And, that force is Chuck Norris, a master in the martial arts, preparing for the big fight in a tournament, called upon by a California narcotics division to train the detectives in how to fight a mysterious adversary who killed two cops with his bare hands during a secret raid(they did not call in for back up). A kid on a skateboard is the one who helps transport the drugs from one place to the other while a crooked cop is in cahoots with a drug-dealer using a sporting goods store as a front to distribute smack, coke, and other powder junk.
Jennifer O'Neill glams down(sort of)as a detective, Mandy Rust(getting top honors in the cast over Norris) who becomes close friends with Norris' Matt Logan, her hair cut, dressed in casual "cop" attire(..although she's still a knockout in a cocktail dress), who suspects a fellow partner in her squad(..the film establishes who this person is as he is doing business with the mastermind of the drug operation). Clu Gulager is the chief of the narcotics division, Dunne and Ron O'Neal is a fellow detective Rollins. Bill Wallace is Sparks, the man Logan is to fight in the big main event.
Mandy is the one who helps lure Logan into assisting them in martial arts training. It was kind of neat seeing Norris(and his brother Aaron who helped choreograph the fight sequences)training the detectives in one particular sequence, on offensive and defensive maneuvers.
Important sub-plot added by director Paul Aaron(..initially called in just to help in rewrites of the script, celebrated by the add campaign as being co-written by Ernest Tidyman, due to his heat on helping pen The French Connection)provides Logan with an adopted son, Charlie(Eric Laneuville)for whom he has raised and trained, both hoping for much future success. This success will never come to fruition due to a hunch Charlie gets regarding his uncovering key figures responsible for the drug operation, including the identity of the martial artist killing cops. This killer with superior skills and power than Charlie, doesn't allow him to leave, because of what he has learned.
This sub-plot, of course, gives Norris an excuse to get seriously miffed(to put it mildly), exercising his right to deliver a major ass-kicking to the one responsible for Charlie's death. Many of Norris' movies feature a tragedy, the murder of a loved one or buddy, which motivates his characters to get even with the scum who commit the deed that resulted in the loss.
Mix of detective drama and martial arts showcase for Norris with a tidy conclusion as the guilty parties will be brought to justice and Logan is allowed to get his revenge. Interesting decision to shoot combat between Norris and his opposition in slow motion(opening an opportunity for scrutiny such as Wallace's elbow clearly missing Norris' face, yet he reacts jarringly anyway as if he did), inside and outside the ring. Known as a follow-up to Good Guys Wear Black, neither film resemble each other in any way either in content or characters(this is mainly because American Cinema Pictures distributed both films, opening a door for Norris' stardom, although ultimately it would be the third collaboration, The Octagon, that would hit pay-dirt). The killer, who sneak-assaults detectives who uncover locations containing the hidden drugs, wears a black ski-mask and jeans, explosively subduing them before they have a chance to defend themselves, hence the training of the other cops. While A Force of One gave viewers a chance to see Norris in action, expressing his abilities, The Octagon really was the movie that let him break out as a force to be reckoned with.
Jennifer O'Neill glams down(sort of)as a detective, Mandy Rust(getting top honors in the cast over Norris) who becomes close friends with Norris' Matt Logan, her hair cut, dressed in casual "cop" attire(..although she's still a knockout in a cocktail dress), who suspects a fellow partner in her squad(..the film establishes who this person is as he is doing business with the mastermind of the drug operation). Clu Gulager is the chief of the narcotics division, Dunne and Ron O'Neal is a fellow detective Rollins. Bill Wallace is Sparks, the man Logan is to fight in the big main event.
Mandy is the one who helps lure Logan into assisting them in martial arts training. It was kind of neat seeing Norris(and his brother Aaron who helped choreograph the fight sequences)training the detectives in one particular sequence, on offensive and defensive maneuvers.
Important sub-plot added by director Paul Aaron(..initially called in just to help in rewrites of the script, celebrated by the add campaign as being co-written by Ernest Tidyman, due to his heat on helping pen The French Connection)provides Logan with an adopted son, Charlie(Eric Laneuville)for whom he has raised and trained, both hoping for much future success. This success will never come to fruition due to a hunch Charlie gets regarding his uncovering key figures responsible for the drug operation, including the identity of the martial artist killing cops. This killer with superior skills and power than Charlie, doesn't allow him to leave, because of what he has learned.
This sub-plot, of course, gives Norris an excuse to get seriously miffed(to put it mildly), exercising his right to deliver a major ass-kicking to the one responsible for Charlie's death. Many of Norris' movies feature a tragedy, the murder of a loved one or buddy, which motivates his characters to get even with the scum who commit the deed that resulted in the loss.
Mix of detective drama and martial arts showcase for Norris with a tidy conclusion as the guilty parties will be brought to justice and Logan is allowed to get his revenge. Interesting decision to shoot combat between Norris and his opposition in slow motion(opening an opportunity for scrutiny such as Wallace's elbow clearly missing Norris' face, yet he reacts jarringly anyway as if he did), inside and outside the ring. Known as a follow-up to Good Guys Wear Black, neither film resemble each other in any way either in content or characters(this is mainly because American Cinema Pictures distributed both films, opening a door for Norris' stardom, although ultimately it would be the third collaboration, The Octagon, that would hit pay-dirt). The killer, who sneak-assaults detectives who uncover locations containing the hidden drugs, wears a black ski-mask and jeans, explosively subduing them before they have a chance to defend themselves, hence the training of the other cops. While A Force of One gave viewers a chance to see Norris in action, expressing his abilities, The Octagon really was the movie that let him break out as a force to be reckoned with.