was to have started in Saint Kitts in January 1984, but the films ended up being shot in the Philippines. According to Norris: "I'm not quite as anti-government as Rambo is. When the helicopter comes to rescue Rambo and the American MIA (missing in action), and then leaves them stranded, I found that unrealistic. There is not an American pilot alive who would leave them there. They'd have to shoot me to stop me from picking them up, because I'd be dead inside if I didn't". Reception Box office The film was popular at the box office, one of the most successful ever made by Cannon. It made $6 million in its first weekend and earned over $10 million in rentals in the US. It resulted in a profit to Cannon of $6.5 million on the basis of its US release alone. By 1985 it earned $26 million. Critical response Norris said: "One of the biggest thrills of my life came when I went to a theatre to see Missing in Action, and all the people stood up and applauded at the end. That's when my character brings some POWs he's just rescued to a conference in Saigon, where the politicians are saying there aren't any more prisoners of war". Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that it's possible from watching the film "to come away with the misimpression that Mr. Norris has not said a word. He does talk, of course, but his real eloquence is exclusively physical. There's not quite enough of it to explain why someone of Mr. Norris's taciturn manner and unprepossessing blond looks has managed to become an international B-movie star. But there is enough to carry a simple, bullet-riddled, crowd-pleasing action movie like this one". Variety noted: "With the Philippines filling in for Vietnam jungles, with Norris kicking and firing away, with a likable sidekick in the black marketeering figure of M. Emmet Walsh, and with a touch of nudity in sordid Bangkok bars; writer James Bruner and director Joseph Zito have marshalled a formula pic with a particularly jingoistic slant; the Commies in Vietnam still deserve the smack of the bullet". Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Missing in Action (citywide) is so shrewdly tailored to Norris' stoic persona and physical skills that it's one of his best films to date ... The only problem is its lack of