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44-637: Following years of kung fu film imports from Hong Kong action cinema during the 1970s, most notably Bruce Lee films followed by Bruceploitation flicks, Good Guys Wear Black launched Chuck Norris as the first successful homegrown American martial arts star, having previously been best known for his film debut as a villain in Bruce Lee's Way of the Dragon (1972). Good Guys Wear Black distinguished itself from earlier martial arts films with its distinctly American setting, characters, themes, and politics ,

88-518: A North Vietnamese negotiator. The deal called for Yen to release certain key CIA POWs in exchange for Morgan setting up a death-trap for an elite group of CIA assassins , known as the Black Tigers. The treaty was signed and the Black Tigers were sent into the Vietnam jungle to their unwitting demise, having incorrectly been told that they were on a mission to liberate American POWs. However,

132-787: A different round of setbacks in the months leading to ACP's bankruptcy filing. The film was originally announced by The Hollywood Reporter in March 1980 as being one of three American Cinema productions filming on location in Europe and the Middle East. Ultimately, the film shot in California with production wrapping in summer 1981. After ACP's collapse into bankruptcy, in December 1981, Variety reported that ACP's assets had been seized by its primary debtor, Bankers Trust of New York, and

176-538: A film financing company run by chief executive Michael Leone out of a bank building in Torrance, California . He chose the location for its vicinity to the airport which made it easy for investors to fly in and out of the area. Many American Cinema projects were directly financed as tax-shelter films overseen by producer Roger Riddell and president Alan Belkin. Leone and other investors from Torrance raised $ 500,000 to produce Dogs (1977). Leone also helped fund and

220-514: A formula which Norris continued with the similarly successful Force of One (1979). The film featured a first screen appearance by Norris' brother Aaron Norris and the final appearance of Lloyd Haynes . In 1973, United States Senator Conrad Morgan ( James Franciscus ), the chief delegate diplomat in negotiating the terms of the end of the Vietnam War , made a deal in Paris with Kuong Yen;

264-552: A guy who doesn't push his weight around, an easygoing person who can be dangerous." Chuck Norris had a long dialogue scene with James Franciscus about the Vietnam War. Steve McQueen, who Norris knew, saw it and advised Norris to let support characters take care of the exposition, "then when there's something important to say, you say it." "Let the co-stars do the b.s. dialogue", Norris says McQueen told him. "I do it. Eastwood does it. Bronson does it." Norris later stated: The film

308-583: A high school student. In America, he created Jeet Kune Do , a martial arts style inspired by wing chun, and briefly worked in Hollywood as a film and television actor. He returned to Hong Kong and performed his breakthrough role in The Big Boss , followed by five more films. The movies of Bruce Lee began a trend of employing genuine practitioners of martial arts as actors in martial arts films. Kung fu films were internationally successful and popular in

352-522: A later revival of the series in 1990s, Tsui Hark 's Once Upon a Time in China , and also Fong in the movie Fong Sai-yuk . The kung fu genre reached its height in the 1970s, coinciding with Hong Kong's economic boom. It overtook the popularity of the new school ( xinpai ) wuxia films that prevailed in Hong Kong throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Wuxia had been revitalized in the newspaper serials of

396-446: A long way." Tom Buckley of The New York Times said the film was "short on everything." The 1996 movie guide "Seen That, Now What?" , the film was given the rating of "C–", stating that "the serious-minded plot is poorly matched with the karate-chopping action sequences, and Norris' fancy footwork only occasionally takes fire." "The first time I saw myself, I didn't feel embarrassed yet thought I could be better", said Norris. "But, by

440-579: A number of his subsequent action movies, including The Octagon . The company also produced Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen and Tough Enough . American Cinema is also credited for resurrecting and modifying the four-wall distribution method for theatrical releases where a distributor rents the movie theatre for a window of time and reaps the full box-office receipts. American Cinema's origins were as American Financial Resources,

484-455: A year after he scored a box-office hit with Breaker, Breaker . Good Guys Wear Black grossed $ 18 million at the box office using a city-by-city rollout model which saw Norris spend nearly a year on the road on a publicity tour. He has estimated he conducted 2,000 interviews in that period and says at one point had laryngitis. They also released Dirt (1979), a collection of off-road competition footage captured by Riddell who also appeared in

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528-449: Is a subgenre of martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema set in the contemporary period and featuring realistic martial arts. It lacks the fantasy elements seen in wuxia , a related martial arts genre that uses historical settings based on ancient China . Swordplay is also less common in kung-fu films than in wuxia and fighting is done through unarmed combat. Kung fu films are an important product of Hong Kong cinema and

572-659: The Ip Man trilogy and Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen . The competing Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest studios entered Western markets in the 1970s by releasing dubbed kung fu films in the United States and Europe . Films like The Big Boss ( Fists of Fury ) and King Boxer ( Five Fingers of Death ) were box office successes in the West. By the 1980s and 1990s, American cinema had absorbed

616-642: The Western world , where it was exported. Studios in Hong Kong produce both wuxia and kung fu films. The kung fu genre was born in Hong Kong as a backlash against the supernatural tropes of wuxia . The wuxia of the period, called shenguai wuxia , combined shenguai fantasy with the martial arts of wuxia. Producers of wuxia depended on special effects to draw in larger audiences like the use of animation in fight scenes. The popularity of shenguai wuxia waned because of its cheap effects and fantasy cliches, paving

660-516: The 1950s and its popularity spread to cinemas in the 1960s. It displaced the kung fu dramatizations of Wong Fei-hung and brought back the supernatural themes of traditional wuxia cinema. The rivalry between the Shaw Brothers , Golden Harvest , and Seasonal Films studios stimulated the growth of kung fu movies in the Hong Kong film industry. The Chinese Boxer (1970) directed by Wang Yu and Vengeance directed by Chang Cheh in 1970 were

704-495: The Curse of the Dragon Queen , a project designed to attract foreign buyers with a cast that included Peter Ustinov and Angie Dickinson . Some employees say the strategic shifts made in the board room towards larger productions and marketing budgets are ultimately what led to company to falter. One of ACP's final films, I, the Jury , was wracked with production issues that included a looming Directors Guild of America strike in

748-445: The Hong Kong studio system. They were students of China Drama Academy, a Peking opera school operated by Yu Jim-yuen , which brought elements of combat and dance from Beijing into Cantonese opera . The Peking Opera-influenced martial arts of kung fu comedies were more fluid and acrobatic than traditional kung fu films. In the 1980s, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung transitioned to kung fu films set in urban environments. The realism of

792-619: The West where a kung fu fad had taken root. The anti-imperialist themes of his films held a broad appeal for groups that felt marginalized and contributed to his popularity in Southeast Asia and the African-American and Asian-American communities of urban America. Audiences were sympathetic with Lee's role as a minority figure struggling against and overcoming prejudice, social inequality, and racial discrimination. The genre declined after Bruce Lee's sudden death in 1973. In

836-473: The extermination of the Black Tigers. Norris had been offered a number of karate films but turned them down because he did not want to be limited. " Bruce Lee movies were all karate with a little story thrown in. I want to have a story with some karate scenes." Norris said a friend wrote the script from a storyline he devised with one of his students. "My country wasn't built on sacrificing people to expedite principles", said Norris. Norris said he "peddled"

880-630: The film exist. A series of films that dramatized the life of Wong Fei-hung , a historical Cantonese martial artist, was another early pioneer of the genre. The first two films of the Wong series, directed by Wu Pang and starring Kwan Tak-hing , were released in 1949. The major innovation of the Wong Fei-hung films was its focus on realistic fighting or zhen gongfu , a departure from earlier wuxia films. The fights were still choreographed, but were designed to be more believable. Jet Li played Wong in

924-422: The film. American Communication Industries was formed in 1979 as the parent company for American Cinema Productions and American Cinema Releasing. The marketing model for Good Guys Wear Black , designed by head of advertising Sandra Shaw and head of production Jean Higgins , would be replicated on films that followed. It used a four-wall distribution method first pioneered in the 1960s but largely abandoned by

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968-492: The first films of the resurgent kung fu genre. The new wave of kung fu films reached international audiences after the financial success of Bruce Lee 's first feature-length film, The Big Boss , in 1971. Lee spent most of his childhood in Hong Kong where he learned wing chun martial arts and performed as a child actor . He left for the United States, his place of birth, and continued his martial arts training as

1012-478: The fourth viewing, I wanted to hide behind a chair." According to Norris, the critics said that "I was the worst thing in 50 years. Well, I wasn't good, but my feelings were hurt. I said, 'I'm not trying to be Dustin Hoffman; I just want to project a strong positive hero image on the screen.' I went to Steve [McQueen], and he said, 'In Good Guys you talk too much. Too much dialogue. Let the character actors lay out

1056-557: The kung fu genre has been blurred with the widespread use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) in the industry. Technology has enabled actors without martial arts training to perform in kung fu films. Wuxia films experienced a revival in recent years with the films of Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou . Kung fu comedies remain popular staples of Hong Kong cinema and the kung fu films of Stephen Chow have been box office hits. His 2001 film Shaolin Soccer combined kung fu, modified using CGI, with

1100-572: The late 1970s. The strategy was to couple promotional appearances by cast members with a radio and TV ad spot blitz, particularly on late-night programming where airtime was cheap. The intention was to saturate the market with buzz that overshadowed other films in the local market. After a number of early successes, American Cinema relocated to an office in Hollywood, across the street from Grauman's Chinese Theatre and began full production of its own projects under American Cinema Productions. The first

1144-531: The martial arts influences of Hong Kong cinema. The Matrix , directed by the Wachowskis , was choreographed by martial arts director Yuen Woo-Ping . Martial arts stars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li left Hong Kong to star in American films, but occasionally returned to Hong Kong. American Cinema Productions American Cinema Productions was an independent Hollywood film production company that

1188-625: The movie would go on to gross $ 18 million at the US box office, due in part to a year-long publicity tour Norris did. (The actor estimated he did over 2,000 interviews in a year and says he had to go to hospital for laryngitis.) It earned rentals of $ 8.3 million. Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times called it "cynical, reasonably entertaining... the slick, efficient murders are less gory to watch than disturbing to contemplate." The Washington Post said "the little plot it [the film] does have goes

1232-557: The movie, that's a $ 6 million gross on a $ 1 million budget.' And he said, 'Sounds good to me'." The film was produced by Allan Bodoh, Mitchell Cannold and Michael Leone. Bodoh ran Mar Vista Productions, who in a two-year period made Dirt , Acapulco Gold , Dogs and The Great Smokey Roadblock . Norris said during filming that he compared " Breaker! Breaker! with Clint Eastwood's A Fistful of Dollars and Good Guys Wear Black with Dirty Harry ." Filming started in May 1977. There

1276-493: The negotiators failed to account for one thing: the commandos' team leader was Major John T. Booker ( Chuck Norris ). Despite all odds, Booker survives, as do the four men wise enough to have remained in his general vicinity. Five years after returning from Vietnam , Booker, now living in Los Angeles, is working as a political science professor at UCLA , and with a hobby of race-car driving. At UCLA, Booker lectures on how

1320-901: The plot. Then, when there's something important to say, you say it, and people will listen. Anyway, you'll get better as an actor. You should have seen me in The Blob ." The producers went on to make Go Tell the Spartans with Ted Post. The film was meant to be the first in a series. However no further Booker movies resulted. Chuck Norris' character in The Expendables 2 is named Booker "The Lone Wolf", in homage to John T. Booker in Good Guys Wear Black . (It also references his movie Lone Wolf McQuade ) Kung fu film Kung fu film ( Chinese : 功夫片 ; pinyin : Gōngfu piàn ; Jyutping : Gung fu pin )

1364-433: The same year, a stock market crash brought Hong Kong into a recession. During the economic downturn, audiences in Hong Kong shifted to favoring comedies and satires. In the late 1970s the kung fu comedy appeared as a new genre, merging the martial arts of kung fu films with the comedy of Cantonese satires. The films of Lau Kar-leung , Yuen Woo-ping , and Sammo Hung followed this trend. Yuen's Drunken Master in 1978

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1408-603: The script "all over Hollywood. The night before I was to meet this producer – I'd gone through everyone; he was the last – I thought, 'What can I say to this guy that I haven't said to everyone that's turned me down?' I went to bed, and about 2 o'clock in the morning, the answer popped into my head. And when I met the producer, he asked me the same question the others asked, 'Chuck, why will this movie make money?' And I said, 'First of all, there's four million karate people in America. They all know who I am. And if only half of them go to

1452-412: The situation. That's like me. I'm an easy going guy but in the ring I have a fanatical desire to win. I want Booker to be someone people can relate to, a hero to worship. Take Bruce Lee, who was an Oriental but able to pull Caucasians. I'm taking a little from Eastwood, a little from Lee, and a little special effects from James Bond. John T Booker is someone moviegoers can emulate, to be that kind of person,

1496-554: The sports and comedy genres. Chow's 2004 film Kung Fu Hustle , choreographed by martial arts directors Sammo Hung and Yuen Woo-ping, was a similar mixture of kung fu and comedy that achieved international success. Donnie Yen , who emerged during the early 1990s in Jet Li's Once Upon a Time in China II , is currently Hong Kong's highest-paid actor, starring in several films which helped him achieve international recognition, such as

1540-407: The summer of 1981 and a dispute with the screenwriter and original director Larry Cohen over its budget. Cohen was ultimately fired from the film after less than a week of production of principal photography for running the film $ 100,000 over budget and one day over schedule. By the time production wrapped under a new director, the film was almost double its original budget. The Entity faced

1584-533: The war should not have happened, and that the U.S. should not have been involved . Sitting in on one of his lectures is a bright female reporter named Margaret ( Anne Archer ) who has some very specific questions about the botched rescue mission. To their shock, someone is slowly killing all the surviving members of the special forces team . Booker is suddenly thrown back into his past when Morgan's appointment as Secretary of State spurs Yen to blackmail his ex-negotiations buddy into making good on his unfinished deal:

1628-430: The way for the rise of the kung fu film. The new genre still shared many of the traits of wuxia. Kung fu protagonists were exemplars of chivalry akin to the ancient youxia , the knights-errant of Chinese wuxia fiction. The oldest film in the genre, The Adventures of Fong Sai-yuk (Part 1: 方世玉打擂台; Part 2: 方世玉二卷之胡惠乾打機房), is a 1938–39 two-part movie about the adventures of folk hero Fong Sai-yuk . No surviving copies of

1672-408: Was Norris' 1979 follow-up A Force of One . The company maintained its distribution structure for both its own films and a number of low-budget acquisitions that included Fade to Black and The Silent Scream . Within several years, the owners of ACP saw potential for the company to grow larger and began to finance more ambitious projects with higher budgets, starting with Charlie Chan and

1716-485: Was a financial success that transformed Jackie Chan , its leading actor, into a major Hong Kong movie star. The mixture of slapstick comedy with martial arts reinvigorated the kung fu genre. Jackie Chan was the first significant action hero and martial arts performer to emerge from Hong Kong after the death of Bruce Lee. The films of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung integrated techniques from Peking Opera , which both had trained in prior to their work as stuntmen and extras in

1760-501: Was an excellent support cast including Dana Andrews. "I do one film a year just to keep my hand in", said Andrews. "I want to be as big in the movie industry as I've been in the karate industry", said Norris. ""I know I can do it because I've got the faith to do it." Norris said his character of Booker "had more feeling than the Clint Eastwood characters. Booker's sensitive, caring about people, but if pushed he can take care of

1804-458: Was executive producer on Go Tell the Spartans , A Different Story and The Great Smokey Roadblock (all 1978) and low-budget documentary The Late Great Planet Earth (1979), based on Hal Lindsey 's book and narrated by Orson Welles . Good Guys Wear Black was the first production distributed by American Cinema's distribution team. The low-budget 1978 film featured Norris, a relative unknown outside martial arts circles, in top billing

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1848-412: Was founded in 1975 and filed for bankruptcy in 1981. The company, a division of American Communications Industries, began as a distribution operation known as American Cinema Releasing before several early successes led it to branch out into film production. Its distribution wing is best known for the second Chuck Norris martial arts film, Good Guys Wear Black , which led American Cinema to produce

1892-443: Was having trouble getting distribution, so the producers decided to distribute it themselves, renting theaters in individual cities around the country for a flat fee and pocketing the box-office receipts I traveled with them, opening from cities to hamlets, talking with folks and promoting the film any way I could. Many critics panned that film, but the public embraced it. They filled those theaters and launched my movie career. The film

1936-530: Was originally rated R but Norris lobbied successfully to have it changed to PG. "My argument was the strong, positive image I project on the screen", he said. "The word karate, unfortunately, connotes violence to many people. Actually, it's a means of avoiding violent situations, and a form of defense if you have no choice and you're backed into a corner." The film was distributed by American Cinema Releasing . After opening on five screens in Denver on June 2, 1978,

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