One of Chuck Norris’s most memorable 80s Cannon films is getting a special edition 4K release from Vinegar Syndrome.
While Chuck Norris started his career in action movies with 1977’s Good Guys Wear Black and Breaker, Breaker (a few years after playing Bruce Lee’s opponent in Way of the Dragon), one could argue that he only truly hit his stride in the mid-eighties. In fact, Norris’s best run of movies coincided with him signing a long-term deal with The Cannon Group, who produced many of his best-remembered films. Among his fans, one of the movies most often cited as one of his best is 1985’s Invasion U.S.A.
If you haven’t seen it – wow – you’re in for a demented treat. A classic example of Cold War paranoia, in it the Soviet Union invades America via Florida, pulling off brutal acts of terrorism to destabilize the government and strike fear into the hearts of Americans everywhere. Only one problem – a retired CIA agent named Matt Hunter (Chuck Norris) lives in the Florida Everglades and isn’t about to let these guys get away with their evil scheme, kicking off a ninety-minute carnage-filled ride that includes at least thirty kills for Chuck, including an amazing mall shootout that ranks with the best action sequences Norris ever participated in. Notably, the film also has a reputation for having helped inspire the Romanian revolution. Don’t believe me? Read about it yourself!
Sadly, Norris’s movies have been wildly ignored by the gods of 4K physical media—until now, that is. Vinegar Syndrome is putting out Invasion U.S.A. in a spiffy new 4K edition that contains a boatload of extras and will showcase one of Norris’s bigger-budget efforts in a way those of us who grew up watching it on VHS could have never imagined.
Here are the special features courtesy of our friends at Blu-ray.com:
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- Presented with the following sound options: 5.1 surround mix; 2.0 stereo mix; brand new commentary track with director Joseph Zito; brand new commentary track with Austin Trunick, author of The Cannon Film Guide and an archival commentary track with director Joseph Zito and Michael Felsher
- Operation Invasion U.S.A. (31 min) – an interview with director Joseph Zito
- Writing the Real Thing (23 min) – an interview with screenwriter James Bruner
- The Stories We’re Telling (22 min) – an interview with editor Dan Loewenthal
- Heroic Moments (16 min) – an interview with composer Jay Chattaway
- It’s in the Eyes (14 min) – an interview with actress Melissa Prophet
- Do You Like Talking? (7 min) – an interview with actor James Pax
- Cannon Carnage (18 min) – an archival featurette on the make-up effects of Invasion U.S.A.
- Loose Cannons (29 min) – an archival interview with screenwriter James Bruner
- Original trailer
- Reversible sleeve artwork
The only drag is that no one could find the considerable amount of footage deleted from the film before it hit theatres, as it was initially treated with an X-rating by the MPAA, resulting in a last-minute edit job. Like 1986’s Cobra, the uncut version of Invasion U.S.A. has always been a white whale for action fans, but sadly the footage probably doesn’t exist anymore.
Are you going to pick up the 4K release of Invasion U.S.A? Let us know in the comments!
