15 Mindless Action Films You Must See Before You Die

2. Invasion USA (1985)

With Commie paranoia at its 80s peak, Proud Republican Chuck Norris attempted to convince viewers how weak America had become militarily by portraying her invasion by a brilliant-but-evil foreign power – and the results are hilarious.

A cautionary tale of what happens when whiney liberals don’t let Chuck kill people, Invasion USA asks us to believe that when a few dozen Commies arrive in Miami, they’ll bring America to its knees by blowing up malls, churches and school buses. Only Chuck, in his American-made pick-up truck (the bad guys drive Nissans - hiss!), can sabotage their plans.

With its lone wolf (McQuade) hero single-handedly conquering armies of disfigured, repellent creeps with nothing but gung-ho patriotism, Invasion USA isn’t so much a precursor to the humourless, downbeat 24 as a natural heir to The Green Berets’ right-wing wish fulfilment. Possessing not a shred of Jack Bauer’s self-doubt or regret, Chuck’s black-and-white worldview is basically John Wayne’s, only without the salute to the armed forces.