| Chuck Norris vs Communism | |
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| Directed by | Ilinca Călugăreanu |
| Written by | Ilinca Călugăreanu |
| Produced by | Mara Adina |
| Cinematography | Jose Ruiz |
| Edited by | Ilinca Calugareanu Per K. Kirkegaard |
| Music by | Rob Manning Anne Nikitin |
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Running time | 78 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom Romania Germany |
| Language | Romanian |
Chuck Norris vs Communism is a 2015Romanian–Britishdocumentary film written and directed by Ilinca Călugăreanu.
The film is about the illegal importation of American action and religious films onVHS cassettes toRomania in the late 1970s and 1980s, which Călugăreanu believes contributed to the fall of theNicolae Ceaușescu'sCommunist dictatorship. The film recreates incidents and features interviews with Romanians, such as film dubberIrina Margareta Nistor.
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,100% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.3/10.[1] InThe Guardian,Jordan Hoffman gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Calugareanu’s film mixes talking head interviews from people reminiscing (Irina would never swear; f-bombs were replaced with “Get lost!”) with some crafty reenactments. These well-directed scenes suggest that there is a great narrative film yet to be made about life in Romania during the 80s, one that perhaps touches on families in apartment blocks that held illegal screenings, either for money or to rouse the populace toward reform. While I’m sure the dissemination of black market tapes truly did have huge social repercussions, there’s a surprising “so what?” effect after the 15th recollection of what it was like to watchRambo. For an action star likeChuck Norris, I suspect he may have a thing or two to say about having his name attached to a film that’s this dull."[2]
David D'Arcy wrote forScreen Daily: "This documentary ode to wish fulfillment revisits the dark days of the dictatorship of Nikolae Ceausescu, yet its warmhearted glimpse into an improbable realm of resistance takes it out of boilerplate Romanian pessimism."[3]
InVariety,Scott Foundas wrote: "Bolstered by an irresistible title and stylish, re-enactment-heavy direction from first-timer Calugareanu, this breezily entertaining bonbon can expect ample fest and niche theatrical exposure, plus brisk international TV sales."[4]
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