as Masucci Pierrino Mascarino as Jacques Joseph Carberry as Carter Avi Kleinberger as Dalton Willie Williams as Randall Bella Flores as Madame Pearl Augusto Victa as General Yung Jean-Claude Van Damme as An Extra Soldier (uncredited) Production Development The name of Braddock was inspired by The Graduate character, Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman. The producers' idea was to create a Vietnam War hero with the name of a lazy Californian student. The concept for the film originated from a treatment, written by James Cameron in 1983, for the film Rambo: First Blood Part II that was floating around Hollywood at the time. This explains the similar plotlines between Rambo franchise and the Missing in Action film series. Representatives from Cannon Group said Cameron's script served as inspiration to the film and subsequently produced and released the first two Missing in Action films two months before the release of Rambo: First Blood Part II, in order to avoid copyright violation lawsuits. Norris says he was approached to make the film by Lance Hool, who had a script about American POWs in Vietnam. Norris was enthusiastic as he wanted to pay tribute to his brother Wieland. Vietnam films were not popular at the time however and Norris and Hool received numerous rejections. Norris said he tried "to instill a positive attitude" about the Vietnam War by making the film, but also said that Vietnam was a tragic mistake. He commented on own political direction: "I am a conservative, a real flag waver, a big Ronald Reagan fan. I'm not so much a Republican or Democrat; I go more for the man himself. Ronald Reagan says what he thinks, he's not afraid to speak his mind, even if he may be unpopular. I want a strong leader and he is a strong leader. And ever since he has been in office there has been a more positive, patriotic feeling in this country". Hool and Norris took the project to Cannon Films, who liked the project. They already had a script in development about the rescue of American POWS in Vietnam, and signed Norris to make both films. The first, Missing in Action, would be about Braddock's rescue of POWS. The second, Missing in Action 2, would be a prequel about Braddock's years as a POW. The two films were shot back-to-back. Joseph Zito directed the first, and Hool the second. Filming Filming