Der Gigant (1981)
67KDer Gigant: Directed by Steve Carver. With Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, Richard Roundtree, Matt Clark. A SFPD undercover narcotics cop aims to avenge his partner’s death and destroy a drug-smuggling ring operated by the Chinese Triads.
“Chuck Norris has gotten a bit of a bad rap over the years, but watching some of his earlier films, itu0026#39;s hard to understand why. No, heu0026#39;s not the best actor of all time, but his fighting skills are pretty impressive. This movie gives him a lot of room to do what he does best, and itu0026#39;s great fun to watch him take out bad guy after bad guy with his amazing kung fu kicks. There are also good performances by Mako and Christopher Lee, both of whom make any movie worth watching, and the director has some cool camera shots throughout.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat said, I have to admit it has plenty of unintentionally hilarious parts, and Iu0026#39;m not just talking about the cheesy 80u0026#39;s soundtrack and polyester suits. For one thing, it seems like something is a little wrong with olu0026#39; Chuck. He does some genuinely odd things throughout the movie that make you wonder if heu0026#39;s OK in the head. The most shocking example is when a guy asks him, u0026quot;Kane, do you know what is permeating this room?u0026quot;, and he sniffs the guyu0026#39;s face, rubs his cheek, and says, u0026quot;Is it your cologne?u0026quot; Then thereu0026#39;s the scene where he knocks a man out, then places a pillow behind his head and pats his hair. He also spends a lot of time talking to his dog, Mort… and not just in a friendly way, but in a maybe-heu0026#39;s-hearing-the-dog-talking-back sort of way.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe character of the Professor is funny too (funny-odd, not funny-haha). The scene where he gets hit by a car and responds by beating the car up is not easy to forget.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThese things are a bit unsettling, but where the film really loses it is at the end, when everything goes unexpectedly and completely bonkers. I am referring to the surreal scene where dozens of businessmen who all look like Ron Burgundy have a full-scale war with the police. Itu0026#39;s like watching u0026quot;Die Hardu0026quot; with the terrorists being played by the entire cast of u0026quot;Dallas.u0026quot; Cheesiness aside, however, this is an enjoyable, action-packed film that any fan of Norris is sure to love. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e7/10 stars.”
