Good Guys Wear Black (1978)

Director:

Ted Post

Writers:

Bruce Cohn (screenplay) and
Mark Medoff (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

June 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

Chuck Norris is John T. Booker and Booker is fighting back.

Plot:

An ex-US Army commando must find the reason why his comrades from his unit are being systematically murdered before he is next.

Plot Keywords:

Commando | Vietnam | Snowmobile | Limousine | CIA

Cast

Chuck Norris	...	John T. Booker
Anne Archer	...	Margaret
James Franciscus	...	Conrad Morgan
Lloyd Haynes	...	Murray Saunders
Dana Andrews	...	Edgar Harolds
Jim Backus	...	Doorman
Lawrence P. Casey	...	Mike Potter - The Black Tigers (as Larry Casey)
Anthony Mannino	...	Gordie Jones - The Black Tigers (as Tony Mannino)
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Mjr. Mhin Van Thieu - The Black Tigers
Joe Bennett	...	Lou Goldberg - The Black Tigers
Jerry Douglas	...	Joe Walker - The Black Tigers
Stack Pierce	...	Holly Washington - The Black Tigers
Michael Payne	...	Mitch - The Black Tigers
David Starwalt	...	Steagle - The Black Tigers
Aaron Norris	...	Al - The Black Tigers

Also Known As:

Black Fighter (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba)

Filming Locations:

Squaw Valley, California, USA

Company:

Action 1

Trivia:

Lloyd Haynes' final feature film.

Quotes:

Margaret: You're the professor, professor.

Movie Connections:

Edited into How American Cinema Changed Hollywood Forever (2003) (V)

There's only one way to deal with people like you... Expediently!

**There are Spoilers** One of Chuck Norris' earlier works that has him play Maj. John T. Booker the leader of the secret CIA assassin/guerrilla unit named "The Black Tigers" who were used by this unscrupulous and power-hungry US diplomat Canrad Morgan, James Franciscus, as a bargaining chip in the 1973 Paris Peace Talks to end the Vietnam War.

Trying to smooth or grease both sides, the US and North Vietnamese, US diplomat Conrad Morgan made a deal with his Communist counterpart Quang Yang to have the Black Tigers sent into Communist-held South Vietnam on a suicide mission with them, the Black Tigers, thinking that their being sent to rescue a bunch of American POW's or MIA's. The Black Tigers led by Booker get pinned down by VC small arms fire and realizing that their mission is about to end, with all of them dead or captured, they make their way back to the designated spot in the jungle where their supposed to be pick up by US Army helicopters; only to find out they've been abandoned by their own higher up, like Conrad Morgan.

It's now five years later and Booker now a collage History Professor ,and part-time test car driver, meet's in his class Margaret, Anne Archer, who seems to know lot about his activities in Vietnam and the men that he commanded there The Black Tigers. Margaret also seems to know that "The Tigers" are being killed off to keep what they were doing in "Nam", being part of the covert Operation Phoenix, from getting out to the Amerian public.

A bit too long and somewhat lame action movie with Chuck Norris doing his best in trying to act seriously but not being that convincing. Booker teams up with Margaret in finding the remaining Black Tiger members before they end up getting killed off by a secret CIA hit-team lead, or controlled, by Conrad Morgan. It turns out that Booker can't prevent the killing of his fellow Black Tigers and even Margaret ends up getting blown out of the sky by a bomb placed in her passenger plane taking off from Squaw Valley.

Booker getting to the bottom of what's behind the killings which turns out to be that Morgan is about to be confirmed Secretary of State. Morgan in order to get confirmed want's all his dirty little secrets kept under wraps. Like the selling out the American MIA's, and their failed rescuers the Black Tigers, to the Communist in order to get them to sign a peace treaty in Paris back in January 1973.

Covering all the bases Morgan has the retired top US diplomat at the 1973 Paris Peace talks Edger Harolds, Dana Andrews,locked away in the Bethesda Navel Hospital psychiatric ward to discredit him. Horolds had written a letter to Booker and his friend and contact at the CIA Murray Saunders,Llyod Haynes, confirming Morgan's betrayal.

With everything cleared for his conformation as the third most powerful man in the United States government Morgan looks like he'll be rewarded and get away with the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of American soldiers but Booker has other ideas. In the end Morgan doesn't make it to Washingtn D.C to get sworn in as secretary of state. He's given a long ride off a short pier out at Chesapeake Bay where he's never to be seen or heard from again; courtesy of his new and unexpected limo driver John T. Booker.