The 10 Most Badass Vietnam Vets You’ve Never Heard Of

In 1982, First Blood set off a chain reaction of “Namsploitation” films about Vietnam veterans thrust into danger yet again. The film proved that, in the 1980s, no badass was complete without a tour of duty in Nam on his resume. Now everybody knows who Rambo is but this list is dedicated to the lesser-known, direct-to-video heroes. Some are genuinely cool – most are unintentionally hilarious – but all are certifiably badass.

10. Scott Monroe & Billy Thomas, Cage (1989)

In Nam, Billy (Lou Ferrigno) saved the life of his buddy Scott (Reb Brown) but was shot in the head doing so. The brain damage essentially turned Billy into a very large man-child. Now Scott takes care of him, like a testosterone-fueled rendition of Of Mice and Men. The two friends open a bar together after the war but are harassed by local thugs. Billy is tricked into underground cage fighting, so naturally Scott has to save him…by cage fighting. Here is a clip of Billy and Scott kicking ass and taking names when some punk Mexicans (played by Native Americans) make trouble in the bar.

9. John Steele, Steele Justice (1987)

Karate Kid baddie Martin Kove plays John Steele, a traumatized Vietnam veteran who is struggling to adjust to post-war life. When his friend is murdered by a powerful drug lord, John is forced back into action, waging a personal war against the Vietnamese mafia. He does less leg-sweeping and more skull-crushing as he delivers his own brand of justice – Steele justice! Never mind that pink sweater tied around his shoulders, this guy is hardcore! As Ronny Cox puts it, “He isn’t being recruited – he’s being unleashed.”

8. Cage, Ragin’ Cajun (1991)

Cajun (“Cage” for short) is a kickboxer and a war vet, though he spends most of the film breaking into song or crying – or both. He gives up kickboxing to pursue his dream of being an entertainer until he is forced into an illegal match when his girlfriend is kidnapped by a mobster. There are a few fight scenes crammed in between the melodramatic Nam flashbacks, the tone-deaf musical numbers, and Cage’s sporadic weeping. Okay, so he is not the biggest badass on the list but who else can deliver a rising knee strike to the face and then write and perform a song called “I Slipped on My Best Friend (And Fell in Love)”?

7. The Mercenary Fighters, Mercenary Fighters (1988)

Peter Fonda leads a team of Nam soldiers-turned-mercenaries who are hired to quell a tribal protest in Africa. They soon realize they have been double-crossed and turn the tables on the corrupt government who hired them. If this sounds an awful lot like The A-Team, it’s probably no coincidence. Joining Peter Fonda in the beat-down is Reb Brown, who appears multiple times on this list. Check out 1:05 below to see Reb doing what he does best.

6. Jack Stryker & Co., Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except (1987)

Jack Stryker and his men are the survivors of an ambush in Vietnam, after which they are sent home to their families. Stryker returns home only to find his loved ones have been attacked, so he gathers up his Army buddies and wages war on those responsible – a murderous cult who has been killing people for blood sacrifices. The leader of the cult is a Charles Manson-like figure played by Sam Raimi (yes, that Sam Raimi). Much carnage ensues, as does a hilariously ironic pro-war message, as these Nam vets mow down a bunch of dirty hippies.

5. Brian O’Reilly, American Force 2: The Untouchable Glory (1988)

The narrator of the first clip below sums him up best: “Brian O’Reilly is a highly decorated Vietnam veteran. After the war, he became a member of the elite American Force. His skills in guerilla warfare and martial arts are unsurpassed.” O’Reilly and his trusted friend, The White Tiger (yep, that’s his name) team up to fight an evil Russian general who is building a missile base in Indonesia. O’Reilly’s “unsurpassed” skills primarily involve running and leaping like a gazelle but don’t judge a book by its cover! He is also quick with the one-liners, as evidenced by clip #2.

4. Alexander Puckett, Kill Crazy (1990)

David Heavener, who also played Cage in Ragin’ Cajun, portrays a Vietnam veteran captured and forced to take part in a deadly game where soldiers are hunted for sport. Yes, it’s that same human-hunting format we saw many times before this (Turkey Shoot, Running Man, Death Race 2000) and many times since (Battle Royale, Hard Target). Of five veterans captured for the hunt, only Alexander Puckett survives. He turns the tables on his hunters, becoming “a machine of revenge.” As the trailer so aptly puts it, “For him, Vietnam was only practice.”

3. Bronson, Street Trash (1987)

Bronson is the first and only villain on this list. Not to be confused with the mustached movie star or the infamous British criminal, this Bronson is an insane, homeless Vietnam vet who terrifies all the other hobos in Street Trash. He terrorizes civilians and hangs out at the junkyard with his disgusting hobo girlfriend. The war is not far behind, though, as he yells “Air support!” at passing airplanes and has flashbacks about Vietnamese vampires. So why is he badass? Well, Bronson kicks the ass of the only character in this movie more frightening than him and then urinates on his body. Oh, and the beard – the beard is badass.

2. Ransom, Strike Commando (1987)

Here is Reb Brown once again doing what he does best – screaming and kicking ass! Ransom is a grenade-chucking, kidney-stabbing, slow-motion running, head-butting badass! The amount of screaming and gunfire in the movie trailer alone is enough to fill 100 action films. This is where I would typically explain the plot, but does it really matter? See clip #1 below for the trailer, but beware, the sheer awesomeness of it might melt your face off. Stay until the very end for a symphony of explosions and a signature one-liner from Reb. Clip #2 proves that Ransom is not all blood and bullets as he explains Disneyland to a dying Vietnamese child.

1. Mike Danton, Deadly Prey (1987)

In this schlock classic, Mike Danton is kidnapped by a militia who use civilians as human targets to train their soldiers. As it turns out, the militia is led by the very man who trained Danton. Little do they know, Danton is a hardened Nam vet and an all-around badass. He can literally kill a man with a stick or break his back on a tree trunk, and he does it all in nothing but denim cut-offs and a mullet. He is not afraid to backhand a woman or randomly scalp somebody. Like the trailer says, “He was the best in Vietnam…he still is.”