Invasion U.S.A. (1985)

Film and Plot Synopsis

A Russian terrorist named Rostov leads an army of guerillas into the United States with the intent to sow insurrection amongst the civilian population. The only thing that stands in Rostov’s way is the one man who has stopped him before, Matt Hunter. Hunter is a retired CIA agent who lives quietly in an isolated portion of the Everglades. However, he is pulled back into the fray when Rostov destroys his home and kills Hunter’s friend. Now it is up to Hunter to stop an invasion into the United States. But will one man be enough to take on an army?

‘Invasion U.S.A.’ Movie Summary

Invasion U.S.A. begins with a group of Cuban refugees on a boat sailing for the United States. They are stopped by a U.S. Coast Guard boat with armed personnel. The captain of the ship orders his men to kill all the refugees, which they do. The Coast Guard crew then open a hidden compartment on the refugee boat and remove several packages of cocaine. It is revealed that the armed personnel are in fact communist Latin American guerrillas disguised as U.S. Coast Guardsmen. The guerrillas are led by Soviet operative Mikhail Rostov (Richard Lynch), who impersonated the Coast Guard captain.

Shortly afterwards, the real Coast Guard find the boat with the dead Cubans floating off the coast of Florida. The FBI and the Miami Police Department begin a joint operation to investigate the deaths. Meanwhile, the guerrillas land in Florida and exchange the drugs for weaponry from a drug dealer named Mickey (Billy Drago). Rostov kills the drug dealer after his men receive the weapons.

The Government begins to suspect that Rostov is involved in the deaths and approaches retired CIA agent Matt Hunter (Chuck Norris) to assist them in their investigation. Hunter had previously captured Rostov, but the government allowed the Russian to escape. Hunter declines their request for assistance but rethinks his position after Rostov and the guerrillas destroy his home in the Everglades and kill his friend, John Eagle (Dehl Berti).

Later that night, hundreds of additional guerrillas land on a beach of Florida under the cover of night. They are transported to the cities in trucks. Some of the guerrillas begin destroying suburban homes with rocket launchers while others impersonate police officers and shoot random citizens. The guerrillas’ agenda is to sow distrust in the community to make an overthrow of the government easier. The United States government responds by calling in the National Guard and declaring martial law. Hunter suspects Rostov is behind the attacks and goes to a local dive bar to question a possible informant. The informant tells Hunter that some guerrillas are going to attack a mall during the busy Christmas shopping season. Hunter drives to the mall and stops an attack just as it is beginning, killing all the guerrillas.

The next day, the terrorists attack a food riot outside a grocery store. The terrorists are led by Rostov’s second in command Nikko (Alexander Zale). Hunter arrives and stops the attack and kills all the terrorists, including Nikko. He also stops the terrorists from blowing up a church and a school bus full of children. However, Hunter arrives to late to stop a bomb at a carnival and realizes that they terrorists are too spread out and organized for him to stop them all on his own. He formulates a new plan and seeks the assistance of his friends in the CIA to help him. Hunter is taken into custody by the government for his acts of vigilantism.

The U.S. government responds to the terrorists’ attacks by forming a command center in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. At the center, all fifty state governors and military officials meet to determine the next course of action against the terrorist attacks. Hunter is transported to the center for questioning, and the media broadcasts the transport all over the airways. Hunter calls out Rostov on the air and promises the Russian that he will kill him. Rostov, who is obsessed with Hunter, orders his men to all attack the command center to take out the heads of the government, but to kill Hunter as well.

Rostov’s men get into and surround the building. However, they find the command center empty. Hunter’s arrest was merely a ruse to lure Rostov and his men to the building. Hunter and the CIA have laid a trap for Rostov’s men and have surrounded the center with a large contingent of military forces, including tanks. Rostov’s men attempt to fight the U.S. military, but they are soundly defeated. Meanwhile, Hunter is in the command center and kills all of Rostov’s men, leaving just Hunter and Rostov. The two men engage in hand to hand combat, but ultimately Hunter kills Rostov with his own rocket launcher. The film ends with all the invading forces soundly defeated.

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Additional Film Information

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