THE OCTAGON

(A.k.a. THE MAN WITHOUT MERCY)

"In a world of choices, one man has no choice … he must face The Octagon".

Meet Scott (Chuck Norris), a former martial arts competitor haunted by red-hued flashbacks to a past that involved him training intensively at a Ninja school with a best friend, only for their master to turn the pair of them into lifelong enemies.

In the present, Scott lives in America and is best pals with curly-mopped AJ (Art Hindle). They share a love for kicking bad guy’s arses and chasing hot girls.

One day, following a visit to the local theatre, Scott takes his latest filly back to his place and the pair are attacked by Ninjas. Of course, he kicks their arses. But he wants answers – and so pays a visit to his old pal, McCarn (Lee Van Cleef). He’s a man who’s in the know, and he seems to think the attack may be linked to recent acts of terrorism in the state …

Sure enough, Scott goes for a drive in the country a short while later and bumps into pretty Justine (Karen Carlson), who’s car has broken down. He helps her out and a friendship forms, helping him to soon learn – following a chase from two would-be assassins – that Justine is the daughter of a newspaper publisher killed recently by the terrorists. She has inherited Daddy’s paper and is now receiving death threats from the terrorists unless she changes her editorial tact. Which, of course, she refuses to do.

Feeling strongly enough about this matter to sign up as a mercenary soldier (via an ad in a paper!) in order for him to get close to the boot camp he believes is breeding killers, Scott decides to go after the baddies for Justine’s sake – even though it seems AJ’s the one getting into her knickers.

As Scott gets to learn more about the criminal boot camp (presumably the titular organisation, although the term is never used in the film), he discovers it is ran by old acquaintance Seikura (Tadashi Yamashita) and his henchman, Doggo (Kurt Grayson). Hang on – Doggo is Scott’s oldest friend-turned most deadly foe!

Surprisingly sluggish despite its unfussy plotting and regular punch-ups, THE OCTAGON never really seems to get going until its final act. Part of this is down to its clunky dialogue and a cast who are largely incapable of improving upon it. The main criticism, though, is that the flashbacks hamper the pacing terribly in the first half, and most of the earlier action set-pieces are dished out too sporadically. There’s precious little momentum gained during the first hour.

Norris is okay but lacks the star quality of even, say, Jason Statham. At least in later films such as THE DELTA FORCE and MISSING IN ACTION his grizzled, mountainous presence brought gravitas to his otherwise corny performances: here, he’s yet to earn his action hero chops and seems a little uncomfortable when required to act in-between the fighting.

Van Cleef, on the other hand, revels in his role. He’s not given enough screen time. Richard Norton is close behind, offering a dual performance of considerable entertainment – particularly as Seikura’s masked assassin Kyo. But the side is let down by pitiful turns from Hindle and, especially, Carlson. Christ, those reviewers on IMDb weren’t exaggerating: her performance here really is terrible. I’m not sure which is funniest: Hindle’s portrayal of drunkenness, or Carlson later weeping on his shoulder. Oh, but there’s always her "why do I feel cold?" line to consider …

So, what’s to recommend? Well, the film still possesses an odd charm throughout, thanks to Eric Karson’s no-nonsense, American cop show-type direction and it’s authentic 70s look and feel (it was released in 1980). Leigh Chapman’s screenplay is terrible but enjoyably so. The excitable score, like outtakes from a ‘Starsky and Hutch’ session, is also ironically superb. And the climactic one-on-one fight is properly excellent, from its choreography to the crunching sound design and savvy camerawork. It really is worth sticking around for.

Best of all, though, is Norris’ internal monologues that come throughout the film. These are priceless. They’ll kill it for some, admittedly. But their whispered, echoed delivery is not only inappropriate but unintentionally piss-inducing at every turn. What were the filmmakers thinking?!

Anchor Bay UK’s blu-ray brings THE OCTAGON to 1080p HD in an uncut MPEG4-AVC file. BBFC be damned, even the Chinese throwing star scene is intact here.

Presented in 1.78:1 and enhanced for 16x9 television sets, the transfer is pleasingly stable and film-like. Considering the film has always been available in 1.33:1 for previous domestic releases, the chances are it was shot open matte. The framing certainly feels correct here though.

Colours are strong while blacks hold up quite well. There is little in the way of compression issues and I’m happy to report a lack of excess digital cleaning. Detail is fine as a result, and a light layer of natural grain helps lends the transfer a satisfyingly organic feel. Comparing this to Anchor Bay’s release of another early Norris vehicle, A FORCE OF ONE, I’d say this boasts the slightly better transfer of the two.

English audio is provided in 2.0 and 5.1 Master HD mixes. Despite added bass on the latter, there’s not much between these two. However, both offer consistent and clean playback, ensuring the film is served just as well aurally as it is on a visual level.

The disc opens to an animated main menu page. From there, pop-up menus include a scene-selection menu allowing access to the film via 12 chapters.

Anchor Bay provides a decent selection of bonus features here.

First up is a commentary track from Karson. He’s an affable type with an easy talking style and a good memory for little on-set anecdotes. He speaks favourably, not just of Norris but working on the film as a whole. He really comes into to his own when dissecting the film’s action and stunt sequences.

Next up is an interesting 39-minute Making Of featurette. It takes a retrospective look at the film’s shoot and its subsequent success, but is interspersed with some worthy behind-the-scenes footage. Among the on-screen contributors acting as our co-hosts, Karson and Norton engage the most.

"How American Cinema Changed Hollywood Forever" is a decent 28-minute documentary focusing on the American Cinema studio and their output of the late 70s/early 80s, presented here – as is the Making Of - window-boxed and in standard definition. It also features on the A FORCE OF ONE blu-ray.

Finally we’re treated to THE OCTAGON’s original theatrical trailer and US TV spot.

While THE OCTAGON doesn’t hold a candle to later Norris bullet-fests such as MISSING IN ACTION or LONE WOLF MCQUADE, it does frequently amuse with its ill-advised voice-over and some horrendously ripe supporting performances.

Anyone searching for anything more substantial aside from the sterling finale should look elsewhere. For fans, however, Anchor Bay’s blu-ray is a very good proposition.

Review by Stuart Willis