I've been subjecting my brains to a marathon of Ol' Chuck's more representative movies, and the time has come to share my "wisdom" with all you. The bottom line? His movies turned out to be better than I remembered them.
The Mechanic (1972) --> Chuck plays a "mechanic", an assasin specialised in killings that must appear as accidents. After a successful mission, he enrols the son of one of his previous victims as an apprentice. He likes the boy (played with nauseating self assurance by the then handsome Jan-Michael Vincent), but his bosses start worrying that his presence may compromise his eficiency.
This is one of the best of the bunch, from the metodically staged killings to the disturbing relationship between Bronson and Vincent to one of the most frenzied endings I've ever seen. A top notch action film only tainted by Vincent, who can't act his way out of a paper bag. A minor fault, because we're supposed to root for Chuck.
Death Wish (1974) --> People consider it the best of the lot, I digress. Such appreciations are usually based in which this one is the most credible of the lot, while I found it absolutely incredible. It's not that bad, but I found the vigilante thesis absolutely nauseating, and Winner's efforts to sustain it against all sanity make it even worse. To be honest, Bronson plays Kersey very well, whereas he's on autopilot on the rest of the series, but that's too little reward.
Telefon (1977) --> One of his best, if not his best movie. An spionage thriller expertly hanled by Don Siegel, director of "Two mules for sister Sarah" or "Dirty Harry". Bronson plays a soviet (!) agent that must travel to the USA and murder some militar (Donald Pleasence) that owns the list of many dorment agents. This agents heve been brainwashed and when they listen to a series of words they attack nearby militar objectives. Both main actors are great, but most of the merit from the film lies in Siegel's filmmaking, that manages to extract a sense of dread of every scene, specially those concerning the dorment agents.
Death Wish II (1982) --> A bit better than the original. Not that it is any good, since it basically is the first film reworked, but at least here Winner moves politics apart and emphatises the thriller and action aspects, which makes it far more enjoyable and fun to watch. BTW, watch for Lawrence Fishburne, he's a riot, specially when he tries to cover his head with a stereo during a shootout.
Death Wish III (1985) --> The best of the lot if you ask me, an action stravaganza that blows away any limits of sanity, as Bronson tackles an entire gang that terrorizes a NY neighbourhood. It's a bit slow moving, but the third act, in which the shootouts scalate into a whole neighbourhood war, must be seen to be believed.
Death Wish IV - The Crackdown --> After number III, the series could only decline. Here the story is minimal, but we get Bronson to kick ass right from the start, and the different action scenes, well handed by J. Lee Thompson, range from pretty cool (the shootout at the oil wells) to extremely chessy (Bronson raiding a crack factory and killing all baddies with a single clip). An okay entry.
The Mechanic, the original Death Wish, and Telefon are awesome movies. Bronson was a great actor for films like this.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep but I have promises to keep...and miles to go before I sleep...
But What About "The Magnificient Seven";"The Great Escape"and "The Dirty Dozen"?
Those are A-movies, and this is a B-movie board. Be happy I included a few of his good movies, because I can't speak of say, "Kinjite", without unleashing the fury of every Charles Bronson fan out there.
Neville Wrote:
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> I can't speak of say, "Kinjite", without
> unleashing the fury of every Charles Bronson fan
> out there.
>
Hmm, as I was reading your comments, especially as I got to DW IV and saw I was nearing the end, I was wondering: where is Kinjite?
Fun stuff, if you like hurling epiteths at the screen and screaming in agony while calling it entertainment.
Of all the things I use to call that movie, entertainment is not one of them. Anyway, I've got some more Bronsof stuff to watch (mostly westerns), so expect a part II of this thread soon.
Imo, Death Wish is best at setting the stage for DW II. Two was good, and I liked Jimmy Page's erie guitar score (the riffs during the final showdown in the asylum still rip in my head), but throughout the whole movie I could not help thinking: what are the odds of this kind of thing happening twice to the same man? The setup just seems a bit forced to me.
It's still a fun flick, and I've seen it probably a half dozen times plus, though it has been years.
Three is the only one I paid to see on the big screen. I was young, and being male, loved any movie with guns, lots of guns, and loud explosions. It did not disappoint. But to be honest, I cannot recall much of the actual plot at all.
Bronson was the action man during the 70's. I didn't see Mr. Majestyk on that list.
And you won't, since I last saw it some years ago. I think it is one of his best films, I like the way violence is graduated, more slowly than usual in this type of films, and Bronson's work as a watermelon farmer (!) makes for some interesting scenes, such as the bad guys "executing" his harvest with machine guns. Didn't like the ending, though, I found it was unnecesarily bloody, since most of the violence in that film is relatively tame.
That's Right.Neither "Mr.Majestyk"or"Chato's Land"Were On There!!Not Too Mention "Chino"!!
I have quite a few Bronson movies in my collection. My favorite is MR. MAJESTYK (which was written by Elmore Leonard). I also enjoy 10 TO MIDNIGHT.
I haven't seen TELEFON in many years, but I am anxiously awaiting a DVD releases.
Check out "The Mechanic" if you haven't, it's even better than "Mr. Majestyk" and every bit as good as "Telefon", which is saying something.
One of our favorite Bronson cheese-flicks is 'Assasination' - even my mom likes it (which is rare)!
I own a copy of THE MECHANIC. I like the beginning and the end, but I think the rest of the movie is average at best. Plus, you have to suffer through 90 minutes of watching Jan Michael Vincent.
Good Lord, I thought it was just me. Glad to see I'm not the only person who thinks Vincent stinks. And probably that one is his only good movie.
I really liked 'Going Home' (1971), with Vincent playing the son of Robert Mitchum. I've only seen it once on TCM, and should have taped it because it's unavailable.
Don't Forget "Chino".Bronson and Sturges Did So Good in "The Magnificeint Seven"and "The Great Escape"Makes You Wonder Why They Did This "Turkey on Ciabatta"of A Spaghetti Western?"Chino"is so bad that you can find at least Five DVD's of it all under a Buck!!