Bullet Points: Logan’s War: Bound by Honor
CBS was originally known as the Columbia Broadcasting System. But, as hot as Walker, Texas Ranger was for the network during its 9 season run, they really should have considered changing the name to the Chuck Broadcasting System.
The success of Walker did give the Norris Brothers more opportunities with CBS, like Logan’s War: Bound by Honor, a made-for-television movie starring Chuck Norris and based on a story by Chuck and Aaron Norris. Chuck and Aaron also executive produced the movie under their Norris Brothers Entertainment banner.
Logan’s War: Bound by Honor aired on Sunday November 1, 1998 and it is the topic of this edition of Bullet Points on Tuesday June 6, 2023…
- The Windy City: The story begins in Chicago in the year 1983. We see a 10 year old Logan Fallon playing baseball in his yard and dreaming of one day pitching for the Chicago Cubs. What was curious about the scene is the fact that Logan’s yard was under police protection… Logan’s District Attorney father was trying a high profile case involving alleged mobster Albert Talgorno (R.D. Call) and as a precaution for any possible mob retaliation, the Chicago PD is providing security for the Fallon family. Later that evening before he goes to sleep, Logan has a conversation with his father, Nicholas. Logan is worried, the kids at school are telling him that Talgorno is going to “whack” his dad and Logan himself has a feeling something bad is going to happen. Logan’s father tells him that there are times that a man has to do what is right… even if the right thing is dangerous and assures him they are safe at home and not to worry. In the wee hours, Logan sees visions of bad things about to happen, he runs into his parents’ bedroom and wakes up his father. Nicholas grabs his gun tells his wife to call the cops and moments later, Nicholas, his wife and his daughter are all murdered and poor Logan saw it all happen.
- Meanwhile in New Mexico: Logan wasn’t the only one having visions that night, so was Jake Fallon (Chuck Norris, The Delta Force) all the way at his ranch in New Mexico. Jake wakes up and knows he needs to get his butt to Chicago because he knows his brother Nicholas is in trouble. When Jake arrives in Chicago, he finds out just how right he was and visits his nephew in the hospital . After the funeral for his family, Logan asks Jake to drive him to Albert Talgorno’s estate… it is there that Jake decrees that he is going to kill Talgorno someday. Uncle Jake warns Logan about what revenge can do to a person, before they head to the airport and back to Jake’s ranch in New Mexico. The bloodlust Jake heard in his nephew’s voice when they were outside Talgorno’s home makes him think twice when Logan asks Jake if he will train him to fight… in fact it isn’t until Jake figures out Logan has the same ability to perceive danger before it happens that he decides he needs to train Logan. This means plenty of training montages and by the end, 10 year old Logan is now grown up Logan played by Eddie Cibrian. And grown up Logan wants to follow in his Uncle Jake’s footsteps and become an Army Ranger… which means more training montages!
- Speed Run: Given the TV time constraints, Logan’s War moves pretty quickly. Logan does in fact become an Army Ranger and we get to see him in action as he and his fellow Rangers rescue a downed pilot who is in hostile rebel territory in Guatemala. Logan is the one who actually finds the pilot and then uses his “proximity sense” to navigate a minefield all with the pilot (who suffered a broken leg) over his shoulder. This act of heroism earns Logan the Distinguished Service Cross, something Logan proudly shares with his Uncle Jake when he stops by and pays him a visit and then drops the bombshell that it is time for him to leave the Army and return to Chicago to kill Albert Talgorno, just like he said he would. And the next thing you know, Logan (using the alias Jimmy Testa) has infiltrated the Talgorno family after impressing a captain with the organization, Sal Mercado (Jeff Kober, The Big Fall)… who also happens to be the guy who killed Logan’s father and actually earned his stripes as a result.
- Made Man: To really test “Jimmy”, Sal wants him to do a hit. And not just any hit, a high profile hit. It’s. a judge that Albert Talgorno has decided needs to go. With some assistance from the FBI, who are trying to reign Logan in before he does something that will turn him into a bad guy, they are able to make it appear that Jimmy Testa did in fact whack the judge as he was ordered to do… which gets Jimmy and audience with the man himself, Albert Talgorno and it isn’t long before Jimmy is about to be a made man himself. What better place to reveal that he is really Logan Fallon and out for revenge, then the ceremony o make “Jimmy Testa” a made man?!?! It probably would have been a suicide mission, if not for the fact that good ol’ Uncle Jake shows up to help his nephew exact revenge on the murderers who killed their family.
Logan’s War: Bound by Honor was nothing spectacular, but good for what it was. The way the movie ended made it feel less like a made-for-television movie and more like a two hour TV pilot that was setting up a series where a now wanted for murder Logan Fallon goes around assuming different identities and helping everyday people battle bad guys who are oppressing them in some fashion like a one man A-Team, much like he does in the movie’s B story about the abusive step dad that lives down the hall from Logan.
If that was the case, the series obviously never got picked up despite the fact that it had a proven winning formula and a likeable leading man in Eddie Cibrian, plus you could always dust off Uncle Jake during the sweeps to pop a rating. But alas it was not meant to be, unlike these Bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Faces: The FBI agent who was originally assigned to the Fallon murders and is the agent that Logan communicates with when he returns to Chicago, was played by Joe Spano. Spano is probably best known for his work on the long running NCIS, but I always remember him from another TV movie from back in the day, The Brotherhood of Justice… Jake does not live alone on his ranch, his former father-in-law Ben lives there too (Ben’s daughter/Jake’s wife passed away prior to the events of the movie). Ben was played by James Gammon, who not only was a familiar face from movies like Major League and Running Cool, but a familiar voice too.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see someone totally shit on Southwestern cuisine, then Logan’s War: Bound by Honor is the movie for you.
- IMDb Trivia: One interesting tidbit from the IMDb trivia section.. the picture of Jake from his time in the Army Rangers, was actually a picture of Chuck Norris from Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection.
- Suggestion Box: If you are looking for another Chuck Norris made-for-television movie that aired on CBS following the success of Walker, Texas Ranger, may I suggest The President’s Man. And if that’s not enough, try The President’s Man: A Line in the Sand too.