THE HERO AND THE TERROR

US, 1988, 96 minutes, Colour.
Chuck Norris, Ron O'Neal, Billy Drago.
Directed by William Tannen.

The Hero and the Terror is a Chuck Norris vehicle. It comes after his more active films with his expertise in martial arts. He has only a few moments of this kind of activity here.

The film is basically a police story, an investigation of a brutal series of murders. They give nightmares to Norris's Danny O'Brien and he gets therapy, eventually marrying his therapist. The murders recur and he is challenged to catch the criminal. Jack Halloran (Farewell My Lovely) is the brutal killer.

The film has a Los Angeles setting, is standard police material - with a great deal of human touch to show a different, gentler side of Norris. The writing team of Dennis Shryack and Michael Blodgett have written films for Clint Eastwood as well.

1.Thriller? Impact? Serial murderer? Police and Los Angeles?

2.The Los Angeles settings, the city? O'Brien's memories and dreams? The ordinary? The carnival and sideshow area with its sinister cover? The theatre and its background? Musical score?

3.The title: the focus on O'Brien as a hero for Los Angeles people? On Simon Moon as the terror?

4.Standard police investigation? O'Brien and his commitment to his job, partner? The danger with Moon and his fight with him? The continuing murders? The investigations, suspicions? Press conferences and the mayor? The policeman working out the location of the murderer, the confrontation? The victory? The more humane touches in the relationship, pregnancy, the birth of the baby?

5.Norris as O'Brien: strong, committed, laconic? The fight and his nightmares? Work with partners? Therapy? In love with Kaye, her pregnancy? The birth of the baby? His laconic press conference? The outing with Kaye, the birthday cake, reassuring her? His realisation where Moon was, stalking the theatre? The fight? The return to Kaye, the marriage? A more humane policeman?

6.Simon Moon, size, brutality, the victims? The confrontation with O'Brien? Disappearance, return? Seeing him with some victims? Storing the victims in the theatre? His attack on the guard? The final fight, his death - with the spectacular touch?

7.The police, partners, detection work, confrontations? The policeman on guard and his exercise, his confrontation with Moon and his death?

8.The mayor, concerns, renovation of the theatre, press conferences, double-talk and smooth talk? Relying on O'Brien?

9.Kaye, therapist, helping O'Brien, in love with him, pregnancy, her insecurity, her emotional reaction at the birthday party, her insecurities? The birth of the baby, its name, the finale and the marriage?

10.The blend of the action adventure with the more humane touch? For Chuck Norris's image?