Silent Rage

Directed by Michael Miller, Silent Rage follows lawman Dan Stevens (Chuck Norris) as he sets out to stop a mentally-ill man (Brian Libby’s John Kirby) that’s been given superhuman healing abilities by shady scientists. It’s a seemingly foolproof premise that’s employed to periodically watchable yet mostly disappointing effect by Miller, as the filmmaker, armed with Joseph Fraley’s screenplay, delivers a sluggish and uninvolving endeavor that ultimately squanders its terrific setup and impressively engrossing opening stretch – with the picture progressing into a meandering midsection that’s been packed with far-from-enthralling, palpably needless digressions and subplots. (There is, for example, a continuing emphasis on Dan’s less-than-convincing relationship with Toni Kalem’s Alison.) And although the movie admittedly does possess a small handful of engaging sequences, including Dan’s run-in with dozens of motorocycle thugs at a local bar, Silent Rage’s curious refusal to embrace its slasher-like setup paves the way for a second half that’s lacking in the bloody violence one might’ve anticipated – with the climactic showdown between Norris and Libby’s respective figures, as a result, hardly able to pack the visceral punch Miller’s surely intended. The end result is a lackluster misfire that works as neither a typical Norris vehicle nor as an over-the-top horror film, which is a shame, certainly, given that the movie begins with an almost insane amount of potential.

** out of ****