Movie Review: Chino (1973)

Also Known As: Valdez Horses; Valdez The Halfbreed  

Genre: Western  

Director: John Sturges  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Vincent Van Patten  

Running Time: 98 minutes  

Synopsis: The mixed-race Chino Valdez (Charles Bronson) was raised by a Cheyenne tribe, and now leads a solitary life breeding wild horses on an isolated ranch. He reluctantly shelters runaway teenager Jaime (Vincent Van Patten), who becomes a full-time helper. Evil wealthy landowner Maral (Marcel Bozzuffi) puts up fences and harms Chino's horses and business, but Maral's half-sister Catherine (Jill Ireland) wants to learn to ride horses, sparking a romance with Chino. The antagonized Maral intensifies his efforts to drive Chino away.

What Works Well: This adaptation of Lee Hoffman's book is a laid-back, slow-paced gallop, most interested in capturing frontier living and the glory of wild horses as filtered though downbeat early-1970s sensibilities. Director John Sturges allows the story to unfold at a leisurely pace, inserting only limited moments of action and focusing on Chino as an uncompromising loner, as wild as his horses and equally running out of time and space. Stoicism co-exists with tenderness within a man who only functions on his terms, yet possesses a heart big enough to accommodate first Jaime and then Catherine.

What Does Not Work As Well: The Dino De Laurentiis Italian-Spanish-French co-production features rudimentary staging, limited sets, and some choppy editing. For long periods, the horses are the only source of energy, and the characters of Morel and Catherine suffer from under-exposition.

Key Quote:

Chino (criticizing Catherine's riding technique): Aw, that's terrible - terrible! You're still bouncin'.

Catherine: I have to bounce some!

Chino: Yeah, I guess so. You have a lot of bouncy parts.

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Movie Review: Chato's Land (1972)

Genre: Western  

Director: Michael Winner  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Jack Palance, James Whitmore, Richard Basehart  

Running Time: 100 minutes  

Synopsis: At a dusty town saloon, half-Apache Chato (Charles Bronson) kills the racist local sheriff in self defense. Former Confederate Captain Quincey Whitmore (Jack Palance) gathers up a posse of townfolks, local ranchers, and a Mexican tracker, and they set out to hunt down the fugitive. But in the rough and unforgiving terrain it soon becomes apparent that Chato has the upper hand, as divisions and disputes emerge between the posse members.

What Works Well: While the plot also works as a Vietnam War allegory, this is an essentially simple but uncompromising hunters-become-the-hunted Western. Writer Gerald Wilson fills the posse with bloodthirsty racists (with just a few circumspect voices), and most of the dialogue chips away at the group's unity towards disintegration. A remarkably fit Charles Bronson (at 50 years old) has a grand total of two sentences and eight words in English, but dominates proceedings like a shadow of doom descending over the posse's fate. As Captain Quincy, Jack Palance enjoys a thoughtful role lamenting battlefield losses and trying to maintain discipline among a ragtag group slow to understand that both Chato and his land are much more than they can handle.

What Does Not Work As Well: The production values are creaky, some repetitiveness sets in, and morally decrepit men don't make for good company.

Key Quote:

Chato: Back off, lawman.

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Movie Review: Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989)

Genre: Crime Action  

Director: J. Lee Thompson  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Perry Lopez  

Running Time: 97 minutes  

Synopsis: Los Angeles Police Lieutenant Crowe (Charles Bronson) is worried about his teenaged daughter Rita, who is starting to attract boys' attention. He is also unhappy with increased Japanese presence in Los Angeles, but his real nemesis is the despicable Duke (Juan Fernandez), who abducts young girls and forces them into prostitution. Separately, Japanese businessman Hiroshi Hada (James Pax) is transferred to Los Angeles with his wife and daughter Fumiko. He has sexual cravings not satisfied within his marriage, and has a bus encounter with Rita. When Duke targets Fumiko, the lives of Crowe and Hada collide.

What Works Well: A B-movie Cannon Films production, Kinjite nevertheless packs an outsized punch. The sordid world of child prostitution and its impact on victims and police detectives is just the starting point. From there the premise adds traces of racism, a culture clash, a mis-matched married couple, sexual kinks, the Stockholm Syndrome (courtesy of an early Nicole Eggert role), some delicious irony in the intermingling of tensions between Crowe and Hada, and an ultimately really dark outcome for one character. In his last movie, director J. Lee Thompson does not hold back and makes the most out of the limited budget, while Charles Bronson embraces one of his more troubled and unlikeable characters (making good use of a dildo, a wristwatch, and a balcony), moving well beyond revenge and into overt hostility.

What Does Not Work As Well: The disturbing but serious issues reside in a milieu of crass exploitation, far from any avenues for thoughtful exploration. 

Key Quote:

Duke: Crowe! You're a mad dog! I shoot mad dogs! I blow their fucking heads off!

Crowe (walking away): Colorful...but dangerous.

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Movie Review: Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)

Genre: Vigilante Action  

Director: J. Lee Thompson  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Kay Lenz, John P. Ryan, Perry Lopez  

Running Time: 99 minutes  

Synopsis: In Los Angeles, architect and notorious ex-vigilante Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is in a relationship with journalist Karen Sheldon (Kay Lenz). When Karen's daughter Erica dies by drug overdose, Paul takes revenge on a drug pusher. He is then pressured by the wealthy Nathan White (John P. Ryan) to clean up two rival gangs controlling the cocaine trade, one led by Ed Zacharias (Perry Lopez), the other by the Romero brothers. As Paul starts eliminating gang members, police detectives close in.

What Works Well: In this surprisingly not awful third sequel, a lithe Bronson (at age 67) is an effective killing machine ridding society of vermin. The target-the-drug-cartels theme is timely and hides a couple of mildly engaging surprises. Director J. Lee Thompson stages some fairly artistic set-pieces, including the opening parkade scene, a raid on a fish plant, and a shootout at an oil derrick. Some of the dialogue exchanges contain pointy zingers.

What Does Not Work As Well: It may not be awful, but it's still quite bad. Apart from Bronson, the acting is third rate, and the editing and sound mixing are always clunky and sometimes atrocious. Of course the script never attempts to be logical, and takes itself far too seriously.

Key Quote:

Parkade would-be rapist, spotting Kersey: Who the fuck are you?!

Kersey: Death.



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Movie Review: Death Wish 3 (1985)

Genre: Vigilante Action  

Director: Michael Winner  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Deborah Raffin, Ed Lauter, Martin Balsam  

Running Time: 90 minutes  

Synopsis: Notorious vigilante Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) returns to New York City to visit a friend, only to find him near death after an assault by violent goons. Police Inspector Richard Shriker (Ed Lauter) coerces Kersey into cleaning up the derelict neighbourhood, where a gang led by Fraker (Gavan O'Herlihy) is terrorizing the remaining residents, including war veteran Bennett (Martin Balsam). Kersey gets to work confronting and killing villains and muggers, but taking down Fraker's gang will require a firepower upgrade.

What Works Well: The second sequel ditches any sense of cerebral internal conflict within Paul Kersey and adopts a less serious, high body count attitude packed with quotable quips. With Stallone and Schwarzenegger upping weaponry expectations, Kersey graduates to machine guns and rocket launchers, and the final 20 minutes transform a plastic set (London subbing for New York) into an explosives-filled war zone. Ed Lauter and Martin Balsam add gloss to the supporting cast, and Gavan O'Herlihy drips venom as the chief bad guy.

What Does Not Work As Well: Now in his mid-60s and showing it, Bronson is too old for this role, and the 32 year age difference with co-star and token love interest Deborah Raffin (as a public defender) just makes things worse. The ridiculous plot joins forces with hapless editing and uninspired directing to barely qualify for B-movie status, and the unrelenting levels of violence and brutality achieve self-defeating numbness.

Key Quote:

Kersey (to Shriker): It's like killing roaches - you have to kill 'em all. Otherwise, what's the use?

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Movie Review: Death Wish II (1982)

Genre: Vigilante Action  

Director: Michael Winner  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Vincent Gardenia, Anthony Franciosa, Laurence Fishburne  

Running Time: 88 minutes  

Synopsis: In Los Angeles, crime rates are out of control. Architect Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is victimized by a group muggers who kill his housekeeper and cause the death of his daughter. He decides to pursue vigilante justice by tracking  down and killing the assailants on his own. He keeps his revenge activities secret from his radio journalist girlfriend Geri (Jill Ireland), but New York City Police Lieutenant Frank Ochoa (Vincent Gardenia) is familiar with Kersey's previous vigilante exploits, and travels to Los Angeles to try and stop the new wave of killings.

What Works Well: Producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus dust off one of Charles Bronson's best-known roles from a previous decade, and relaunch the series along the same formula. The objective of satisfying the primordial lust for process-free revenge is achieved, and director Michael Winner is also patient enough to give Paul Kersey a career and a love life. The action scenes are preceded by admirable preparation, reconnaissance, and selective targeting, while the bad guys (including an early role for Laurence Fishburne) are suitably despicable.

What Does Not Work As Well: This is a limited budget production with grimy aesthetics, unimaginative staging, creaky dialogue, cringey acting, excessive violence (including rape), gratuitous nudity, and of course unrealistic shootouts.

Key Quote:

Kersey (spotting a crucifix on a thug's necklace): You believe in Jesus?

Thug: Yes, I do.

Kersey: Well, you're gonna meet him.

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Movie Review: Messenger Of Death (1988)

Genre: Crime Action  

Director: J. Lee Thompson  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Trish Van Devere, John Ireland  

Running Time: 91 minutes  

Synopsis: In Denver, a shotgun-wielding assassin murders all the wives and children of Orville Beecham, a member of the Mormon community. Newspaper reporter Garrett Smith (Charles Bronson) starts to investigate and tracks down Orville's father Willis (Jeff Corey). He leads a secretive offshoot sect, and is quick to blame the slaughter on his estranged brother Zenas (John Ireland). Garrett travels to a remote county where Zenas owns a large farm, and teams up with local reporter Jastra (Trish Van Devere) to uncover an entrenched family feud and a vicious fight for land control.

What Works Well: The big sky Colorado settings are attractive, and the story is rich with potential: an isolated religious sect, an intense brotherly rivalry, and powerful men-in-suits dabbling in fracking and seeking control of precious water sources. In a change of pace and despite the high body count, Charles Bronson patiently investigates and asks questions to solve a mystery, leaving most (but not all) of the violence to others. The supporting cast is invested, and a car chase involving a couple of large trucks is adequately staged.

What Does Not Work As Well: The plot holes are large, a lot of the dialogue is straight from the first draft, the editing is often askew, and most of the acting is over-animated. A parallel story about a police chief running for mayor and being funded by business interests is a clear second-best compared to the Beecham family turmoil. The climax retreats from the breathtaking open country and into the expediency of a poorly conceived whodunnit, populated by less interesting characters and throttled by insufficient context.

Key Quote:

Willis Beecham: How we worship is no concern of yours.



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Movie Review: The Evil That Men Do (1984)

Genre: Crime Action  

Director: J. Lee Thompson  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Theresa Saldana, Jose Ferrer  

Running Time: 90 minutes  

Synopsis: Clement "The Doctor" Molloch (Joseph Maher) is hired by dictatorships to torture regime opponents. Investigative journalist Jorge Hidalgo is one of his victims, prompting retired assassin Holland (Charles Bronson) to come out of retirement on a revenge mission. Holland teams up with Jorge's widow Rhiana (Theresa Saldana) and her young daughter, and they travel to Guatemala to hunt down the Doctor.

What Works Well: State-sanctioned torture-for-hire is a worthwhile topic to explore, and here the industrial-scale atrocities are presented as a tacit extension of American foreign policy. With Joseph Maher dripping entitled smarm and Bronson in fine athletic form, the Doctor is despicable enough to anoint the hitman as the good guy. The on-location filming (Mexico subbing for Guatemala) is gritty, and the moment-of-reckoning climax, despite zombie-like execution, is satisfyingly gargoylian. 

What Does Not Work Well: Most of the plot points make no sense, including a professional assassin allowing a woman and child to tag along, and J. Lee Thompson's mechanically pedestrian directing does not help. Holland is never placed in any personal jeopardy as he methodically extracts revenge against the Doctor and his goons, robbing the action of any tension.

Key Quote:

Holland: I'm gonna rattle his cage. And when he sticks his neck out, I'll nail him.

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Movie Review: 10 To Midnight (1983)

Genre: Crime Thriller  

Director: J. Lee Thompson  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Wilford Brimley, Lisa Eilbacher, Andrew Stevens, Gene Davis  

Running Time: 102 minutes  

Synopsis: In Los Angeles, disturbed young man Warren Stacey (Gene Davis) murders an office colleague who rejected his advances, and commits the crime while naked. Detectives Leo Kessler (Charles Bronson) and Paul McAnn (Andrew Stevens) investigate, and Leo realizes the victim was a friend of his daughter Laurie (Lisa Eilbacher), a nursing student. When Stacey kills again, Leo grows increasingly frustrated by the lack of conclusive evidence. He bends the law in an attempt to secure a conviction, and Stacey retaliates by targeting Laurie.

What Works Well: This surprisingly controlled crime thriller finds Charles Bronson in decent form, making full use of a reasonably engaging plot and a moral dilemma in the gap between law and justice. With Gene Davis delivering a disturbing portrait of evil hiding in plain sight, the villain Warren Stacey is introduced early as a worthwhile foe, and his penchant for committing murders while nude injects kink to his sexual deviancy. Lisa Eilbacher adds engagement as Bronson's daughter, while Wilford Brimley provides veteran talent as the police chief.

What Does Not Work As Well: Director J. Lee Thompson's straight-ahead style is consistent with B-movie fundamentals. The dialogue is often either creaky or cringey, a few scenes meander into slasher/horror territory as an unnecessary gateway to gore, and the romance between McAnn and Laurie settles into lukewarm clunkiness.

Key Quote:

Leo: You go in that courtroom and forget what's legal and do what's right.

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Movie Review: Murphy's Law (1986)

Genre: Crime Action  

Director: J. Lee Thompson  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Kathleen Wilhoite, Carrie Snodgress  

Running Time: 100 minutes  

Synopsis: Los Angeles police detective Jack Murphy (Charles Bronson) is drinking heavily to drown the sorrow of divorce. After tangling with mouthy car thief Arabella (Kathleen Wilhoite), Murphy goes after crime boss Frank Vincenzo (Richard Romanus). But his real problems start when psychotic murderess Joan Freeman (Carrie Snodgress) is released after serving 10 years in prison. She vows revenge on all those who convicted her, starting with Murphy.

What Works Well: Kathleen Wilhoite as scrappy car thief Arabella exhausts the dictionary in search of non-stop colourful insults and innovative vulgarities directed at all-comers, and her best-of-enemies relationship with Bronson's Murphy provides some warmth and wit.

What Does Not Work As Well: This is a crass and style-free B-movie, where the characters are flat and someone's head is blown off in a splatter of blood at least every 10 minutes. The plot is full of holes, and director J. Lee Thompson just points the camera and shoots, taking most care to maximize the superfluous nudity. Aside from a few one-liners, Bronson is markedly disinterested, and neither Richard Romanus as a mobster nor Carrie Snodgress as a psycho are given any opportunities to move beyond obvious villainy.

Key Quote:

Joan Freeman: Go to Hell!

Jack Murphy: Ladies first.

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Movie Review: The White Buffalo (1977)

Genre: Western  

Director: J. Lee Thompson  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Jack Warden, Will Sampson, Kim Novak  

Running Time: 97 minutes  

Synopsis: Suffering from nightmares about a rampaging white buffalo, 'Wild' Bill Hickok (Charles Bronson) travels west to the rugged Black Hills. Along the way he renews acquaintances with ex-lover Poker Jenny (Kim Novak), and tangles with nemesis Captain Tom Custer (Ed Lauter) and new enemy Jack Kileen (Clint Walker). Concurrently, Lakota tribe leader Crazy Horse (Will Sampson) is hunting the same beast to avenge his daughter's death. Hickok, Crazy Horse, and old timer Charlie Zane (Jack Warden) team up for the hunt high in the snowy mountains.

What Works Well: Inspired by familiar man-versus-mythical-beast narratives (or more simply, Jaws), this Richard Sale adaptation of his own book benefits from razor sharp dialogue peppered with frontier era colloquialisms. Charles Bronson looks natty in cool specs and forges an eloquently uneasy bond with Will Sampson's Crazy Horse, while Jack Warden's old-timer is uncompromising in representing hardened racist attitudes. In the lead-up to the climax, the action highlights are sharp, and Hickok's encounter with Poker Jenny is resolved with unexpected vulnerability.

What Does Not Work As Well: The special effects used to create the titular white buffalo are hideous. The creature looks like an emancipated carnival prize set on a rocking horse base, severely undermining the drama's core and the fundamental sense of dread. Elsewhere, Hickok would have benefited from an expanded backstory, and no context is provided for his nightmares.

Conclusion: Grand ambitions compromised by a small-budget creature.



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Movie Review: Breakheart Pass (1975)

Genre: Western Mystery  

Director: Tom Gries  

Starring: Charles Bronson, Richard Crenna, Jill Ireland, Ed Lauter, Ben Johnson, Charles Durning  

Running Time: 95 minutes  

Synopsis: In the 1870s, a military train is on its way to Fort Humboldt ostensibly to deliver essential medical supplies. The mission leader is Governor Richard Fairchild (Richard Crenna), accompanied by his lover Marica (Jill Ireland), while Major Claremont (Ed Lauter) commands the military escort unit. At a rest stop, U.S. Marshal Pearce (Ben Johnson) and his prisoner John Deakin (Charles Bronson) join the train trip. But all is not what it seems, and soon murders and mishaps threaten to derail the journey.

What Works Well: Alistair MacLean adapts his own book and director Tom Gries enjoys constructing an Agatha Christie-type mystery in a western milieu, assisted by a lithe Charles Bronson and a supporting cast deep in talent. The final 30 minutes finally kick into gear and deliver a rousing climax, including a harrowing train-top battle to the death choreographed by veteran stuntman Yakima Canutt. The exterior vistas of the train traversing the landscape are elegant, augmented by a magnanimous Jerry Goldsmith music score.

What Does Not Work As Well: The first hour is more annoying than enthralling, the lack of clarity around plot and motivations leaving the characters dangling. Even once revealed, the conspiracy lands somewhere between incomprehensible and unnecessarily convoluted. For a wanted criminal finally captured by the law, Bronson's John Deakin is afforded a remarkable amount of freedom to skulk around.

Conclusion: And then there were guns.



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Movie Review: Never So Few (1959)

Genre: World War Two Adventure Romance

Director: John Sturges

Starring: Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Paul Henreid

Running Time: 124 minutes

Synopsis: The setting is 1943, and in Burma's jungles, cocky American Captain Tom Reynolds (Frank Sinatra) and British Captain Danny De Mortimer (Richard Johnson) help a small group of native Kachin fighters engage Japanese forces. While in Calcutta to secure medical supplies, Tom sets eyes on the beautiful Carla (Gina Lollobrigida), the companion of wealthy businessman Nikko Regas (Paul Henreid). Tom nevertheless romantically pursues Carla between stints of warfare.

What Works Well: The adaptation of Tom T. Chamales' novel combines military skirmishes with lavish far-from-the-front-lines British Empire locales, and occasionally threatens to become interesting. In early roles, Charles Bronson as a Navajo soldier and Steve McQueen as an enterprising corporal trained on New York's streets are robust and charismatic respectively. Gina Lollobrigida adds sultry allure in a succession of stunning outfits (when she's not seductively naked in the bathtub).

What Does Not Work As Well: The narrative lacks focus, the tone is uneven, and Sturges never finds the right balance between the stiff combat scenes and a deeply unconvincing romance. Tom bluntly tells the sophisticated and worldly Carla he wants her perpetually pregnant and in the kitchen, and she melts into his arms. One seemingly relevant character just conveniently disappears, while the third act introduces a complex geopolitical conspiracy out of nowhere. A disengaged Frank Sinatra goes through the motions, but at least he loses his hideously conceived facial hair early.

Conclusion: The promise of sizzling action and torrid love is lost in the jungle.



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Movie Review: You Can't Win' Em All (1970)

An adventure set in Turkey, You Can't Win 'Em All offers impressive scenery and two willing stars, but a hopelessly confused plot and lackadaisical pacing.

In 1922, American adventurers Adam Dyer (Tony Curtis) and Josh Corey (Charles Bronson) meet in the Aegean Sea. Josh is looking to profit from the ongoing Greco-Turkish War and internal Turkish strife by selling the services of his well-armed mercenary unit. Adam wants to reclaim a ship seized from his family during the Great War. 

Colonel Elci (Fikret Hakan), acting on behalf of local governor Osman Bey (Gregoire Aslan), hires the two men to escort a train carrying undisclosed precious cargo, with Adam hoping to secure the release of his ship as part of the deal. Adam and Josh soon learn they are helping to transport the governor's daughters along with their guardian Aila (Michele Mercier), plus gold bars and precious jewels. Numerous skirmishes with various enemies await.

You Can't Win 'Em All is a series of highlights in search of a cause. The set-pieces are well-staged and reasonably rousing, including an old fashioned bar brawl, a noisy battle around a train enhanced by machine-guns, another shooting free-for-all on a boat, plus the bonus of an air raid on an army camp.

The problem for director Peter Collinson is all the bits in-between. Intended as an old-fashioned buddy adventure in foreign lands, the Leo V. Gordon script proceeds in fits and starts, contains long stretches of nothingness, and quickly unravels into incomprehensible territory. The myriad factions competing for cheap labour in the form of uniformed extras include the Turkish army, Turkish rebels, Greek invaders, and American meddlers. Combined with multiple shifting personal agendas and everyone lying all the time, it's never clear who is trying to do what to whom or why. 

Collinson does not help matters by wasting endless shots on travelogue-style Turkish scenery. A train moving through the countryside, mounted armies galloping through the terrain, and colourful grand halls full of festive food and belly dancers are all very pretty, but ultimately betray the lack of content. Bronson (proficient profiteer) and Curtis (weasley womanizer) appear interested, share decent rapport, trade one-liners, and exude well-earned charisma, but they are defeated by the wayward plotting. You Can't Win' Em All can't fill the empty spaces between punctuations.



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Movie Review: Showdown At Boot Hill (1958)

A ponderous western, Showdown At Boot Hill is an uneven collection of stranded philosophical ideas. 

New-in-town Luke Welch (Charles Bronson) is a combination Marshall and bounty hunter, emotionally intimidated by his lack of physical stature. He guns down popular fugitive Con Maynor, but cannot claim the $200 bounty because the resentful townsfolk refuse to confirm the dead man's identity. Luke has to wait around the town facing local hostility whipped up by businessman Sloane (Robert Hutton), who admired Maynor. 

The local doctor/barber Doc Weber (John Carradine) sympathizes with Luke's predicament and offers abstract words of advice. Luke attempts to initiate a romance with hesitant hotel server Sally Crane (Fintan Meyler), who prefers a plain lifestyle in contrast to her saloon madame mother Jill (Carole Mathews). With Luke's prolonged presence upping tensions, more violence is threatened.

An early starring role for Charles Bronson, Showdown At Boot Hill is more odd than good. Louis Vittes' story and Gene Fowler Jr.'s directing are both clearly inspired by the man-against-town theme of High Noon, but here budget and talent limitations truncate any ambitions of profundity. So while it's interesting that Luke has an inferiority complex, Charles Bronson can never look uncomfortable in his skin. And the town closing ranks by refusing to certify a dead man's identity is a flimsy source of tension, not helped by a failure to expand on the context of outlaw Con Maynor's popularity.

As a result, the meagre running time of 71 minutes feels longer, as the lonely hearts romance between Luke and Sally gets bogged down in circular conversations about confidence and assertiveness. The plot meanders towards the debris of the relationship between Sally and her mother Jill, and men who enjoy saloon girls and are keen to test themselves against fast guns like Luke. The central bounty hunting story and the town's loyalty towards a fallen gangster are all but forgotten until the dead man's brother appears for the burial, setting up an unusual  - if not confusing - confrontation.

The lanky John Carradine is an indomitable presence and the most prominent supporting character, a patient seen-it-all veteran with a bullet-in-the-knee story. The rest of the secondary cast members fail to rise above stock representations. Showdown At Boot Hill stumbles onto some quirks, but lacks both quality and cohesion.



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Movie Review: From Noon Till Three (1976)

A western spiced with sly humour, From Noon Till Three toys with romance and action in a clever expression of the gap between legend and reality.

In the late 1800s, the outlaw Graham Dorsey (Charles Bronson) rides with the little-known Buck Bowers gang. On the night before they rob the bank in Gladstone, Graham has a prophetic nightmare that the gang will be annihilated. The next morning he lies his way out of the robbery and waits for his colleagues at the grand house of the wealthy and beautiful widow Amanda Starbuck (Jill Ireland).

Amanda is initially fearful and resentful of Graham, but he artfully worms his way into her heart with elaborate lies, and they become lovers over three idyllic hours. The rest of the gang is killed or captured, and Graham is forced to flee a chasing posse. When Amanda is vilified for consorting with an outlaw, she unexpectedly takes control of her fate, creating a legend in the process.

Written and directed by Frank D. Gilroy (adapting his own novel), From Noon Till Three is uneven in pacing and tone, but dares to be different while still respecting traditional western constructs. The plot features familiar components, including the outlaw gang, bank robbery, and chasing posse, all infused with subversive twists. The two central characters are worthwhile adversaries and both undoubtedly whip-smart, but outlaw Graham Dorsey is also a womanizing liar (if not an outright coward), and despite her blazing red dress, Amanda's true colours are cold and opportunistic.

The entire second act is an elaborate romance. The real-life husband and wife team of Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland have rarely been better together on the screen, and here engage in flirtatious theatre covering the spectrum from lust and hostility to the grandest love. Gilroy stages their affair at a mysteriously majestic mansion jutting out of the barren landscape, and allows star chemistry to flourish. An idyllic waltz in the music room provides an appropriate highlight.

Once the lovers are separated, Gilroy injects plenty of humour into the widening chasm between selling a story and gritty facts. The afternoon of love is propelled into the sphere of swoon-worthy legend with searing commentary on the power of marketing, celebrity worship, and the public thirst to believe in the fantastic. The myths of the west are built on tall tales, real people consumed by inflated retellings of ultimately outsized exploits.



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Movie Review: Guns For San Sebastian (1968)

A western combining spaghetti and traditional elements, Guns For San Sebastian is a dusty story of an outlaw finding his purpose in an unlikely location.

In 1746, Mexico is ruled by Spain, with both local revolutionaries and Yaqui Indians resisting European rule. On the run from the army, atheist outlaw Leon Alastray (Anthony Quinn) takes refuge in the church of the kindly Father Joseph (Sam Jaffe), who is promptly banished to the remote parish of San Sebastian for harbouring a fugitive. Alastray joins Joseph on the arduous journey across the desert, and they then find San Sebastian abandoned, revolutionary leader Teclo (Charles Bronson) insisting the local peasants hide in the mountains to deter Yaqui raids.

Through a series of misunderstandings, the locals, including the passionate Kinita (Anjanette Comer), believe Alastray is a new priest and village saviour. The community rallies and Alastray helps them build a dam to rejuvenate the corn fields. But Teclo and local Yaqui leader Golden Lance don't want to see San Sebastian thrive, forcing Alastray to plan for a big battle to come.

Maybe because it is directed by Frenchman Henri Verneuil and adapted from a book by an actual priest, Guns For San Sebastian sits just to the side of both spaghetti and mainstream westerns. The fundamentals are familiar: a time of revolution, peasants caught in the middle, Indians fighting for their land, half-breeds with divided loyalties, a stranger shaking things up, and above it all the spectral role of religion simultaneously uniting and dividing a community. A bit of sly humour and a rough romance add dashes of hot spice.

Although the attitude is scrappy, spaghetti western trademarks like close-ups and excessive gleeful violence are missing. Similarly, by placing an atheist outlaw in the role of a community's religious inspiration, the film avoids traditionally delineated good against evil conflicts. The outcome is a relatively unique curiosity in the form of a narrative that borrows but does not imitate.

The production values are good. Verneuil creates a believable stand-alone community within a harsh sun-blazed environment, but the fundamentals of life are nearby and can be harnessed with some ingenuity. The Mexico locations are bright, barren, and sometimes spectacular, while Ennio Morricone contributes a subdued score. The film runs for under two hours but with deliberate, sometimes slow, pacing. The first two thirds invest in defining characters, outlining tensions, and creating a sense of place, before the arrival of the more action-packed final act.

Anthony Quinn creates a sturdy presence and side-steps most of his hammy tendencies. Charles Bronson is reduced to a relatively small role, leaving Quinn relatively isolated without a worthy counterpart. Sam Jaffe makes a great impression as Father Joseph, but only in the opening chapter. As the most prominent of the villagers, Anjanette Comer could have benefited from expanded influence.

Guns For San Sebastian playfully critiques religious fervour and counters with the imperative for personal responsibility. The debate rages on, as guns, bullets, explosives, and a canon are commissioned in the name of a saint.



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Movie Review: The Mechanic (1972)

A crime thriller, The Mechanic is a deceptively complex and tidily executed action drama about an assassin's life.

In Los Angeles, Arthur Bishop (Charles Bronson) is a methodical hitman working for a mysterious criminal syndicate. After eliminating a target by staging a gas leak explosion, Bishop receives orders to terminate Harry McKenna (Keenan Wynn), an elderly friend of Bishop's deceased father and an ousted member of the syndicate. 

McKenna's 24-year-old son Steve (Jan-Michael Vincent), who never liked his father, enjoys the party lifestyle and also displays cold-blooded comfort around death. Bishop starts experiencing health issues, and takes Steve under his wing as a potential successor, teaching him the tricks of the assassination trade. But the syndicate is unhappy Bishop is making unilateral decisions, and the next few assignments for Bishop and Steve, including a rushed job in Naples, will be challenging.

Written by Lewis John Carlino and directed with panache by Michael Winner, The Mechanic is a career highlight for Charles Bronson and a superlatively economical thriller. The opening 15 minutes feature no dialogue: Bishop carefully plans and executes a hit, no words needed as Winner introduces the protagonist through deliberately efficient scenes. The final act is packed full of breathless action and twisty revelations, ending with a memorably abrupt triple punctuation mark. 

In between, unique character traits are allowed to surface. Bishop has a romantic partner (Jill Ireland), but only in the morning does their interlude expose corners of his psychology. Carlino is also interested in exploring the core theme of surrogate father-son dynamics. Both Bishop and Steve had troubled relationships with their dads, and Bishop finds a personal reason to make amends bundled within professional succession planning objectives. In this world of violence of course nothing will go according to plan, but the thoughtful human context infuses The Mechanic with unexpected depth.

Despite enjoying numerous locations ranging from Bishop's elegant bachelor's pad to plenty of learning-the-trade settings (including a small plane flight), the film is edited for bold brevity. When the time comes for action scenes, Winner excels with a deft touch, building tension in sharp strokes to keep the energy on edge. The stuntmen enjoy their moments of glory in a motorcycle chase on hillside trails and a car chase on twisty Italian coastal roads. The explosions are plentiful and spectacular, and the one shootout is suitably noisy. Using finely crafted tools, The Mechanic delivers the fix.

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Movie Review: Assassination (1987)

A rudimentary action movie, Assassination is a low-budget excuse for Charles Bronson to side-step a few explosions and cause a few of his own.

In Washington DC, senior Secret Service agent Jay Killian (Bronson) returns to work after some sick leave. With a new President about to the sworn in, Killian is disappointed to learn he is tasked with protecting the First Lady Lara Craig (Jill Ireland). Nevertheless, he gets down to work with his partner agent Charlotte Chang (Jan Gan Boyd).

Lara is opinionated and refuses to follow Killian's security advice. They clash frequently, but then a series of dangerous incidents convince Killian that Lara's life is being targeted. Her unusual relationship with the President also raises questions. Soon Lara and Killian are on the run, evading several attempts on her life.

Produced by Cannon Films and featuring the penultimate Jill Ireland screen performance, Assassination does a few (very few) things right. The spiky dynamic between the husband and wife pairing of Bronson and Ireland is easygoing and fairly enjoyable. The if it moves, it explodes scientific principle is staunchly applied. The explosions are never necessary, but always three times as big as they need to be. And the casting of Jan Gan Boyd as Killian's feisty partner (in more ways than one) is progressive, although she never comes close to convincing as a Secret Service agent.

Otherwise, the plot is beyond ridiculous, character definitions are non-existent, the wooden supporting actors are laughably inept, the villains are barely identified, the editing is often painfully amateurish, and the directing by Peter Hunt is distracted. Once Killian and Lara go on the run (in planes, trains, and automobiles, plus motorbikes), the film unravels into an endless series of escapes and near-misses strung together with no context. The movie becomes a boring playground for stunt performers and the pyrotechnic crew.

Assassination has no shortage of big bangs, but fizzles into a whimper.



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Movie Review: Borderline (1980)

A human smuggling thriller, Borderline features routine action in a story of border agents pursuing profiteers exploiting illegal migrants. 

Jeb Maynard (Charles Bronson) is the senior agent in charge of a US border patrol station located in the rough terrain between San Diego and Tijuana. With the amount of human smuggling activity increasing rapidly, agent Jimmy Fantes (Bruno Kirby) arrives to bolster Jeb's team, which also includes veteran agent Scooter Jackson (Wilford Brimley). 

Local rancher Carl Richards (Bert Remsen) hides behind a facade of respectability but is part of an elaborate for-profit human smuggling enterprise. Ex-Marine Hotchkiss (Ed Harris) manages all the dirty field logistics for Richards. Late at night on a desolate stretch of highway, Jackson stumbles upon a truckload full of illegal migrants, and is killed by Hotchkiss. Jeb has few clues to go by, but is determined to bring the murderer to justice.

A modest Charles Bronson vehicle directed and co-written by Jerrold Freedman, Borderline benefits by staying within itself. The action scenes are brief and restrained, with emphasis instead on following the evidence (in this case, distinctive footprints). Jeb tries different angles to uncover the conspirators, including going undercover to join a group of migrants being smuggled across the border.

The lure of profits from shifting "units" across the border is huge, and the plot follows the money to the swanky offices of tycoon Henry Lydell (Michael Lerner). He is interested in maximizing revenues by scaling up the business, pushing Richards to do more in a cold-blooded demonstration of supply and demand dynamics.

Bronson breezes through the drama with his usual unflappable presence, Freedman always finding refuge in his star's craggy face and squinty eyes. In his first notable big screen role, Ed Harris makes for an effective stony-faced villain, a Vietnam veteran now finding a money-making outlet for his military skills. The ever-dependable Wilford Brimley further enhances the cast.

The migrants themselves are reduced to faceless and nameless individuals sprinting across the desert terrain in search of a better future. The sole exception is one bright-eyed teenager who is provided a name and sketch story, but he drops out early to provide Jeb with an interaction pathway. Borderline never claims to possess big answers or narrative sophistication, but does complete the crossing with minimal fuss.



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