Missing in Action



In the decade of action films, the Missing In Action series is a trilogy of action films (one a prequel and the other a sequel) starring Chuck Norris playing the role of Colonel James Braddock, a Vietnam vet.

Not to be confused with Never Found the Body, the actual missing-in-action trope.

These films provide examples of:

 * And This Is For: Happens at the end of MIA 2 in which Braddock puts the beatdown on Colonel Yin for killing Lester (with a slight neck snap) and Frankie (belly punch and grabbing his stomach). And finally finishes him off by detonating a bomb in the cabin, blowing him up. "And this is for me."
 * California Doubling: Vietnam was played by the Philippines in the first (which was actually the second - see Sequel First) and third films, and by Mexico and the Caribbean (specifically St. Kitt's) for the second/first.
 * Dynamic Entry: Braddock does a magnificent case in one of the films, as he flies down from a tree.
 * Fan Service With a Smile: Braddock hooks up with an old army buddy in Thailand, leading to plenty of gratuituous fanservice involving totally naked bar girls. One notable scene has Braddock talking to a bartender; as he walks offscreen a beautiful naked Thai girl is placed on the bar for no apparent reason (security for a bar tab?).
 * Sequel First: Missing In Action 2: The Beginning was actually made (under the title Battlerage) before Missing In Action, but Cannon decided the latter was a case of an Even Better Sequel and released that first. This is why the writing credits for the first film, in perhaps the ultimate case of They Just Didn't Care, have a "Based on characters created by..." credit.
 * Series Continuity Error: Braddock managed to witness the fall of Saigon while being imprisoned.
 * Shell-Shocked Veteran
 * The Vietnam War