Invasion U.S.A. – Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1985
Director: Joseph Zito
Writers: James Bruner, Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris
Cast: Chuck Norris, Richard Lynch, Melissa Prophet, Alexander Zale, Alex Colon, Eddie Jones, Jon DeVries, James O'Sullivan, Billy Drago, Jaime Sánchez, Dehl Berti

Release Date: May 28th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 107 Minutes 36 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $44.98

"Matt Hunter thought he had put his fighting days behind him when he retired from the C.I.A., preferring to live in the serene solitude of the Florida Everglades. But when notorious Soviet terrorist Mikhail Rostov decides to exact revenge against Matt, this one-man-army has no choice but to dust off his martial arts skills and face off, Uzis in hand, against his deadliest enemy. However, as Matt tries to remain one step ahead, the insidiously evil Rostov begins deploying bands of guerrilla fighters across the state to terrorize innocent civilians and force Matt out into the open and compel him to face off for one final, bloody showdown.." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative."

Invasion U.S.A. comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.2 GB

Feature: 60.9 GB

The new restoration looks excellent; it easily beats the Shout! Factories Blu-ray release. Flesh tones and colors look correct; image clarity, contrast, black levels, compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Invasion U.S.A. comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 31.5 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. Both audio tracks are in excellent shape; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. There are a lot of gunshots and explosions, and range-wise, both audio tracks sound great. Also, when compared to Shout! Factory’s Blu-ray release, the DTS-HD 5.1 audio track sounds more dynamic. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an archival audio commentary with director Joseph Zito and Michael Felsher, an audio commentary with Joseph Zito, and an audio commentary with Austin Trunick, author of The Cannon Film Guide.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a TV spot 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter James Bruner titled Loose Cannons (29 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette on the make-up effects of Invasion U.S.A. titled Cannon Carnage (17 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor James Pax titled Do You Like Talking? (7 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Melissa Prophet titled It's in the Eyes (14 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Jay Chattaway tilted Heroic Moments (16 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with editor Dan Loewenthal titled The Stories We're Telling (22 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with James Bruner titled Writing the Real Thing (23 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Joseph Zito titled Operation Invasion U.S.A. (31 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Joseph Zito and Michael Felsher, an audio commentary with Joseph Zito, and an audio commentary with Austin Trunick.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a spot gloss slipcover limited to 8,000 units, and a 26-page booklet with an essay titled Cannon Invades the U.S.A. written by Austin Trunick.

Summary:

Directed by Joseph Zito whose other notable films are The Prowler, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, and Missing in Action.

A retired CIA agent is a one-man army against guerrilla fighters who have launched a series of terrorist attacks.

Two names that are synonymous with 1980s action cinema are Chuck Norris and Cannon Films. Chuck Norris would work with Cannon Films ten times, notably on Invasion U.S.A., the Missing in Action films, and a pair of Delta Force films. The 1980s were a time when bombastic action films, which often defied logic, ruled cinema, and Chuck Norris was one of the actors who greatly benefited from these films.

Though Invasion U.S.A. was made during an era when the Cold War was in its final stages, It was not the first invasion film to feature Soviets as the villains; Red Dawn exploited this premise a year before. Despite both films featuring attacks on U.S. soil, the end result is a stark contrast between them. Where Red Dawn takes on a serious tone, what unfolds in Invasion U.S.A. borders on cartoonish violence. 

The terrorist invaders have two goals: to eliminate retired CIA agent Matt Hunter and cause chaos by turning the citizens against government institutions. Standing in their way is Matt Hunter, a man who works alone; he’s a killing machine who has a history with terrorist leader Mikhail Rostov.

The main attraction is Chuck Norris in the role of Matt Hunter, who gets a fantastic introduction where he is subduing an alligator. And when he’s not wrestling alligators, Chuck Norris is wielding two Uzis or breaking skulls. Though this character, like most characters that Chuck Norris portrays, is one-dimensional, he does get a few hilarious one-liners.

Every hero needs a villain, and Invasion U.S.A. has a formidable foe for Matt Hunter. Richard Lynch (God Told Me To) in the role of Mikhail Rostov delivers a menacing, scene-stealing performance. Also, the two lead performances perfectly complement each other.

That said, you don’t watch a film like Invasion U.S.A. for its performances. It has an absurd plot, a ridiculously high body count, and an abundance of over-the-top action set pieces. Fortunately, all of these elements work in Invasion U.S. A favor and a briskly paced narrative ensure there is never a dull moment. Ultimately, Invasion U.S.A. is a highly entertaining film that has all of 1980s action cinema’s excesses on full display.

Invasion U.S.A. gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer