Just what is an action film? That's the question one must pose after viewing the Chuck Norris vehicle, HERO & THE TERROR. If this (billed as an action film by the Go-Go boys at Cannon and called "one of the best action films of the summer" by some butthead film critic) is an "action film," then we have to redefine just what that term means.

If we decide that H&TT is a good example of the genre, then the term now means: one fight at the beginning, a throwaway non-plot fight ten minutes later, tons of boring dialogue, needless plot, sludgehead police work and, finally, a lifeless climax involving a lumbering/semi-retarded woman-killer who doesn't fight back.

Sounds good right? BULLSHIT!

Besides my problems with this boring piece of junk being labelled "action" lies the fact that it just plain SUCKS! Not only is it boring, but the filmmakers blow several avenues to make the film interesting, the acting is sub-standard (except for Norris who surprisingly delivers his best performance), and several good actors are totally wasted in thankless, useless roles (namely Billy Drago as a psychiatrist and the late Steve James as Norris's partner).

It's a shame that Chuckles saved his best performance for this absolute waste of time. Don't even bother. HERO & THE TERROR is unintersting, unexciting, and all-out boring – the cardinal sins of a movie today.