'Logan's War' is a made-for-television movie and it looks and feels like it. Produced by Chuck and Aaron Norris, and directed by Michael Preece who also directed 70 episodes of 'Walker'. Chuck himself is more of the side character in this one. The main star is Eddie Cibrian (an actor whom I had never heard of before) who stars as the titular character, Logan Fallon. It looks like 'Logan's War' was meant to be an introduction (or pilot) to a new TV series, which never realized. Although Chuck is a side character, he has plenty of screen time, and besides sharing wisdom with his young protegee Logan, he also kicks some serious ass. The fight scenes and the training montages are the strongest part of the movie. The story is a familiar revenge romp and doesn't offer any surprises. It takes a lot of suspense of disbelief to buy how easily the main character can infiltrate the organized crime family. Eddie Cibrian is no Al Pacino, and he chewed through the scenery (Brendon Ryan Barrett who played 10 years old Logan, was a much better actor). At least Cibrian had enough charisma and likability to carry the movie (maybe one of the purposes of that film was to make him the next big action star?). I have no information about how good Eddie is in martial arts in real life, but his fight scenes were good. He was agile and had good moves. Still, he's no Chuck Norris. The supporting cast included many well-known character actors, although I think, R. D. Call was miscast as Albert Talgorno. His performance was alright though. The screenplay lacked the proper tension that will make you sit on the edge of your chair (or couch). The tone of the movie was too light for such a dark subject matter (I know, it is a TV movie from the '90s, I know) almost like a family film. Well, in some sense it was a family film - Logan infiltrated into the 'crime family'. The score was alright, the generic action movie stuff, but the use of it in some scenes seemed awkward. For example - when Talgorno tells Logan how Sal Mercado (Jeff Kober) become a made man after he slaughtered the district attorney, his family and five cops, the lighthearted music over that scene is so unfitting. The directing and editing are competent. The fight scenes are clean - and that is the main reason we watch Chuck Norris movies.
I like the message the movie carries about doing the right thing, and about revenge. Although it is a revenge movie, and we as the viewers root for the hero, so he can successfully fulfill his vengeance, the movie tells us that revenge is not the best path to take, and it has its consequences. Overall 'Logan's War' is an alright made-for-TV action movie, that is mildly entertaining. It is not as rewatchable as Chuck's earlier movies from the '80s which are glorious macho cheese fests. Still, the action scenes here were competently directed, and the movie is worth watching just for the final standoff between Chuck Norris and Talgorno's Cadillas, which is ridiculous but awesome.
I like the message the movie carries about doing the right thing, and about revenge. Although it is a revenge movie, and we as the viewers root for the hero, so he can successfully fulfill his vengeance, the movie tells us that revenge is not the best path to take, and it has its consequences. Overall 'Logan's War' is an alright made-for-TV action movie, that is mildly entertaining. It is not as rewatchable as Chuck's earlier movies from the '80s which are glorious macho cheese fests. Still, the action scenes here were competently directed, and the movie is worth watching just for the final standoff between Chuck Norris and Talgorno's Cadillas, which is ridiculous but awesome.