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An Eye for an Eye

  • 1981
  • R
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
An Eye for an Eye (1981)
Sean Kane is forced to resign from the San Francisco Police Department's Narcotics Division when he goes berserk after his partner is murdered. He decides to fight alone and follows a trail of drug traffickers into unexpected high places.
Play trailer1:46
1 Video
25 Photos
ActionAdventureCrime

A SFPD undercover narcotics cop aims to avenge his partner's death and destroy a drug-smuggling ring operated by the Chinese Triads.A SFPD undercover narcotics cop aims to avenge his partner's death and destroy a drug-smuggling ring operated by the Chinese Triads.A SFPD undercover narcotics cop aims to avenge his partner's death and destroy a drug-smuggling ring operated by the Chinese Triads.

  • Director
    • Steve Carver
  • Writers
    • James Bruner
    • William Gray
  • Stars
    • Chuck Norris
    • Christopher Lee
    • Richard Roundtree
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    4.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Steve Carver
    • Writers
      • James Bruner
      • William Gray
    • Stars
      • Chuck Norris
      • Christopher Lee
      • Richard Roundtree
    • 46User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
    • 33Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:46
    Watch Trailer

    Photos25

    An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Chuck Norris and Maggie Cooper in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Maggie Cooper in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Rosalind Chao and Dorothy Dells in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Richard Roundtree in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Mako and Richard Roundtree in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Professor Toru Tanaka in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Chuck Norris in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Rosalind Chao, Chuck Norris, and Matt Clark in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Chuck Norris in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Chuck Norris in An Eye for an Eye (1981)
    Chuck Norris and Richard Roundtree in An Eye for an Eye (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Chuck Norris
    Chuck Norris
    • Sean Kane
    Christopher Lee
    Christopher Lee
    • Morgan Canfield
    Richard Roundtree
    Richard Roundtree
    • Capt. Stevens
    Matt Clark
    Matt Clark
    • Tom McCoy
    Mako
    Mako
    • James Chan
    Maggie Cooper
    • Heather Sullivan
    Rosalind Chao
    Rosalind Chao
    • Linda Chan
    Professor Toru Tanaka
    Professor Toru Tanaka
    • The Professor
    Stuart Pankin
    Stuart Pankin
    • Nicky LaBelle
    Terry Kiser
    Terry Kiser
    • Dave Pierce
    Mel Novak
    • Tony Montoya
    Dorothy Dells
    • Cab Driver
    Dov Gottesfeld
    • Doctor
    Rick Prieto
    • Stark
    Sam Hiona
    • Ambler
    J.E. Freeman
    J.E. Freeman
    • Tow Truck Dude
    Joe Bellan
    • Truck Driver
    Daniel Forrest
    • VW Driver
    • (as Daniel Forest)
    • Director
      • Steve Carver
    • Writers
      • James Bruner
      • William Gray
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The producers originally wanted to cast André René Roussimoff, more commonly known as Andre the Giant, in the role of The Professor (Professor Toru Tanaka) because they felt Tanaka wasn't tall enough. They were eventually convinced that Tanaka would be more believable, as well as cheaper, and with less scheduling conflicts, so they agreed to cast him. In order to overcome his height "disadvantage", they had him wear platform shoes to make him appear taller than his 5'11" frame.
    • Goofs
      During the Triad assault on James Chan's house, Sean Kane attacks a Triad terrorist who knocks an ornamental box off a desk as he falls. When Kane runs for the door, the box is back on the desk again.
    • Quotes

      James Chan: [knocking a bad guy out with a handy desk telephone] The warrior uses whatever is closest to hand.

    • Alternate versions
      Most European versions of the film omit the shower scene between Norris and Maggie Cooper and cut straight to the boat fight sequence.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Green Fog (2017)

    User reviews46

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Leave Your Brain At The Door Entertainment - Enjoy.
    Now, this film really takes me back to my youth, where you were a member of a video shop... or fifteen (I counted the cards I used to have)... and you would troll around them all to find a movie worth watching - at least it kept us fit.

    This is pretty much your basic '80's action flick. Where the good guy is out for revenge for the death of a lover, a family member, friend, or in this case a partner on the force. The plot, like this one, would usually revolve around drugs trafficking. Throw in a love interest and loads of exciting fights and you have the perfect mix. This was the start of the "Leave your brain at the door" movies. To be fair, it's nice to let enjoyment and excitement take you out of your daily routine. I know I need it at the moment.

    So in this story, you have Kane (Norris) and his partner, Dave (Kiser), heading to an undercover meet. However, it's a trap and Dave is killed, in quite a nasty way. From here on in Kane is out to solve the murder and get revenge for his dead partner. This leads him and Dave's girlfriend reporter, Linda (Chao) into a world of drug trafficking...

    So what makes this a film worth watching?

    Well there is Chuck Norris, who to be honest, isn't too bad in this film. He was just coming into being an actor in his own right at this time. These types of characters, like the films, were ten-a-penny and you were lucky if they made it to two-dimensional, let alone three. I have to believe that it's the likes of Christopher Lee (Canfield), Richard Roundtree (Captain Stevens), Matt Clark (McCoy), and even Mako (Chan) that elevated his acting up a notch or two for this movie. The rest of the cast are solid actors and carry the film and the much-used scenario easily.

    Next, there's the direction. Steve Carver does a really good job with the camera work. There are some really well-framed sections. I loved the part where Kane goes to visit his sensei and master Chan. He parks his beautiful red Mustang and gets out. This is all superbly framed in a long shot by an ornamental oriental fence. Even on the drive up to his masters home, he is followed by a helicopter. This is filmed smoothly; you have a side portrait of Norris driving and outside the passenger window you see the copter flying at his side. There's also a nice sequence where Kane runs from his house, down his pier to his private jetty, opens his speedboats enclosure, jumps in and speeds away. There is a lot in this film that Carver should be proud about. Even the slow motion sections of the fight scene's work. When a lot of martial arts opted to speed up the action, slowing it down works really well - especially when you have a master of the arts like Norris.

    Carver also sets a nice rollercoaster pace for the movie. He knows when to slow down to drive the plot and quicken it up to boost excitement and tension. A Lot of filmmakers could take a few notes from this film.

    The only thing in the film that irked me was the love interest, Maggie Cooper. This was mainly for Sullivan's wooden performance. In some scenes, she appears so laid back that she may have been sampling the product the bad guys were moving.

    If you like your martial arts flicks and are not too worried about plot, then I would recommend this one to you. It may not be intellectually brilliant but it is kick ass entertaining.
    helpful•5
    0
    • P3n-E-W1s3
    • Jan 24, 2018

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 14, 1981 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Der Gigant
    • Filming locations
      • 2417 Franklin Street, San Francisco, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Adams Apple Film Company
      • Major Studio Partners
      • South Street Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $3,800,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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