The Classic Chuck Norris Action Movies With A 0% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Chuck Norris' movie career was definitely dotted with highlights and lowlights. He was the guy who was in "Enter the Dragon" and "Sidekicks," after all. But the "Walker: Texas Ranger" star — who died on March 20, 2026 –  also had two films with a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of his passing.

One, 1988's "Hero and the Terror," is about a policeman named Danny O'Brien (Norris) who walks his beat in Los Angeles and finds himself hunting for the serial-killing quarry (Jack O'Halloran) he previously put behind bars. The other is 1995's "Top Dog," which — late in the life cycle of the "a-policeman-and-his-dog" trend started by "Turner and Hooch" — features Norris as a cop once again, this time with a shaggy partner. The pair team up to investigating a series of bombings. 

"Top Dog" ended up killing Norris' career as a leading man on the big screen; his movies were subsequently released direct to DVD and VHS until 2003's "The Bells of Innocence," which only received a limited run at the box office before hitting practical media. He returned to multiplexes via cameos and minor supporting parts in "The Expendables Part 2" and "Dodgeball," while the posthumously-released "Zombie Plane" is set to be his last film.

Both "Top Dog" and "Hero and the Terror" are interesting films within Chuck Norris' oeuvre. "Hero and the Terror" was his attempt at playing a more sensitive, romantic lead — his character is an expectant father dealing with relationship difficulties. It was set to break him out of his typical tough-man persona, while still keeping some karate-kicking action in the mix for action devotees.

"The success of the film is contingent on how reviewers, the media and the audience take to it," he told the Sun Sentinel at the time. "I liked seeing not just the man in the arena or the fighting machine you see in many of my films, but to see the man outside the arena — the guy who also has relationships." O'Brien is a notable role for Norris: he's allowed to express fear, doubt, and affection in a way many of his characters don't get to. While critics like Roger Ebert applauded Norris for trying to broaden his range, the film didn't perform in its wide release, sending him back to the comfortable arms of his typical action parts. Between its box office performance and critical footprint, it remains one of Norris' worst movies.

The release of "Top Dog," meanwhile, was marred by a national tragedy. It came out nine days after the Oklahoma City bombing, opening in eighth place at the box office. Since the film involves Norris' character and his canine companion hunting for explosives, Americans might have understandably been turned off. While Norris will always be remembered for his high-kicking ways, it's probably best that these two flicks are long forgotten.