User Reviews

In the '80s Golan Globus made many action oriented movies that were entertaining and easy to enjoy. This one is another one of their movies that features Chuck Norris.

These guys sure had the formula down. They were the Asylum of those days, borrowing ideas from other A list movies and making a spoof. The quality of this one is one of the best out of all the movies they've made. There's plot, there's story, and there're the actors.

If not high on seriousness, the movie is high on entertainment value.

World really looked different in the '80s. Things were much more light hearted. I'm not sure if the world we live in today is better than it was back then.

Nice effort on the part of the producers, and the actors did just fine. One of the better Chuck Norris film from the '80s.

Fun and amusing comedy about a pair of down-and-out fortune hunters cash in on high adventure . As a duo of adventurers , Max Donigan (Chuck Norris) along with his friend Leo (Louis Gosset Jr) set off on a treasure hunt . Both of whom are hired by a gorgeous girl called Patricia (Melody Anderson of Flash Gordon , whose hair perfectly intact throughout) . The girl and mercenaries set out in search for a treasure she's imagined exists . Along the way the way , they kill Native Americans attempting to protect sacred Indian grounds . The trio confront risks , dangers and other obstacles until achieve their objective . All of them try to track down an ancient Aztec/Mayan/Egyptian/ Apache horde of gold as they end up in a Mayan temple of Doom besieged by Coyote (Sonny Landham) .

This is an average quality film plenty of adventures , brawls , fun scenes , a few bar fights , humor with tongue in cheek , fantasy and results to be amusing ; however , some moments being boring . Chuck Norris character is a blending between known Indiana Jones and his popular role as a tough , two-fisted man and fellow mercenary played Louis Gosset -not too distant Oscar winner for ¨An official and a gentleman¨- is very well . Both of them have great chemical as a duo of soldiers-of-wacky misfortune who take several dangers that are able to overcome with ease . In a hand , if you enjoy funny stories and have a soft spot for attractive characters and scenarios, you are in for a great one ; in other hand if you don't like Norris kicks , silly humor and bemusing situations , then this one will not be for you and get bored . Passable production , medium budget by Cannon films , Menahem Golan-Yoram Globus , and poorly realized . Producers left room for sequel but as a box office failure was never carried out . This is Aaron Norris' , Chuck Norris' brother, last film as a stunt coordinator , he began his career as a director with his next film, his brother's Braddock: Missing in action 3 (1988) . Anti-climatic musical score by Gary Chang , being composed by means of synthesizer . Atmospheric though dark cinematography by Alex Phillips filmed on location in Durango , Morelos, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico Torreón, Coahuíla, and Churubasco Distrito Federal , Mexico .

The fare was regularly directed by J. Lee Thomson . He previously had a nice track record in the English cinema from 1950 until 1961 , directing good Western ( McKenna's gold , White Buffalo) and all king genres as Sci-Fi (Conquest and Battle of planet of apes), terror (reincarnation of Peter Proud, Eye of the devil), adventures (Flame over India ,Kings of the sun, Taras Bulba , Tiger Bay) and Warlike ( Guns of Navarone, Von Braun , Chairman , The passage). His two biggest successes turn out to be ¨Guns of Navarone¨and ¨Cape Fear¨. Thereafter , the filmmaker's career subsided in a morass of slickly realized but middling films. He moved into the field of international spectaculars , at which point his filmmaking seemed to lose its individuality . J. Lee Thomson working from the 50s in England, finished his career making Chuck Norris (Firewalker) and Charles Bronson vehicles (Caboblanco, Evil that men do, Messenger of death, Death Wish 4 : Crackdown, Caboblanco, St Ives). Firewalker rating : Mediocre , but it will appeal to Chuck Norris fans .

Max Donigan and his partner Leo Porter are two soldiers of fortune. Leo is thinking of calling it quits, but when a young lady, Patricia comes by with a map and asks for their help of finding a lost treasure. They take up the task with adventurous results and must face El Coyote, a descendant of Indian priests.

What a team! Chuck Norris, Lou Gossett and Melody Anderson gave this buddy flick much-added spark with their cheerful banter and charismatic persona. "Firewalker" does go for that "Raiders of the Lost Ark" appeal, but only in small doses and in a very cheap foray. The comic book premise is outrageously silly and pure corn, but it's an eventful ride with spontaneous actions making it unpredictable and the mockery was a nice touch. It even walks a fine line between the supernatural / superstitious elements. There's not doubt it's quite childish, far-fetched and it might not be a successful blend, but director J Lee Thompson makes great use of the fiery performances, easy-going script (even though it will make you roll your eyes for most part) and stunning locations, which kept me involved. It took a while before Norris released those infamous skills he bestows, but when in the flow. Watch the damage occur! As Norris is on the job. Gossett chips in with nice array of wisecracks and the two formed a great, side-splitting and believable team. Anderson simply radiates in her quirky role. Sonny Landham makes one hammy villain with a hokey evil laugh. At best these are cartoonish characters with a lot of charm and a growing appeal.

It maybe wasn't as fun as I remembered it to be when I saw it ages ago, but it's a enjoyably lightweight and unpretentious romp with Norris kicking in with his slow motion jump kicks. Oh yeah!

...of running a Jeep into a huge water-hole in the middle of the desert?I don't know, but Chuck Norris did in this surprisingly funny flick. It seems people either like it or hate it. Granted, it's no classic, but it is funny (not hilarious) and the whole family can watch it together. It has some pretty good gags (like our two heroes dressed up in priestly frocks) and one liners ("You'll still be bald"). It's a good example of efficient 80's film making. Don't expect a bloated CGI filled Speilberg epic. Firewalker is just plain fun.

Chuck Norris and Lou Gossett, Jr. play a couple of soldiers of fortune who have lots of forced banter and get into wacky adventures. Look out fellas because blonde cutie Melody Anderson has a treasure map and is looking for partners. Cannon's entry into the adventure film boom of the '80s. But this is no Indiana Jones or Romancing the Stone, no matter how hard it tries to be both. Norris and Gossett give their best Hope & Crosby impersonation but it doesn't work. Gossett fares slightly better than Norris at the comedy but not by much. Both are embarrassing. Looking pretty is all Anderson brings to the table, though she certainly brings a lot of that. Cheap production values (it was Cannon so you knew that would be the case), lame dialogue, and derivative plot. Still, time has granted it a charm of sorts that many '80s films have. Nostalgia I guess. Love the cave painting that appears to have been done in crayons.

Can you believe that this film was made by J. Lee Thompson, the director who brought us all-time greats like Ice Cold In Alex, The Guns Of Navarone and the original Cape Fear? Here, Thompson gives us a Raiders Of The Lost Ark variation that is truly as awful as a film can be. "Firewalker" is supposed to be Chuck Norris's attempt to break out of the martial arts typecasting that he had been drawn into, but his efforts at comedy are lamentably wide of the mark. What's worse is the way that good actors like Lou Gossett Jr and John Rhys-Davies are dragged down to standards way below what is expected of them. Everything about this movie is terrible - the only Indy-offshoot I can think of that is worse is the unutterable Allan Quatermain And The Lost City Of Gold.

Ineffective soldiers of fortune Max Donigan (Norris) and Leo Porter (Lou Gossett Jr) are drowning their sorrows after yet another unsuccessful enterprise when they are approached by Patricia Goodwyn (Melody Anderson, from Flash Gordon). Patricia has a treasure map to an Aztec fortune and wants Max and Leo to help her get there. However, there are others who want the treasure too.... and to make matters worse, the treasure is supposedly guarded by the legendary Firewalker of the title.

Norris mugs away embarrassingly as the inept hero, giving the kind of performance that scores points for sheer unintentional hilarity. Gossett mugs too, which is disappointing considering that he had not long since gained an Oscar for An Officer And A Gentleman. Anderson - the third point of this wacky trio - has nothing to do but look cute, which she does with all the inexpressive woodenness of a kiddies' doll. There are continuity errors galore for those who enjoy spotting such things (for example, one eye-patch-wearing villain can't seem to decide for sure which eye he's blind in!), while the sets look so cheap and fake that one wonders if they were borrowed from a school theatre props department. Usually films of this type at least have stirring music or adequate bursts of action, but "Firewalker" can't even manage those - Gary Chang's score is utterly bland, and the action is either farcical or boringly predictable. "Firewalker" is an utter catastrophe: the absolute low point in the careers of everyone in front of and behind the cameras, and the kind of film that makes you wonder if being a movie fan is worth the effort.

"Firewalker" is more than a bit of a mess. Like most movies from the Cannon studio, it's not low budget enough to dip into Ed Wood land, but not well done enough to rise to a major studio production. The sets are cheap and the story is not much more than a vaguely connected series of scenes referencing better films--but I think the filmmakers were well aware of these and other shortcomings and set a self effacing, tongue in cheek tone from the start. Though as sloppy and slapdash as most of director J. Lee Thompson's other 80's efforts, "Firewalker" shows Thompson turning these attributes to his advantage and giving us a breezy, goofy, self-aware-yet-totally-clueless, low budget pop culture gem. I don't think anyone was under the impression that they were making the next "Raiders of the Lost Ark," they just wanted to give us some old fashioned fun. I mean, an Academy Award winner costarring with CHUCK NORRIS? How could it not be great in its own way? And while we're on the subject, this is one of the few films where you couldn't call Norris "Old Stone Face." In this film Chuck gives one of his liveliest, most natural performances ever--almost charming. Too bad he didn't work with Thompson more often.

Or "Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom" . Or "Indiana Jones and The Last crusade" . Or "Romancing the stone". Or "Jewel of the Nile" . I just gave you 5 better movies to watch instead of this piece of crap.

It's not that I was expecting a masterpiece. I would be happy with a decent adventure movie . I like Louis Gossett Jr. . I don't mind Chuck Norris. J. Lee Thompson is a director of famous "Cape fear" . It's not strange that I hoped for some quality. It was also a chance to see Norris outside of his standard type of action movie.

"Firewalker " is a cheap movie . Cheap humor , production values , uninteresting action and lame dialogues. I think that even the awful "Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of Crystal skull" was slightly better than this . Watch it only if you're a fanatic of adventure movies.

I give it 1/10.

No matter how bad a movie may be to most people someone is going to like it, and I like this one. Not the greatest film ever made by a long shot, for me it has a certain charm to it. I think Chuck Norris and Louis Gossett Jr both do great jobs and work well and complement each other. The story has them going after a bunch of gold. Along the way they run into many obstacles. This movie for me has a nice combination of action and humor, and it is definitely more fun if you don't take it too seriously. Despite the fact it is rated so low though I saw it is worth a look...but you may want to read the other reviews here first.

I personally love this movie. I think the interaction between Norris and Gossett is hilarious. Quite a few of the fight scenes are really funny, while still showing good action. One of the best things about this movie is that Chuck Norris isn't perfect in it. His character fights very well, {the karate sequences are excellent} but he can't hit the broad side of a barn with a gun, and isn't particularly bright.

For those that hadn't figured it out, this is intentional. I found the imperfect Chuck to be a delightful part of this movie. I thought it was a great spoof of the treasure hunter movies. and it's tongue in cheek approach was very refreshing.

Firewalker (1986) was one of my favorite movies as a kid that I recently rewatched on Tubi. The storyline follows a couple of treasure hunters who run into a female with a map and hopes of finding more gold than they could imagine. Despite being told their path is cursed they seek it out anyway. Their confidence, friendship and lives will be put at risk during a one of a kind adventure that could change their lives forever.

This movie is directed by J. Lee Thompson (Conquest of the Planet of the Apes) and stars Chuck Norris (The Octagon), Louis Gossett Jr. (Iron Eagle), Melody Anderson (Flash Gordon), John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings), Robert Wall (Enter the Dragon), Will Sampson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Branscombe Richmond (The Scorpion King) and Ian Abercrombie (Army of Darkness).

This movie always felt like an Indiana Jones knockoff that was a fun buddy picture. The dialogue in this was excellent and Norris and Gossett Jr. Had magnificent chemistry throughout the film. Every fight scene with Norris makes you smile and is wonderfully choreographed and every fight scene with Gossett Jr. Makes you laugh out loud. The circumstances are predictable but fun and the ending was more intense than you may expect.

Overall I will always feel this is an underrated 80s gem. I would score this a solid 7/10 and recommend seeing it once.

The special effects for this one are (what can I say?) missing, but the story-line is interesting, and the cast obviously had fun making this film.

The problem most viewers would have with this is that it's not a karate flick (sorry). No, this one is an adventure comedy. As for not being Abbott and Costello, nobody but the incomparable Bud Abbott and Lou Costello could be. What we have here are reluctant, but trusting, partners. This story revolves around a long-lost mythical treasure (Romancing the Stone?), guarded by a demigod with supernatural powers (Jewel of the Nile?).

Take the kids and have a good time.

I rented this film when an old buddy JD came in from Edmonton. This film is a poor mans version of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I gave it a five, would not watch it again. Its funny in spots, and I may watch it for 5 minutes on TV. This film is no Indy with the crack of his wip.

If Hope and Crosby had ever taken karate classes, the result MIGHT have been "Firewalker", except for one thing - it would have been a good movie.

Try as he might, Norris is about as successful at light comedy as I would be at karate. Gossett is far better as his constantly grumbling sidekick, but he won an Oscar, for crying out loud! What's he going in a Golan-Globus flick?!! And Melody Anderson is just about the death knell for any movie she's ever been in.

I'm sorry, there's a slight story here. Seems Anderson wants to find the treasure her father was looking for before he died, so she hires Norris and Gossett to help her find it. Of course a huge evil guy known as El Coyote (Landham) wants it, too, and he has some kind of magic powers to help him, and he wears an eyepatch and casts an evil spell once in a while and.... Yawned, sorry. And Rhys-Davies pops up (as he did in "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Coincidence?) as a comrade briefly.

There are a couple of fights here and there and some derring-do that doesn't look all that derring. And for those who care, Gossett pulls the same kind of trick here he did near the end of "Iron Eagle" (if you saw that film, you know what I'm talking about).

But this is supposed to be a comedy. Yeah, Chuck Norris in a comedy. This is about as funny as receiving one of Norris' roundhouse kicks to your jaw. Any comedy would be in trouble if, while you're watching it, you can think up ten better gags than the one you've already seen onscreen.

This one is in BIG trouble.

One star, since Gossett by himself is as close to humor as this mess gets. But play it safe: walk on by "Firewalker".

I sat all the way through this film waiting for it to get going. Lou Gossett Jr. and Chuck Norris gripe and bitch at one another like an old married couple all through the film. Melody Anderson had impossibly perfect hair. The music sounded like a cheap synthesizer.

On the up side, the photography was pretty. The color was vivid and the images were sharp and well-focused.

Chuck made a mistake when he signed on to this film.

This is probably one of the best Chuck Norris movies there is. He is actually funny in this movie, and it has some very interesting themes in it. The fight seen in the bar is very good. This is probably one of Chuck's last really good movies. Besides the average TopDog. Louis Gosset Jr. also does a great job in this movie. He adds to it in many ways. Without him it probably wouldn't be funny at all. My favorite seen would have to be the very first one when they are tied up in the desert and ol' chuck uses the glass bottle to cut them free. Mean while louis gosset jr. has scorpions crawling up his trousers, waiting for Chuck to get them untied so he can get them off of him. People say this was a ripoff of Indiana Jones...so what its still a good movie to watch. Plus they may be right! It does have John Rhyes-DAvis in it.

Directed by J. Lee Thompson. Starring Chuck Norris, Louis Gossett Jr., Melody Anderson, John Rhys-Davies, Will Sampson, Sonny Landham, Ian Abercrombie, Richard Lee-Sung, Álvaro Carcaño. (PG)

Director Thompson pretty much just made two kinds of films in the 80s: grim, low-grade thrillers starring Charles Bronson, and Golan-Globus "high adventure" films that poach from Indiana Jones and "Romancing the Stone." This one firmly falls in the latter category, a low-budget cliff-yawner about a couple of goofy soldier-of-fortune-types (Norris and Gossett Jr.), described as being brave but not bright, joining bland blonde Anderson in a search for Aztec gold based on a vision she had. An inauspicious, derivative production, to say the least--a jungle adventure comedy where the most sustained action sequence in the film is a bar fight. Norris gets to try out his comic chops (his karate chops are far less embarrassing); Gossett Jr. coasts and cashes a paycheck. Lots of bickering banter, no excitement or invention; a real waste. Note: there are as many scenes of people walking on fire in this movie as there are trolls in "Troll 2".

20/100

This is a pretty good exploitation flick, made by the Masters of the Genre over at Cannon. (Get the joke? Cannon made Masters of the Universe). It has a now middle-aged Chuck Norris cranking out another of his action films that he loved doing in the eighties. He departs from his other films by cutting back on the kicks and increasing the yucks. It invokes the occasional laugh, but mostly just makes me chuckle (sometimes unintentionally). On the whole I like this movie and hope to one day see it on DVD. The cast were all believable in their roles. Lou Gossett Jr. and Chuck Norris definitely have a real chemistry.

My rating two of four stars. God Bless!

... and that's really about it. This is listed as a "comedy-drama," but I have trouble seeing much of either comedy or drama in this one... it isn't funny and it isn't dramatic (no real tension). It is very lightly entertaining, but requires the thinking switch be set all the way off. The presence of cute Melody Anderson doesn't hurt, although they could have booted out Chuck Norris and Lou Gossett Jr. completely and just have given her all the screen time. You won't remember anything about the plot after the credits roll, and you really won't want to.

See it if it comes on cable, and you truly have absolutely nothing better to do... otherwise, I'd give this one a firm miss. 4/10.

I actually think this movie is Norris's best effort to date. I enjoyed it. The interplay between him and Gossett was good stuff and it didn't have much of the martial arts nonsense I hate so much. I give it a 9 out of 10. I liked the story and to me, Chuck was funny. He's a far better actor than Seagal, but then, who isn't? It's kind of a pity Chuck didn't continue along the lines of this movie and went in other directions. None of which, in my opinion, were as entertaining. As a rule, I never watch any movies made by Martial arts people turned "actors" but I made an exception for this one and was pleasantly surprised. Not a classic by any means, but worth watching.

Chuck Norris and Louis Gossett, Jr. Play Max Donigan and Leo Porter, two bumbling adventurers (described in press material as "soldiers of wacky misfortune") hired by the lovely but kooky Patricia Goodwin (Melody Anderson of "Flash Gordon" fame) to venture into Mexico in search of a major cache of gold. Naturally, they run into danger almost all the time, but usually find a way out of it; pursuing them will be a scary, eyepatch-wearing Indian known as "The Coyote" (Sonny Landham of "Predator").

At the time, this was at the least a respectful attempt by Norris to do something different. Although a positively goofy movie (that sometimes plays rather flat), it's hard to truly dislike. It is fun seeing Norris try his hand at comedy, in a story that is a combination of humour, adventure, travelogue, and Indian mysticism. What makes the difference is the ever-reliable Gossett, who's very good as a "straight man" who helps to bring out the best in his co-star. Anderson is appealing as the gal who gets the plot rolling; solid co-stars include Will Sampson ("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest") as a wise old Indian / exposition provider, John Rhys-Davies ("Raiders of the Lost Ark") as a jovial former comrade of Max who's built his own little empire in the wilderness, and Ian Abercrombie ("Army of Darkness") as a money-hungry barfly who provides information.

The movie gets off to a really, amusingly dumb start as Max and Leo, on the run from bad guys, manage to find the one body of water in a desert - into which they crash their vehicle. The scene sets up this supposed nemesis of theirs (Richard Lee-Sung, "Armed Response") whose role never amounts to much. One hilarious highlight has Max, Leo, and Patricia masquerade as two priests and a nun, who bungle their way through trying to give a wounded person the last rites.

Excellent on-location shooting in Mexico and a decent score by Gary Chang help to make this mildly enjoyable overall. Of course, this being a Chuck Norris movie, it wouldn't be complete without at least one major scene of him using his famed martial arts skills.

Six out of 10.

Heck, Abbott & Costello they ain't. Norris and a very desperate Gossett have nothing in common, as their characters slouch along, bitching incessantly at each other. They've been hired by a dim-witted woman on the trail of some mythical treasure that's Aztec...or Mayan...or Apache...or Egyptian (really!) somewhere in Mexico...or Central America...or South America (it's hard to tell). Light humor is not Norris' forte, but even his martial arts sequences are few and far between here. They're remarkably inept at almost everything., and seem to win out due to sheer perseverance and an in with the screenwriter. A vague, incomprehensible mess.