3/5 "Auf nimmer wiedersehn!"
  by Mike Schorn (APO, AE United States)
As fate would have it, what's probably the last Chuck Norris film ever to be made isn't really a Chuck Norris film. Sure, Chuck's the star, but as is the case these DTV action outings, the distinctive auteurism that once clearly defined his earlier pictures as "Yep, that's a Chuck Norris movie" has given way to a film that feels more than a bit generic. Sure, it's more than decent for a film that went straight-to-video, but the only really remarkable thing about it is that it stars the Chuckasaurus; it could just as well have been made with Steven Seagal or Van Damme and still retained its mold. This isn't really a bad thing, but it means that as far as Norris' personal style and brand of attitude is concerned, fans might as well have waved good-bye to him following Bells of Innocence.

The story: when an expert diamond-cutter/Auschwitz survivor (Bernie Kopell, "The Love Boat") is kidnapped by a deadly mastermind (Daniel Bernhardt) looking to customize a pair of priceless stones, private investigator John Shepherd (Norris) is called in to unravel a mystery of villainy spanning Nazi Germany to the present-day jewelry district.

Who's Daniel Bernhardt? Well, he started out as a model, but is better known to low-budget action fans as the star of the Bloodsport sequels and of "Mortal Kombat: Conquest". Oh, and he had that awesome fight with Laurence Fishburne on top of the truck in Matrix Reloaded. Yup, the filmmakers actually got Norris a decent martial artist-villain this time around, and knowing he was going to be in the movie is half of the reason why I bought it. Sadly, there's not a whole lot of fighting going on: there are two "real" fights (aka: they last longer than 15 seconds) and three quickies. Chuck fights both Daniel and long-haired baddie Deron McBee (Mortal Kombat: Annihilation), and gets the heck beat out of him before putting each of them in their place. Daniel is hands-down the most exciting martial artist in the film, but all of the fights are marred by unwanted quick-cut editing. On the plus side, at age 65, it doesn't look like Norris was using many stunt doubles, which is impressive. Also look for a couple of decent car chases.

The acting's on the good side for a $6 million production. Chuck's his own compassionate-conservative self, but in a small scene, it turns out he cannot pull off a Russian accent to save his life. Bernhardt, however, can do a good Russian imitation, and as a "master of disguise", gets to show off a bit more than usual as he cons people. Of course, part of the reason why he was chosen for the role in the first place was because he and cohort Curt Lowens ("General Hospital") both speak fluent German and can pass themselves off as Nazis. Bernie Kopell as the imprisoned cutter, Golden Globe nominee Joanna Pacula (Gorky Park) as his adopted daughter, Tracy Scoggins ("Babylon 5") as Norris' PD informant, and pretty much everybody else involved gives a good performance, making for a well-rounded cast that nevertheless manages to overshadow the star more than once.

The film defines itself as a DTV title through its weirdo editing that's no doubt meant to make the movie more interesting while all it does is reveal its not-so-high-end production: the film occasionally goes into "avid fart" mode, with multiple close-ups, the speeding up of footage, and wacky color effects that are no doubt supposed to remind you of bigger thrillers. There are way too many flashbacks abound, sometimes just to reiterate something that you haven't forgotten in the first place. And while the story's decidedly better than your run-of-the-mill DTV flick, it doesn't do too great a job of explaining the existence of some minor characters - most notably the fellow who breaks into Norris' house, tasers him, and then gets killed by Daniel Bernhardt.

I don't mean to scare anyone off of watching the movie, for it really is a better-than-average low-budget flick. Fans of the Chuckster ought to pick it up at least, but those of you looking for your first taste of Norris might want to start somewhere else - after all, there's not a whole lot of pro-American bravado here, even if Chuck is fighting Nazis.

3/5 The Cutter
  by Myra Elaine Jones (Oroville,WA USA)
I had never seen this movie before purchasing it. It wasn't up to Chuck Norris's movies I've seen in the past.

5/5 Good Action Movie
  by Tmichelle79 (Semmes, AL)
NOt a big Chuck Norris fan, but thoroughly enjoyed this movie, which was purchased for my mother.

4/5 Powerful Drama CUTS deeply!
  by Hammock Rider (Talk of the Town Trailer Estates Park - Southern California)
Pacino, DeNiro, Olivier, Shattner, these are the gods of today's Acting Pantheon. To that august list one may now add the name....NORRIS!!!

Chuck blows away all previous concepts of what it means to be an actor. Seriously I never felt as "inside" another character as I have for Chuck's character, Junior Detective Tiffany Neversmile.

Tiffany, as portrayed by Mr. Norris, is a high school teen-aged Goth girl with an interest in criminal justice and who is studying a Mail-Order course in circumcison in order to become the world's first Mail-order mohel, and a goil mohel at that .She gets involved in the typical teen-age diamond smuggling scenario, and through her partnership with Detective Inspector/Asst. Bowling Coach Shlomoe "The Tranny Granny" Running Bear, not only brings the smugglers to justice, but also triumphs over her own pain, depression and fashion shortcomings.

To make it easy for you, this film is a sort of synthesis of films like Mean Girls, The Hot Chick, Ghost World and Requiem for a Dream, with an added liberal dose of martial arts, transvestitism, Deth Metal and marionettes. The soundtrack and score are a wonderful collaboration between Faith Hill and Goblin.

But it's Norris' performance as high-school Goth girl Tiffany Neversmile that elevates this far above the level of the usual teen-age melodrama. His legs, skinny, bird-like and thankfully shaven, promote the illusion that Chuck Norris is a little girl. Chuck keeps the beard for the role and I think it only helps, since Norris as a woman possesses an unearthly beauty and the whiskers help to ground it. If you've ever wanted to see Chuck Norris in a vinyl Gothic mini-dress, this film is for you.

The Academy shouldn't just give Mr. Norris a retro-Oscar for his work in this movie; they should shave him, grind off his privates and cover him in gold plating.


5/5 This is One Great Movie
  by Raymond R. Holmes
This is the type of movie that makes you think about what is going on in the world. People are not always as they seem because many have secret pasts that can be quite deadly. Chuck Norris does a great job of dealing with the dangerous forces because he manages to get out of extremely tight situations that one would swear he couldn't get out of. Chuck Norris does a wonderful job of demonstarting loyalty to doing what is right regardless of what others are doing and never giving up even if the
odds are all against you.