Good Guys Wear Black
Good Guys Wear Black is a 1978 American martial arts action film starring Chuck Norris and directed by Ted Post. This was the second film to feature Norris as the star, following Breaker! Breaker! (1977). However, this is the one that Norris considers his "breakthrough".
| Good Guys Wear Black | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ted Post |
| Screenplay by | Bruce Cohn Mark Medoff |
| Story by | Joseph Fraley |
| Produced by | Allan F. Bodoh |
| Starring | Chuck Norris Anne Archer Lloyd Haynes Dana Andrews Jim Backus James Franciscus |
| Cinematography | Robert Steadman |
| Edited by | Millie Moore William Moore |
| Music by | Craig Safan |
Production companies | Action One Film Partners, LTD Mar Vista Productions Western Film Productions |
| Distributed by | American Cinema Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
| Box office | $18.3 million (United States) |
Following years of kung fu film imports from Hong Kong action cinema during the 1970s, most notably Bruce Lee films followed by Bruceploitation flicks, Good Guys Wear Black launched Chuck Norris as the first successful homegrown American martial arts star, having previously been best known for his film debut as a villain in Bruce Lee's Way of the Dragon (1972). Good Guys Wear Black distinguished itself from earlier martial arts films with its distinctly American setting, characters, themes, and politics, a formula which Norris continued with the similarly successful Force of One (1979). The film featured a first screen appearance by Norris' brother Aaron Norris and the final appearance of Lloyd Haynes.