Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)

(In French, On Cable TV, November 2020) As its production history goes, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning was filmed at the same time as the first film in the series, and was originally intended to be the first of the two films released in theatres. When the sequel ended up becoming a better film than its planned predecessor, it became the first one to be released, followed by this “prequel” that was not intended as such… but ended up aping Rambo: First Blood even more than just being the rumoured inspiration for the story. Of course, we’re far, far away from James Cameron’s Rambo script here, and the film feels like ninety minutes of misery closely following years of captivity for Chuck Norris’s character. Delighting in showing us the atrocities of interment in a Vietnamese POW camp, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning is far more exploitative than educational or inspirational: it’s about seeing the protagonist stoically endure as much suffering as possible (the screaming is done by the supporting characters) before being able to take revenge on the sadistic camp officer and wreaking complete havoc on the camp along the way. It’s not meant to be subtle, and we can clearly see here the “anger” phase of Hollywood’s dealing with the grief of the Vietnam War. This really isn’t the best film on the topic, but it was meant for quick cash rather than posterity. Norris is equal to himself –who was really surprised by the rat-in a-bag scene? Missing in Action 2: The Beginning plays on obvious emotional chords, and the result is about as formulaic as could be imagined. If nothing else, it’s going to satisfy fans of the first film.