Main Cast: Anthony Correa, Chuck Norris, Richard Lynch, Melissa Prophet, Alex Colon, Alexander Zale, Dehl Berti
Release Year: 1985
Country: US
Run Time: 108 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This red-baiting action film stars Chuck Norris as Matt Hunter, a retired CIA agent who lives in the Florida Everglades. A communist invasion of Miami brings Hunter out of retirement to fight the encroaching hordes led by everyone's favorite low-budget bad guy, Richard Lynch. The film is extremely jingoistic, presenting the evil communists staging an invasion on Christmas, demolishing a church, and attempting to blow up a school bus full of children. From the same school of thinking which produced Rambo and Red Dawn, this film at least features some convincing gore by makeup wizard Tom Savini (Friday the 13th), working on his third gig for director Joseph Zito. Zito and Savini returned with Red Scorpion. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Review
Although it did well at the box office, Invasion U.S.A. is one of the least interesting entries in Chuck Norris' filmography. The film's "communist invasion" premise is a serviceable one, but is quickly undone by its unfocused script. For instance, the villains' attack plan is impossible to understand (they seemingly attack buildings at random) and the film's main character doesn't become actively involved in the story until it is nearly halfway done. Characterizations are practically nonexistent; the villains have no real motive for their aggression other than just being evil and it is never explained what made Chuck Norris' ex-government agent character become a bitter recluse. There are plenty of action scenes but they are standard shoot-'em-up gun battles that deny Norris the chance to display his formidable martial arts skills. Invasion U.S.A. does boast a certain amount of technical polish thanks to the slick lensing of Joao Fernandes, and Jay Chattaway's rousing musical score, but these elements mean little when there is no story to get involved in. As a result, Invasion U.S.A. is unlikely to appeal to anyone except Chuck Norris' fan base. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Shane McCamey - Kurt; Billy Drago - Mickey; Dan Albright - Gentleman Shopper; Bernard Barrow - Supermarket Manager; Jeff Benninghofen - Boy in Car; Megan Blake - Girl Friend; Tony Bolano - Terrorist with Tomas; Michael Carmine - Tonio; Jon de Vries - Johnston; Nate Esformes - Terrorist with Tomas; Bruce Evers - Terrorist as Guardsman; Dan Fitzgerald - Veteran Cop; Bob Hannah - Father at Church; Eddie Jones - Cassidy; Charles Kahlenberg - Security Guard at Mall; Stephen Markle - Flynn; Bernie McInerney - Detective Tom Green; Gerry Murphy - Bouncer; James O'Sullivan - Harper; James Pax - Koyo; Ruben Rabasa - Sick Old Man; Nick Ramus - Clark Little Hawk; Teresa M. Rojas - Angela; Jaime Sanchez - Castillo; Mario Ernesto Sanchez - Victor; Martin Shakar - Adams; Lisa Stahl - Teen Girl on Beach; Laura Whyte - Mother at Church; Wallace Wilkinson - Pastor; Peter Bannon - Newcaster; Jack Bell - Newcaster; Sheryl Brown - Girl on Car; Beth Burns - Girl in Car; Jana Camp - Christmas Daughter; Maria Doest - Mickey's Coke Girl; Art Eckman - Newcaster; Jason Ehrlich - Mall Brat; Joe Frasca - Young Cop; Amanda Graham - Cindy; Gene Griessman - Newcaster; Monica Kaufman - Newcaster; Robin Kinsey - Waitress at Beach; Tranette Ledford-Furnad - Newcaster; Kevin Maggiore - Security Guard; Alex Malenky - Church Terrorist; Anthony Marciona - Carlos; Tom Mintier - Newcaster; Lorraine Morin - Maria; Tommy Nowell - Christmas Son; Randy Parks - Policeman; Katherine Ann Payne - Katherine Martin; Rene Rokk - Teen Boy on Beach; Raymond Rosario - Young Boy; Bella Shaw - Newcaster; Andy Stahl - Christmas Father; Dick Tirschel - Church Terrorist; Jim Towers - Captain; Bob Varsha - Newcaster; Chondra Wolle - Christmas Mom; Tarek Yordi - Arab Commando; Anthony Correa - George; Susan Sullivan - Daughter at Church; Michael Kelly - Male Tourist; Howard Jackson - Street Person; Don Miller - Newcaster; Robert Rodriguez - Counter Man
Credit
Fred Long - Costume Designer, Joseph Zito - Director, Daniel Loewenthal - Editor, Scott Vickrey - Editor, Jay Chattaway - Composer (Music Score), Jack Engel - Makeup, Marlana May - Makeup, Ladislav Wilheim - Production Designer, Joao Fernandes - Cinematographer, Yoram Globus - Producer, Menahem Golan - Producer, Monica Paige - Set Designer, Gary F. Bentley - Special Effects, Robert Wall - Stunts, Aaron Norris - Stunts, James Bruner - Screenwriter, Aaron Norris - Screenwriter, Chuck Norris - Screenwriter, James David Buchanan - Screenwriter
Invasion U.S.A. is a 1985 action film made by Cannon Films and starring Chuck Norris. It was directed by Joseph Zito. Both Chuck Norris and his brother Aaron Norris were involved in the writing. It was made in Fort Pierce, Florida.[citation needed] Miami landmarks---such as Dadeland Mall and Miracle Mile---can also be seen in the film. The film was followed by a sequel in 1986 entitled Avenging Force with rising Cannon star Michael Dudikoff taking over the role of Matt Hunter.
(This film is unrelated to the 1952 film of the same name.)
The film begins by showing a group of Cuban refugees on a boat sailing for the United States. They are at first met by what appears to be a U.S. Coast Guard boat, with armed personnel. The U.S. Coast Guardsmen kill all the refugees and take several bags of cocaine hidden in the boat. It is revealed that the armed personnel were communist Latin American guerrillas dressed as U.S. Coast Guardsmen.
The real U.S. Coast Guard eventually finds the boat full of the murdered Cubans off the coast of Florida. The FBI and the Miami Police Department arrive at the docks to investigate the murders. The communist guerrillas eventually land in Florida and exchange the drugs for weaponry from a drug dealer. They are led by Soviet operative Mikhail Rostov (Richard Lynch). Former CIA agent Matt Hunter (Norris) is asked to come back to the CIA, but he first refuses. However, Rostov demands that Hunter be killed before they can begin their operation, because Hunter is his former nemesis. Rostov and his gang fail to kill Hunter, but destroy his home in the Everglades. Hunter goes to meet his CIA contact, and tells him that he will come back.
Later in the day, hundreds of additional communist guerrillas invade the beaches of southern Florida. The guerrillas drive away from the beaches on several trucks. The guerrillas begin their assault by destroying suburban homes. Another group of guerrillas (dressed as Miami police officers) attack a community center in South Miami. Meanwhile, the FBI has no idea who is behind the attacks. Hunter and the CIA believe that Rostov is behind the attacks. As terrorist acts continue in Miami, race riots and general chaos develop within the city. By now, the public believes that terrorists are behind the attacks.
Next, the guerrillas attack a shopping mall where people are doing their Christmas shopping. During the attack, Hunter comes into the mall and engages the guerrillas. Hunter tracks down the whole group that attacked the mall. The next day, National Guard troops are called up, while martial law and a curfew are declared. The next two days, Hunter foils a plan to bomb a church and attack a group of people waiting outside a store. In the process, Hunter kills Rostov's right hand man Nikko (Alexander Zale). Soon later, Hunter saves a school bus full of children from a bomb that was about to detonate. In order to corner Rostov, Hunter coordinates a risky plan.
The U.S. Government builds a command center in Atlanta, Georgia for the troops. At the command center, all 50 state governors and military officials meet how to stop the terror attacks. The FBI arrest Hunter for the killing of the terrorists and is taken to the command center in Atlanta; a plan orchestrated by Hunter. With Rostov wanting Hunter dead, he orders all the guerrillas to invade the command center in Atlanta. The U.S. National Guard surrounds the command center with M60 Patton tanks and several hundreds of troops, using the arrest of Hunter as a trap. At the command center, Hunter comes face-to-face with Rostov and finally kills him. The terror crisis ends when the guerrillas on the street surrender to the National Guard.
On the front cover of the movie there is a picture of the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C, and of what is (presumably) the New York city skyline with the World Trade Center buildings. However, the movie does not take place in either city, nor are any attacks mentioned in those cities; the movie only depicts and mentions attacks throughout the South Eastern United States in Florida, and in Georgia during the final fight of the movie.
The description of the movie on the back of the movie's cover says that Chuck Norris' character was to teach the United States military to wage guerrilla warfare on the invaders, however this never occurs anywhere in the film.
Actual homes were blown up for the filming of the movie in an area south of Atlanta near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. These homes had been vacant since a buyout by the airport and were later razed to put in a convention center.
Merchandise
A novelization was released in October 1985 by Pinnacle Books.
Jay Chattaway's score was released by Varese Sarabande on LP in 1985. It was later re-released, remastered and with many minutes of new material, on CD in 2008 from Intrada. This was a limited edition of 1000 copies.
