This Chuck Norris vehicle was a little different for its time, taking inspiration not only from the slasher films of the time but classic Dr. Frankenstein type stories.
So one could say this is part suspense, part sci-fi, and part horror as Norris plays a low key sheriff of a small Texas town. His nemesis this time is a man named John Kirby (Brian Libby), a disturbed sort who'd gone on a rampage and then been gunned down. However, interfering doctors decide to test their experimental rejuvenating serum on the guy, and turn him into a virtually indestructible monster.
Aside from one scene where Norris humiliates a gang of bikers, this doesn't play out like your usual Norris story, and as mentioned goes for scares more than it does action. Director Michael Miller, who'd previously done the cult classic "Jackson County Jail", handles the material with skill, and manages to create some honest-to-God tension, relying on the music score (composed by Peter Bernstein and Mark Goldenberg) as little as possible. There's one sequence at about the halfway point that will automatically have the viewer thinking of "Halloween", and Libby is genuinely creepy as the killer, having little in the way of dialogue. He's introduced in a striking opening sequence in which the sense of chaos and prowling camera greatly assist in the the mood and the sense of a mind deteriorating.
An interesting supporting cast certainly helps, although Toni Kalem is an unfortunately nondescript leading lady and the supposed comedy relief intended by the casting of Stephen Furst as Norris' deputy doesn't really work too well. Ron Silver is also stuck in a grating role as a one-note "voice of reason" type of guy, but excellent character players Steven Keats and William Finley are amusing to watch as the scientists doing things just as much for their own egos & gratification as any desire to help mankind.
"Silent Rage" is a good deal of fun and gets a lot out of its rural setting. The climactic fight is especially noteworthy the way it takes place without a music score to help drive it along. The movie may not appeal to Norris fans across the board, with its lack of emphasis on his fighting skills, but if they're looking for something a little off the beaten path, it does have its rewards.
Trivia note: none other than Katey Sagal sings the movies' love song.
Seven out of 10.
