Missing in Action III (1988)

Braddock: Missing in Action III is a 1988 American action adventure film, and a sequel to Missing in Action, following the second film, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning, which was a prequel. It is the third and final installment in the Missing in Action film series. The film stars Chuck Norris, who co-wrote the screenplay with James Bruner. The film was directed by Norris’ brother, Aaron Norris.

Plot.

Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris), Vietnam War veteran, had believed his Asian wife Lin Tan Cang (Miki Kim) to be dead since the war ended in 1975, but he hears from a missionary, Reverend Polanski (Yehuda Efroni), that Lin is not only alive, but that she and Braddock have a 12-year-old son named Van Tan Cang (Roland Harrah III). At first, Braddock does not believe it, but when cold-blooded CIA boss Littlejohn (Jack Rader) tells Braddock to disregard that information, that’s when Braddock knows it’s true. Braddock heads back into Vietnam through parachute deployment and with the help of an Australian C-47 pilot. After parachute descent, Braddock outruns Vietnamese Navy patrol boats with a jet-powered speedboat. Reverend Polanski leads Braddock to Lin and Van. Attempting to flee the country, Braddock, Lin, and Van are captured by the soldiers of the sadistic Vietnamese General Quoc (Aki Aleong).

Quoc kills Lin on the spot, and has his soldiers take Braddock and Van to a compound to be tortured. Later, Braddock overpowers his guards, frees Van, and heads for the mission that is run by Polanski. Quoc anticipates the move and takes all the mission children into captivity, along with Van and Polanski, and Braddock sets out to free them all from Quoc by going to his weapons cache that he had hidden a few days prior. He equips himself with a modified Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle with an underslung 6-shot rotary grenade launcher and attachments including a spring-loaded bayonet. He raids the camp killing the guards and loading up one of the trucks with all the children including his son, Van and the Reverend. Soon after escaping they are followed and attacked by a Vietnamese-captured US UH-1 Huey.

Development.

Norris had a long-term deal with Cannon Films. They were in financial trouble and wanted a new Missing in Action film. Norris says “I really wasn’t interested in doing a third one” until his brother Aaron told him about the Amerasian children. “In Vietnam there are 15,000 Amerasian children who are trapped there, considered outcasts, living a strictly non-existent life”, Norris said. “So I started reading up on the subject and got emotionally involved.” Norris was particularly affected by a segment he saw on the ABC TV show 20/20. “An American soldier fell in love over there in Vietnam, but the Army wouldn’t let him marry her”, said Norris. “He went back and tried to get her over because he knew she was pregnant. Finally, she had the baby over there and died. So the next 14 years he spent trying to locate (the child) and get him out of the country. But finally he did it, and there were tears and everything then. It really hit you.” Norris wrote the script with James Bruner.

Filming.

Filming was to start 1 December 1986 with Joseph Zito who directed the original film to direct. But due to creative and personal differences with Chuck Norris, Zito left the production. In March Jack Smight was attached to direct. Eventually Aaron Norris wound up making his directorial debut on the film. Norris later said “Aaron saved `Braddock,’ after we went through several other directors.” Aaron Norris would go on to direct six more films with his brother, as well as helping him run Walker, Texas Ranger. On May 30, 1987, four military and police officers were killed in an AUH-76 helicopter of the Philippine Air Force accident during filming in the Philippines. (There would also be a fatal helicopter crash in a later Norris film, Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection.) “It’s probably the best movie I’ve ever done”, said Norris prior to its release.

Missing in Action (1984) Biography, Plot, Development, Filming, Box office, Trailer.

Box office.

Missing in Action and Missing in Action 2: The Beginning put Cannon on the New York Stock Exchange”, Norris said. “Hopefully, the new one will get them out of the jam they’re in now.” The movie debuted at No. 5 at the box office with $2,210,401 in the opening weekend. It was the least financially successful film in the Missing in Action film series. Norris said he was “frustrated”, with the job Cannon Films did with marketing the movie.. “I was ready to break my contract because it was the best of the series.`We had a big meeting, and I told them that if they didn’t do a better job marketing my films in the U.S., I was going to take them to court because my career is on the line.”

Cast:

Chuck Norrisas Colonel James Braddock
Aki Aleongas General Quoc
Roland Harrah IIIas Van Tan Cang
Yehuda Efroni as Reverend Polanski
Floyd Levineas General Duncan
Miki Kim as Lin Tan Cang
Ron Barker as “Mik” Mikalchek
Jack Rader as CIA Agent Littlejohn
Keith David as Embassy Gate Captain