Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Graphic
- visceral
- patriotic
- sentimental
- 1980s action marathon
- chuck norris night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film competently made but primitive, overly vicious, sentimental, and historically irresponsible, while acknowledging its modest entertainment value.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The POW escape and revenge saga imagines an American triumph within the Vietnam War, explicitly contrasting fictional victory with the war's real-world outcome.
Colonel Braddock and fellow American POWs endure a brutal Vietnamese prison camp under Colonel Yin.
Chuck Norris's Colonel James Braddock plans and executes an escape despite captivity, hostile guards, and limited support.
The film foregrounds martial-arts combat, gunplay, explosions, and prison-camp action in a heightened 1980s style.
Films like Missing in Action 2: The Beginning, and why
Rambo: First Blood Part II
shared 1980s jungle action, prisoner-of-war escape premise, patriotic revenge fantasy, and muscular solo-hero performance
Missing in Action
shared Vietnam War setting, POW rescue themes, explosive action, and revisionist American victory fantasy
Uncommon Valor
shared captivity, military rescue mission, harsh jungle combat, and heightened patriotic action tone
The Delta Force
shared martial-arts-inflected combat, prison-camp brutality, and revenge-driven action filmmaking
Movie Details
- Director
- Lance Hool
- Release Date
- 1985-03-01
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (349)
Cast
- Chuck Norris
- Soon-Tek Oh
- Steven Williams
- John Wesley
- Professor Toru Tanaka
- John Otrin
- Christopher Cary
- Joseph Hieu
- Dean Raphael Ferrandini
- Mischa Hausserman
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Missing in Action 2: The Beginning about?
- A captured Vietnam veteran turns brutal imprisonment into a relentless, patriotic escape-and-revenge mission.
- What is Missing in Action 2: The Beginning like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Missing in Action 2: The Beginning as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Missing in Action 2: The Beginning violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Missing in Action 2: The Beginning as graphic.
- What did critics think of Missing in Action 2: The Beginning?
- Critics generally found the film competently made but primitive, overly vicious, sentimental, and historically irresponsible, while acknowledging its modest entertainment value.
- Which films are like Missing in Action 2: The Beginning?
- Films with a similar feel include Rambo: First Blood Part II, Missing in Action, Uncommon Valor, and The Delta Force.
- How long is Missing in Action 2: The Beginning?
- Missing in Action 2: The Beginning runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Missing in Action 2: The Beginning?
- In United States, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
