Joseph Zito is an American film director. He is perhaps well known for directing many low budget action B-movies of the 1980s such as, Missing in Action, Invasion U.S.A., Red Scorpion, and many others. In the mid-1980s, Zito spent a year of pre-production on the Cannon version of Spider-Man. The film was never made.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- May 14, 1946 (80)
- New York, USA
- Director and producer, also writer
- 6 on MovieCove · 9 credits in all
What are Joseph Zito's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 5
A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 1 · Charged 0 · Intense 5
A split, not a type: Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 2
Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Joseph Zito's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Joseph Zito's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
9 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Power Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Red Scorpion(1988)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Invasion U.S.A.(1985)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Missing in Action(1984)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
The Prowler(1981)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Bloodrage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Abduction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Career shape
A full career of 9 titles from 1975 to 2002.
Biggest box office
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Highest rated
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Joseph Zito's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 28th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 33rd percentile for acclaim.
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 6 titles are Mixed.
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the atmosphere 54/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Joseph Zito's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Joseph Zito work with?
People who share at least 2 of Joseph Zito's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; João Fernandes shares the most, 4.
Writers
- James BrunerShared titles: Invasion U.S.A. (1985), Missing in Action (1984)See all 2 shared titles with James Bruner
Actors
- Alex ColonShared titles: Red Scorpion (1988), Invasion U.S.A. (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Alex Colon
- M. Emmet WalshShared titles: Red Scorpion (1988), Missing in Action (1984)See all 2 shared titles with M. Emmet Walsh
- Chuck NorrisShared titles: Invasion U.S.A. (1985), Missing in Action (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Chuck Norris
- Erich AndersonShared titles: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Missing in Action (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Erich Anderson
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- João FernandesShared titles: Red Scorpion (1988), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Missing in Action (1984), The Prowler (1981)See all 4 shared titles with João Fernandes
- Jay ChattawayShared titles: Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol (1999), Red Scorpion (1988), Missing in Action (1984)See all 3 shared titles with Jay Chattaway
- Daniel LoewenthalShared titles: Red Scorpion (1988), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Missing in Action (1984)See all 3 shared titles with Daniel Loewenthal
- Joel GoodmanShared titles: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Missing in Action (1984), The Prowler (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Joel Goodman
Producers
- Yoram GlobusShared titles: Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol (1999), Invasion U.S.A. (1985), Missing in Action (1984)See all 3 shared titles with Yoram Globus
Mixed roles
- Barney CohenShared titles: Red Scorpion (1988), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Barney Cohen
