Chuck Norris takes on a serial killer in this enjoyable action thriller. Okay, it's no Silent Rage . . . . . . . but what is? Fans of the mighty Chuck will find enough to enjoy as he launches his patented flying kicks. Steve James is also on hand to look tough and praise our hero, who is literally nicknamed hero at various times throughout (hence the title).HERO AND THE TERROR is probably one of the weaker Norris/Cannon collaborations, but still it's worth a watch if you think of it as a watered- down version of SILENT RAGE.. sounds like a good idea, which- let's face it- is.Not one of his most exciting films, but definitely one of his better films, considering everything after this was going straight to video. A solid opening and a killer ending make up for the fact that there's very little action in this, as it tries to go for more of a thriller/drama vibe, in which case it only half-succeeds.Hero and the Terror' was a slight departure for the action star – one that offered more psychological drama than punches and kicks. Still, I actually like the movie enough to say it's worth a look, particularly if you've never seen it or haven't seen it in a while.Not much martial arts in this, but Check it out if you like some Good Suspense in an action film.

Danny O'Brien (Chuck) is an L.A. area cop who is still reeling from his encounter with a psychopathic, murderous maniac named Simon Moon (O'Halloran). O'Brien exorcises his demons pumping iron in the weight room. Moon is so scary, he's been nicknamed "The Terror" by the press. However, O'Brien has also been nicknamed. To the residents of L.A., he's "The Hero". Starting to see where this is going? Anyway, Chuck hates his nickname, and just wants to spend time with his lovely wife Kay (Thayer), who is pregnant. But the Mayor of L.A. (O'Neal) wants results on The Terror case. So O'Brien calls in his buddy Robinson (James) to help out. The two suspect that the baddie is hiding out in the bowels of the Wiltern Theater, which sets the stage for the final battle. Who will prevail: The Hero or The Terror? Find out today… Simply speaking, The Hero and The Terror is classic 80's Chuck. It might not be one of his more talked-about titles, but it's well worth seeing. It's kind of like a better version of Silent Rage (1982), insofar as it's about a psycho killer and Chuck's chasing him, while doing minimal Martial Arts. If you have to see one of those two movies, see this one. It's a quality production: it's excellently shot, with very nice cinematography, the cast is top-notch, and it all exudes an aura of professionalism. It's not at all junky, and it would have been very cool to see this in the theater in '88.Chuck puts in a great performance, that of a troubled hero haunted by The Terror, while still striving to be a rock of stability and companionship for his wife. Fan favorite Steve James is as charismatic as ever, and is always a joy to watch. He even wears the same WrestleMania hat as he does in McBain (1991). That must make us truly hardcore Steve James fans to notice a detail like that. Ron O'Neal does a decent job as "The Mayor", and Billy Drago has a glorified Cameo as a doctor. Come to think of it, it's not all that glorified.We very much enjoyed the slower pace of this film. Slow pace doesn't equal bad: bad equals bad. We're against the notion that MTV-style fast cuts and ADD-afflicted editing should be the standard we all have to now live by. So by that logic if a movie isn't moving at a breakneck pace, it's no good? We reject that entirely. Bring us back to the days when a pace was meant to draw you in and you could get to know the characters. So we applaud director Tannen for that. He went on to be a co-director of Inside Edge (1992), which also featured Branscombe Richmond, as does HATT, as all the cool kids call it (i.e., this movie).For straight down-the-line and above board Chuck, Hero and the Terror is a great choice.

This time Chuck Norris confronting an ominous psycho-killer . A sensible but two-fisted cop (Chuck Norris) and his tough helper (Steve James) pit a dangerous series killer who holds a supernatural force . The police named Danny O'Brien is back in action fighting the notorious psychotic Simon Moon (Jack O'Halloran) , also known as ¨The Terror¨ who murders his victims by twisting their necks . The monstrous and virtually indestructible man is a Frankestein-alike , acting similarly to Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers .This Chuck Norris vehicle contains action-packed , thrills , chills and lots of blood and violence . Chuck Norris demonstrates his qualities as an action hero on the fights against the largest-than-life murderous by means of punches , kicks , bounds and leaps . This is last film that Menahem Golan , from Cannon film company , produced with Chuck Norris . Large support cast formed by usual secondaries of the 80s such as Steve James , Jeffrey Kramer , Billy Drago , Branscome Richmond and Ron O'Neal as the Mayor . David Michael Frank's screeching musical score was composed by means of synthesizer . The motion picture was regularly directed by William Tannen . This horror-fighting-thriller is an inferior Norris film , in spite of it he was on his best period with hits such as ¨The Octagon¨ , ¨An eye for an eye¨ , ¨Forced vengeance¨ , ¨Lone Wolf MacQuade¨ , and ¨Missing in action¨ , among others . Rating : Below average but entertaining . The picture will appeal to Chuck Norris fans though results to be one of his inferior outings .

This came out in the last years of the Cannon Group, which had produced numerous fun B-action flicks. I saw it at the cinema and liked it. Having watched it again, I couldn't help but associate it with another similar Norris's earlier vehicle SILENT RAGE.Detective Danny O'Brien (Norris) is haunted by his past after single-handedly capturing a psychotic killer Simon Moon a.k.a. the Terror (Jack O' Halloran). Several years later, Moon escapes from a sanitarium and returns to the city he once stalked to unleash terror again. This time his 'turf' is a newly renovated theater in downtown Los Angeles that is about to be re-opened. As victims start to fall and the opening date of the theater is approaching, the Mayor calls for detective O'Brien to track him down and put an end to his terror.This action thriller, at times, plays like a pilot episode of a TV series. One of the key scenes even borders on becoming nonsensical, like Simon Moon's escape.Billy Drago is miscast as Moon's doctor. Drago plays well as an antagonist: a psycho (FREEWAY) or a henchman (THE UNTOUCHABLES) or any other typically eccentric bad guy, but not a good doctor!On the other hand, Jack O'Halloran (Non in Superman 2) portrayal of the Terror is menacing - he doesn't speak, only growls, and looks creepy. The music, especially when the Terror strikes, performed by the same musician who scores Norris's CODE OF SILENCE is effective to create tension.What sets this film apart from other Norris's films is that we get to see him act a lot more than he usually does. Norris is not a one-man army like his role in the MISSING IN ACTION trilogy. Here he tries to act and play more drama: he is a cop but a father-to-be and a sensitive lover too, which is shown in a scene when he has a romantic birthday dinner with his girlfriend and in another scene when he faints upon arriving at the hospital after hearing that his pregnant girlfriend is about to deliver. Overall, this cop thriller is one of Norris's better films where fans can see more of his acting than just his fighting skills.