sounds like I didn't get much from it, but that's not particularly true. What surprised more than anything was that his earlier features had somewhat heavily written plots, despite the forced dialogues. "Good Guys Wear Black" had quite a pessimistically knotty narrative; where it builds upon the mystery and strangely it's devious plotting of political corruption and lingering suspicion of things are not quite what they seem was compellingly fleshed out. Also the ending has nice touch of irony to it. Norris continuing to hand out justice… Norris justice.

Ted Post (who helm Eastwood in "Hang 'Em High" and "Magnum Force") has a competent steadiness to his serviceable direction, but does lack the flair and excitement in the favour of grinding out the tough dramatics and lean action caught behind raw, but scenic locations. This is obvious, and it does seem to hold Norris back. He tries his best, but while his delivery might not always be the greatest (acting that is) he does have likability and certain charisma (not just the golden-blonde hair and moustache) that eventually shines through. The rest of performances do fair up a lot better. Anne Archer is bitingly good across Norris and James Franciscus likewise with his smarmy portrayal. Lloyd Haynes and Dana Andrews chime in with solid offerings. Jim Backus has a neat cameo too. Craig Safan's distinguishable jazz score crackles along.

Simply middle ground, as Norris would go onto better things.

Good Guys Wear Black (1978) was one of Chuck Norris's first starring roles. Norris plays John T. Booker, a C.I.A. who is sent on a mission to rescue American P.O.W.s in Vietnam, but during the mission, he and his men are attacked and find that no Americans were at the Vietnamese camp. After Booker and the remaining soldiers just barely escape, they find out that their team, The Black Tigers, were set up. After a long walk home, the C.I.A.s are turning up dead and John T. Booker is the last one alive, and no one can help him but a lawyer named Margret. This film was made in 1977, but wasn't released until a year or two later. The action is decent, espiecially two scenes, one that takes place at a ski resort, and another at an airport where Chuck Norris fights this Japanese assassin. Overall, a decent 1970's action movie with bad acting and a really bad 70's sounding soundtrack.

its not that bad of a movie, i dont know why everyone is knocking it on here. its a stereotypical chuck norris film where he kicks a bunch of guys asses, although i would have liked to see more fighting. its worth renting if you are bored, but it can wait

Chuck Norris attempts to make himself a leading man in this movie, to show depth that he does not have. Luckily, Norris is such a force of nature that he does not need acting chops.

A complex story about a group of Vietnam vets who are set up on a bad mission gone wrong and years later, whoever sent them is trying to clear up loose ends by killing the rest of the team who survived.

Chuck attempts to put his blonde pornstache to good use as a sexy leading man who develops a relationship with a reporter who wants info on the mission. Chuck gives us a little on screen action with a very simple love making scene. It was short and sweet which is much more than we need form Chuck in this department.

Now that's get to the action we came to see. Chuck puts his karate skills to good use, and makes it all look good on camera with his quick kicks as he's chopping up the bad guys. The fights scenes are short, impressive and satisfying. Plus he does his signature jump kick into the front glass window of a moving car move he's done a few times on Walker Texas Ranger.

It's a good Chuck Norris movie to watch, but not his best.

In this film those that are wearing black are a special forces group of trained assassins who went on special missions with selective targets. The group that Chuck Norris led were so good at their jobs that before the Paris Peace Accords are signed the North Vietnamese want this group eliminated.

Chuck Norris's group must have been doing some kind of damage that this kind of demand be made. All having to do with that Oriental concept of saving face.

But the Black Tigers make it out, most of them that is. But a few years after the war ended, people in his group are starting to get killed in strange and exotic ways.

It all has to do with the ambitions of career diplomat James Franciscus who is playing a role far from idealistic teacher Mr. Novak. Franciscus certainly would have had the proper attitudes to go far in the Nixon administration. He's got a loyal career subordinate in Dana Andrews who is getting good and stewed as his way of coping. Andrews who had a career tainted by alcoholism certainly had this late career role down pat.

Chuck Norris with a bit of help from Lloyd Haynes of the CIA and reporter Anne Archer who on the Washington cocktail circuit gets the story of a lifetime give him some help. That and his own martial arts skills dispatch a number of bad guys.

Norris fans will approve.

This serviceable action flick from karate man Norris has a better plot than usual for his films, once which draws in politics and hidden agendas and a government conspiracy going right to the top. This makes a refreshing change from the typical "gang of bad guys" out hunting the heroes in these kind of films, but sadly there is also a drawback with this movie: it's one of the most action-free action movies out there. There are only three or four major action scenes in this movie, ones which are quite well done, it has to be said, but the majority of the film consists of talking or people going from location to location in search of the truth.

The slightly-above-average running time for a Norris flick also drags this film down, too, although it just avoids becoming too boring thanks to a number of supporting characters and a range of locations, from a car racing track to snowy ski slopes. The cast is also pretty good too. Norris here is very young-looking and has odd blond hair; however he is as wooden as ever and has no cause to do any kind of acting aside from the straight-laced hard man routine of most of his films. Archer makes for a forthright love interest, while Lloyd Haynes seems to be left over from the blaxploitation days and his role is a good supporting one. The chief villain is a miscast James Franciscus who fails to be threatening or scary. Also a surprise is the appearance of an aged Dana Andrews in a minor supporting role, and he puts in another fun turn.

The action scenes, when they do come, are stylish yet brief. A highlight sees Norris kicking a baddie off his motorbike as he drives past, a trick which John Woo would later steal for the Van Damme epic HARD TARGET. There are a couple of shoot-outs and some fun martial arts fights, but one scene in particular stays in the mind long after the credits have run. This jaw-dropping moment sees Norris leap feet-first into the windscreen of an oncoming car, thus crushing the driver inside and saving himself. It may be far-fetched but it makes for great cinema. While not a great film at all, GOOD GUYS WEAR BLACK is entertainment that passes the time and is pretty good for a Norris flick.

This is a pretty bad Chuck Norris flick, that's quite boring to watch, with hardly any martial arts action, and a dull story. All the characters are only so so, and a lot of the actors looked bored, plus even Chuck is boring to watch in this one!. It had one cool moment, where Chuck Norris kicks a guy through the front window, however the rest is just plain dull, plus I appreciated then it went more on plot, but damn it at least make it interesting!. Anne Archer is totally wasted here, and had no chemistry with Norris, plus James Franciscus is terrible as the main villain, and looked rather bored. I am a fan of Chuck Norris, but have seen quite a few terrible films from him, and this is one of his absolute worst! plus the twists are predictable as well. Please leave this one where it belongs collecting dust on the shelves, as even die hard Norris fans will probably be disappointed in this, plus the ending was quite lame as well. This is a pretty boring Chuck Norris flick, that's quite boring to watch, with hardly any martial arts action, and a dull story, Pass on this one. The Direction is lackluster. Ted Post does a lackluster job here, with OK camera work, and keeping the film at a very dull pace. The Acting isn't much better. Chuck Norris is not at his best here, he is just going with the motions, and was pretty wooden in some scenes, there were a couple scenes when he was exciting to watch, and did his best with what he was given, which was simply crap (Norris Rules!!). Anne Archer is absolutely wasted here, she looks good, but her character wasn't that interesting and she had no chemistry with Norris. James Franciscus is terrible as the main villain, he looked rather bored and wasn't menacing at all, in fact he hardly has any screen time. Lloyd Haynes is OK here as Murray, but acts with his cigar, he was adequate. Rest of the cast are not that good. Overall Pass. *1/2 out of 5

This is pretty good movie. Chuck Norris was good. The fighting scenes were good especially the one when Norris kicks through the car window! The war scenes near the beginning was awesome! The music was really different. This was one of Chuck's first movies and its a good one!

Sorry for Anne Archer, she deserved better than this garbage.

Horrendous actioner stars Chuck Norris as Booker a soldier who survives a setup and now must survive long enough to report the cover-up that could get him killed in this laughable actioner which showcases why Norris shouldn't be allowed near a camera. In either case this dated actioner can either make for a quite a dull afternoon or a hilarious night laughing at it's shortcomings. Plus the title has no real merit towards the movie.

I prayed the train would kill him, what was the plot? I watched it and even I don't know! Suicide would be an improvement to this film.

Since when do Porsche test there cars in the usa? and use middle aged teachers?

Basically. this film is bad.

"Good Guys Wear Black" is a movie that earned back more than 18 times what it cost...in the United States alone! Calling it a hit film is certainly an understatement!

The early part of this film is a bit confusing and it's not told sequentially. To make it easier, I'll explain it in the way it SHOULD have been explained. John Booker (Chuck Norris) was the head of a secret mission into Vietnam to rescue MIA soldiers still being held by the North Vietnamese following the war. This secret mission is a told screw up and it seems obvious to everyone (except Booker) that they've been compromised. Only a handful of men escape and now, several years later, someone is killing them off...one by one. This is brought to Booker's attention by a pretty lawyer (Anne Archer) and soon he springs into action...trying to save the surviving members as well as himself.

Apart from a confusing narrative early in the picture, the story also has an ending that simply seem botched. When Booker finally confronts the baddie who is behind all this, it's a poor moment for two reasons...the baddie just talks and talks and talks and Booker leaves without killing him. Then, he returns a bit later to do this job but in a way that left lots of opportunity for the guy to survive and Booker to possibly die. It seriously looks like they had no idea how to end this...undoing much of the good in the film. After all, it is Chuck Norris and his martial arts skills are phenomenal.

Six years before his successful mission to free POWs in Rambo rip-off Missing In Action (1984), Chuck Norris starred in Good Guys Wear Black as John T. Booker, leader of a special commando unit known as The Black Tigers, who are also tasked with rescuing POWs from Vietnam. Booker, however, isn't victorious this time: dropped into enemy territory, he and his men are unable to locate any POWs, but do find themselves under heavy fire from the VC with no chopper to fly them out. It would appear that they have been set up.

Five years later, and Booker, having escaped from Vietnam with just five of his men, is now a professor teaching political history who also test dives Porsches in his spare time. When sexy reporter Margaret (Anne Archer) begins to question his involvement in the top secret Black Tigers mission that went so wrong, and the other surviving Black Tigers start to be assassinated, Booker decides to investigate.

Twenty five percent action, seventy five percent political intrigue, this early Norris vehicle is bound to disappoint those looking to see the star kicking major ass. After the explosive opening mission, things really slow down as Booker uncovers a dismal plot involving devious secretary of state Conrad Morgan (James Franciscus), who has labelled the The Black Tigers as double agents marked for death in order to fulfil a deal he made with the North Vietnamese at the end of the war.

Mostly talk, with sporadic bursts of mediocre action, Good Guys Wear Black is a largely forgettable movie, with the exception of Archer, who looks absolutely smokin', and a cool stunt involving a flying kick through the windscreen of a car (although it is clearly not performed by the star, but rather a stuntman wearing a bad Chuck Norris wig and 'tache disguise).

John T. Booker (Chuck) is a former Vietnam commando who has blown up his fair share of huts and guard towers when in his prime. Five years after the end of the war, he's living a peaceful life as a teacher and race car enthusiast in Riverside, California. There's even a romance brewing with journalist Margaret (Archer), and all seems well. That is, until members of his former unit start being assassinated one by one. This sends John T. Booker on a quest to find out the truth behind the ruthless murders. He just may find that it's a conspiracy that goes - you guessed it - all the way to the top. Will good guys wear black, or will good guys be DEAD? Find out today… Good Guys Wear Black is a pretty early Chuck movie, and has an old-fashioned, staid vibe to it more suited to the TV movies of the day. We found it boring, talky, and it looks its age, and not in a good way. There isn't even any Martial Arts until an HOUR into the movie. All that being said, there is a standout action setpiece around that point.

Chuck is a guy you can't help but like, and, despite the annoyingly minimal character development (what else is new in the world of Chuck), his mustache is looking especially walrus-y this time around. Plus the opening credits sequence sets things up to be a lot cooler than what follows, with snazzy 70's-era computer graphics and nice music. But then it goes into a 'Nam sequence the viewer has trouble seeing, and interest starts to slip. From there it goes to some government yakety-yak, and interest slips even more. If not for Chuck's superstache, this first half would have been a total waste.

Interestingly, though, Seagal ripped off Chuck once again - Chuck was first when playing the silent-but-intellectual professor, decades before "Professor Robert Burns". Another thing going against the movie is the unusually fuzzy presentation from Vestron. This seems to be a rare lapse for the normally fine company. The visuals are dull and washed out. Maybe other presentations on other formats are better, we're not sure. If you have another version, write in to let us know. But it all kind of cumulatively adds up against the viewer's enjoyment. It made us aloof to most of the proceedings, and the slow, overlong nature of it all certainly didn't help either.

We really wanted to like the movie more, and all it had to do was have Chuck fight more people, and have more scenes like the big action setpiece in the middle. That's ALL it had to do to win us over. But no, there was too much mush clogging things up. So it's all very middle-of-the-road, as way too many Chuck movies are, as things didn't start to pick up for him until later in his career.

Ted Post was a commendable director:his "beneath the planet of the apes" ,which already featured James Franciscus ,although much inferior to Shaffner's work was entertaining and "go tell the Spartans" was one of the first films dealing with the Vietnam war.

"Good guys ..." does too.But "Go tell..." had Burt Lancaster ,and this movie has nobody who can match him.Besides the screenplay is vague,mean and thin :it seems that Post would have liked to make his own "Mandchurian candidate" with snatches of "parallax view" thrown in for good measure.The two leads acting is minimal to say the least.Only Dana Andrews' short appearance has something to do with acting.Abysmal ending.