Stardate August 11, 2025…

The Clu Gulager deep dive continued today. (I bet you didn’t see that coming, did you?). Get ready for a shameful revelation incoming, though… outside of The Expendables franchise, my experience with Chuck Norris largely revolves around chuckling at Chuck Norris jokes in the mid-2000s. Aaaaaand some Walker, Texas Ranger in the 90s.

What I found most interesting in A Force of One was seeing Norris so early in his career. Having grown up on Walker, Texas Ranger, Norris is such a baby in this film. And… don’t hate me, but his haircut is one or two trims ahead of turning into a Prince Valiant.

With all that being said though, I found this an interesting time capsule that seemed inherently at home in the 1980s. Throughout the film I kept thinking about Nancy Regan and my own 6th grade D.A.R.E. experience.

However, to get to what you all care about, the action choreography is, of course, impressive. This is clearly Norris in his prime and I’m thinking I’ll be checking out more of his early work.

Meanwhile, I found myself equally, if not more interested in the police officer narrative. Gulager is (as usual) interesting to watch. Meanwhile, Jennifer O’Neill is a relatively new name for me and I found her take on “Mandy Rust” intriguing.

A Force of One ended up feeling like a tantalizing discovery for yours truly. I’m shamefully under viewed as it relates to both Chuck Norris and martial arts movies as a whole. Perhaps I’m in the mood to dive into some more essentials and learn what I might be missing! Could a Bruce Lee deep-dive be next? Stay tuned!

A Force of One is available to stream on MGM+.