An Eye for an Eye

• Directed by Steve Carver
• August 14, 1981 (US)

An undercover narcotics cop seeks to avenge his partner’s death by a drug-smuggling ring operated by the Chinese Triads.

Chuck Norris. The man. The myth. The legend. An Eye for an Eye is a highlight of his earlier career. It benefits from the gritty nature of films left over from the ‘70s and the emerging action sensibilities of the ‘80s. The environment is as much a character as anyone in the film. Mixed in with it is the martial arts craze of the time and the regular era plot of fighting drug dealers leading to something special. Perhaps the only thing missing is a mention of a connection to Miami.

Detective Sean Kane (Chuck Norris) is looking into the death of his partner Dave Pierce (Terry Kiser) in an investigation both were involved in that went bad. Kiser is one of many actors from the time who were very talented that you can find here. There is also Christopher Lee as media mogul Morgan Canfield, Richard Roundtree as Capt. Stevens, Matt Clark as Tom McCoy, Mako as Sean’s friend and mentor James Chan, Rosalind Chao as Linda Chan, Professor Toru Tanaka as The Professor, and Stuart Pankin as Nicky LaBelle. This talent not only elevates the movie but forced Norris to step up his performance beyond relying merely on his physicality or martial arts skills. It takes around 30 minutes before martial arts are even mentioned.

Director Steve Carver pulled no punches in showing violence or its aftermath. He also showed moments of the soon-to-come near superhuman efforts of later ‘80s movies to take out characters like a small assault force deployed against Sean and James Chan. Mostly though what we get is grounded in its depiction.

This is not a breakneck thrill ride. There are some questionable developments, but it takes its time. It works for a dangerous or downbeat feel like Kane is delving into a seriously dark world of evil. Part of the driving of this film is an uncertainty of he can trust. It gets bad enough that you certainly believe there is no one to be secure with. Unlike some action films, An Eye for an Eye is not a fun or inconsequential adventure. People die in shocking ways and it manages a few red herrings that add to interesting though not shocking twists.

Linda Chan is Pierce’s reporter girlfriend. Some time passes between his death and Kane seeking revenge due to healing/rehab. Both share a connection and it looks like she might end up as some kind of romantic interest. That would get weird but might be doable if they clearly established a good amount of time passing between the two points in time. Her death provides him with more motivation to continue and romances in the movie should have ended there

Yet they still needed Kane to get a babe before the climax so her friend Heather Sullivan (Maggie Cooper) gets the job. She exists to be a hostage for the end with almost no development. She is all damsel in distress and a weak character that essentially replaced a strong one.

Chuck Norris spends quite a few scenes with Mako who was among the great character actors of film. Mako could give a role exactly what it needed no matter what. Here he is the determined father seeking to avenge his daughter. His outsized personality gives the character humor and toughness. The man’s natural authoritative nature helps to bring down to Earth the manliness and toughness that Chuck Norris often sought to portray either on purpose or by accident. It’s a nice balance between the two and they have nice interactions. 

It would’ve been fun to see a few extended action scenes of Mako and Norris fighting baddies, but it would’ve also pushed the film much more into a fun adventure, and away from the serious tone that they were going for. They certainly approached that limit with Professor Tanaka and some of the things he did.

This is exciting, dramatic, and entertaining. It never gets seriously over-the-top and Lee despite not being a physical match still feels like a threat to Norris-as-Kane. It may used the oft used idea of drug smuggling but it does so in a way the comes off as a bit fresh.

An Eye for an Eye was a pleasant surprise. Definitely one of Chuck Norris’s better efforts. Much more dramatic than people give him credit for.