Can you believe that this film was made by J. Lee Thompson, the director who brought us all-time greats like Ice Cold In Alex, The Guns Of Navarone and the original Cape Fear? Here, Thompson gives us a Raiders Of The Lost Ark variation that is truly as awful as a film can be. "Firewalker" is supposed to be Chuck Norris's attempt to break out of the martial arts typecasting that he had been drawn into, but his efforts at comedy are lamentably wide of the mark. What's worse is the way that good actors like Lou Gossett Jr and John Rhys-Davies are dragged down to standards way below what is expected of them. Everything about this movie is terrible - the only Indy-offshoot I can think of that is worse is the unutterable Allan Quatermain And The Lost City Of Gold.
Ineffective soldiers of fortune Max Donigan (Norris) and Leo Porter (Lou Gossett Jr) are drowning their sorrows after yet another unsuccessful enterprise when they are approached by Patricia Goodwyn (Melody Anderson, from Flash Gordon). Patricia has a treasure map to an Aztec fortune and wants Max and Leo to help her get there. However, there are others who want the treasure too.... and to make matters worse, the treasure is supposedly guarded by the legendary Firewalker of the title.
Norris mugs away embarrassingly as the inept hero, giving the kind of performance that scores points for sheer unintentional hilarity. Gossett mugs too, which is disappointing considering that he had not long since gained an Oscar for An Officer And A Gentleman. Anderson - the third point of this wacky trio - has nothing to do but look cute, which she does with all the inexpressive woodenness of a kiddies' doll. There are continuity errors galore for those who enjoy spotting such things (for example, one eye-patch-wearing villain can't seem to decide for sure which eye he's blind in!), while the sets look so cheap and fake that one wonders if they were borrowed from a school theatre props department. Usually films of this type at least have stirring music or adequate bursts of action, but "Firewalker" can't even manage those - Gary Chang's score is utterly bland, and the action is either farcical or boringly predictable. "Firewalker" is an utter catastrophe: the absolute low point in the careers of everyone in front of and behind the cameras, and the kind of film that makes you wonder if being a movie fan is worth the effort.
Ineffective soldiers of fortune Max Donigan (Norris) and Leo Porter (Lou Gossett Jr) are drowning their sorrows after yet another unsuccessful enterprise when they are approached by Patricia Goodwyn (Melody Anderson, from Flash Gordon). Patricia has a treasure map to an Aztec fortune and wants Max and Leo to help her get there. However, there are others who want the treasure too.... and to make matters worse, the treasure is supposedly guarded by the legendary Firewalker of the title.
Norris mugs away embarrassingly as the inept hero, giving the kind of performance that scores points for sheer unintentional hilarity. Gossett mugs too, which is disappointing considering that he had not long since gained an Oscar for An Officer And A Gentleman. Anderson - the third point of this wacky trio - has nothing to do but look cute, which she does with all the inexpressive woodenness of a kiddies' doll. There are continuity errors galore for those who enjoy spotting such things (for example, one eye-patch-wearing villain can't seem to decide for sure which eye he's blind in!), while the sets look so cheap and fake that one wonders if they were borrowed from a school theatre props department. Usually films of this type at least have stirring music or adequate bursts of action, but "Firewalker" can't even manage those - Gary Chang's score is utterly bland, and the action is either farcical or boringly predictable. "Firewalker" is an utter catastrophe: the absolute low point in the careers of everyone in front of and behind the cameras, and the kind of film that makes you wonder if being a movie fan is worth the effort.