The Octagon (1980)

Director:

Eric Karson

Writers:

Paul Aaron (story)
Leigh Chapman (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 August 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

Chuck Norris is Scott James, who must face the Ninja, the unholy masters of terror in . . .

Plot:

A martial artist must defeat a plan by ninjas to create a worldwide training camp for terrorists.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorism | Death | Karate | Martial Arts | Kung Fu

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Aug. 1

11:00 PM

AMC

Cast

Chuck Norris	...	Scott James
Karen Carlson	...	Justine
Lee Van Cleef	...	McCarn
Art Hindle	...	A. J.
Carol Bagdasarian	...	Aura
Tadashi Yamashita	...	Seikura
Kim Lankford	...	Nancy
Larry D. Mann	...	Tibor
Kurt Grayson	...	Doggo
Richard Norton	...	Kyo - Seikura´s Enforcer / Long Legs
Yuki Shimoda	...	Katsumo - Seikura's Aide
Redmond Gleeson	...	Duffy
Alan Chappuis	...	Pierre
Brian Libby	...	Deadwyler
Ken Gibbel	...	Meat

Also Known As:

The Man Without Mercy (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (1984) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (1995) (uncut) | Finland:(Banned) (1980) (uncut) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | France:-12 | Norway:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

American Cinema Productions

Trivia:

When Richard Norton (as "Long Legs", not Kyo) is kicked in the Groin by Chuck Norris, he grabs himself and yelps out "Oh shit... shit!". Norton himself said that when he was assisting with the stunts on the set of "The Blues Brothers" and told John Belushi the fight he'd be in, Belushi was the one who told him to say "Oh shit!" when getting kicked in the groin.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After the terrorist trainee falls through the trapdoor, a crew person's hand is visible as it closes back up.

Quotes:

McCarn: If you saw ninjas, you're seeing ghosts.

Movie Connections:

Featured in How American Cinema Changed Hollywood Forever (2003) (V)

Norris vs. Ninja

Personally, I wouldn't say that this is an action movie. It's more of a thriller. The movie is in fact really slow and a bit boring most of the time. The decent action doesn't kick in until just before the end. If it hadn't been for that scene, this movie wouldn't have got more than 3 stars from me. But since the last scene was pretty good, I give it a 6. Just remember that this is an Chuck Norris-movie. Norris isn't exactly the best martial arts actor, he hasn't got any spectacular moves and I get a little tired watching him wear the same type of jeans in almost every movie. There are a bunch of ninjas in the movie. The movie tried to establish them as skilled and feared fighters, but it didn't succeed with that.