Chuck Norris, 1940–2026

IF YOU HAD HBO IN THE LATE 1980s and early 1990s, odds are good you were never more than a few hours away from a certain type of film. They were straightforward, pleasing pictures: a laconic, sandy-haired American dispensed justice with a minimum of wit and a maximum of roundhouse kicks. Rarely much longer than 105 minutes, you didn’t need to watch them from start to finish; they were almost designed to be watched in bits and pieces. You could pick up the plot as you went: Odds are there were some bad guys in black pajamas and a soldier...