Chuck Norris Once Compared His Movies To John Wayne's - And He Wasn't Completely Wrong

Chuck Norris' movies aren't as acclaimed as John Wayne's finest efforts. Be that as it may, both actors' projects have a lot in common. Broadly speaking, Norris and Wayne were known for portraying tough heroes who took down bad guys. Norris' movies put more of a martial arts spin on the concept, but the actor was aware of the thematic similarities between his and Wayne's work. As he once told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1983:

"My films are very similar to the John Wayne movies of the '40s. He'd go in a bar, and Jack Palance would pick a fight with him, and then Wayne would take out half the saloon. It's the same theme: A man is pushed into a situation where he has to resort to violence."

For what it's worth, Wayne and Palance never shared the screen, but I get what Norris was trying to say. Wayne starred in a lot of great Western films with notable bar fight scenes, including "Angel and the Badman" and "The Wagon Train." Of course, Norris wasn't claiming that his and Wayne's movies only share bar fights in common. Rather, he believed that they played similar types of characters — men who are prone to getting into fights, even if they don't want to. 

What's more, Norris argued that his and Wayne's movies were wish-fulfillment fantasies for their demographics. But what exactly did he mean by that?

John Wayne and Chuck Norris essentially played superheroes throughout their respective careers. Sure, their characters don't wear capes or boast fantastical superpowers, but they are larger-than-life yet still grounded enough to be believable. More than anything, they are admirable and impressive, which is why Norris believed people enjoyed watching his and Wayne's flicks. As he told it in the aforementioned interview:

"They'll never be able to go in a bar and take on some 6-foot-5, 300-pound bruiser. I take him on and wipe him out, and they're thinking, 'Man, I'd love to do that.' That's what makes the movies fun. You project yourself into what's happening on the screen. I did that when I was a kid. I still do."

Norris made a valid point. How many times have you watched an action movie and wished you could perform martial arts and stand up to injustice? Then you eat your nachos, take a sip of your Dr. Pepper, and accept the fact you're a regular human. Thankfully, we have Norris and Wayne films to live through vicariously.

That said, watching Wayne's movies inspired Norris at a young age — and he grew up to become a martial artist who probably could handle himself in a real bar fight. In fact, Norris viewed Wayne as a father-type figure, especially after his own dad walked out on his family. Given the influence The Duke had on Norris, it's unsurprising that he played likeminded characters throughout his own acting career.