crego
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Jun 7, 2009 14:26:05 GMT -5
Post by crego on Jun 7, 2009 14:26:05 GMT -5
Yes ! The "pick it up" scene is great. I like the moment when Bronson goes crazy, because one of his men puts his foot on a chair. This Del Lingman is not only mean, he's nuts too !
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 7, 2009 14:22:46 GMT -5
In fact, Bronson uses one gun in the film, and he shoots an empty coffin. " THE MESSENGER OF DEATH" is no masterpiece, but it's one of the better efforts of Thompson- Bronson, with a good supporting cast.
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 7, 2009 7:00:42 GMT -5
I didn't know about TNT, I was just refering to the total absence of video exploitation of "TENNESSEE CHAMP" over the years : no VHS, no laserdisc (remember ?), no DVD.
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 7, 2009 4:12:12 GMT -5
This is one of the largest roles Bronson had, in his early days in Hollywood. He plays Ben Hastings, a crazed prison escapee, who enjoys killing. " CRIME WAVE" is a classic "film noir", one of Martin Scorsese and James Ellroy's favorite movies of all time. Sterling Hayden is good as the tired cop, Phyllis Kirk is pretty, but the real standout is Bronson, scary as the sadistic thug. In the scene where he punches the informer to death, he looks like a demented ape. With Ted de Corsia and Gene Nelson.
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 7, 2009 2:45:30 GMT -5
" RAID ON ENTEBBE" is OK, Yaphet Kotto is a perfect Idi Amin, and you can spot a young James Woods as one of the commandos. But Bronson's performance is a lazy one. He didn't even cut his hair or shave his mustache, to look like a soldier. He took the Shomron part after Steve McQueen turned it down, and I guess he was chosen for his recent "vigilante" image. In " VICTORY AT ENTEBBE" another version of the same events, Harris Yulin, Bronson's partner in " ST. IVES" took the part of Dan Shomron. The film is tense and realistic, but it's definitely not a " Bronson film".
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 7, 2009 2:01:35 GMT -5
The DVD available in the U.S. are awful, worse than an old VHS. The only way to fully enjoy " CHINO", is to get the english edition of the film with a pristine copy and a good sound. It changes everything, of course... This is the one to get. Different title, too...
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 7, 2009 1:57:17 GMT -5
Interesting episode, with Bronson playing another angry, jealous, bloodthirsty psycho. It's a shame Eastwood and him have no real scene together.
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 7, 2009 1:50:43 GMT -5
I've seen "FANCY FOOTWORK". It's short, but funny, and a very young and muscular Bronson looks to enjoy himself, as an arrogant champ. At one moment, when he slaps (hard !) Skelton's face, with a floorcloth, Skelton can't help but laugh. Must have hurt !
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 6, 2009 14:31:07 GMT -5
I can't say I agree with you, here. "CHINO" is a sad, contemplative euro-western, with very little action, but excellent scenes between Bronson and the kid Vincent Van Patten. Chino was an endearing character, lonely, shy and fiercely independant. Bronson didn't even win, at the end ! Bronson asked his old friend Sturges to direct the film, but he fell ill after a few days, and was replaced by italian producer Diulio Coletti. Bronson didn't object and went on working on "CHINO". This was the end of his long friendship (they first worked together in "THE PEOPLE AGAINST O'HARA", back in 1951 !) with John Sturges.
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 6, 2009 14:26:43 GMT -5
Did you see his second film "THE DRIVER" ? Hill directed Ryan O'Neal (good friend of Bronson), like he directed Bronson. Not the same results, of course...
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 6, 2009 14:22:46 GMT -5
Michael Winner said he had a face lift after "DEATH WISH II", and thought he was "puffy". I think Bronson made that decision because he was 60 at that time, and was playing characters at least ten years younger. He obviously wanted to last a bit longer as an "action hero".
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 6, 2009 14:18:44 GMT -5
No, it "has" not Bronson and Marvin in the cast. It's a terrible mess, mixing two episodes from the TV series " THE VIRGINIAN", one from 1963 (the Lee Marvin one, directed by Sam Fuller) and one from 1967 (" RECKONING", with Bronson and Charles Grodin). The prologue with Michael Conrad, was shot in 1978 and added to this "thing", to establish the two stars were brothers. And yet, the "brothers" never met !
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 6, 2009 11:43:17 GMT -5
This is a strange film. MGM took the last episode of TV series " THE TRAVELS OF JAMIE McPHEETERS", added a prologue and a 30 minutes flash-back, to give it a motion picture length, and exploited it in movie theaters. The film looks understandably cheap, but is not bad. And it's a rare opportunity to see Bronson having a love story on screen, with the beautiful Susan Oliver. With Susan Oliver in the long flash-back sequence.
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 6, 2009 4:29:26 GMT -5
I'm not so enthusiastic about " BREAKHEART PASS", a westernian whodunit, a bit too talky for my taste. I think the cast is much too old, except Jill Ireland (once again badly miscast) no one is under fifty, including the Injuns ! Bronson looks tired, and his role reminds me of Strock in " MASTER OF THE WORLD". His fight with Archie Moore (even older, at sixty !) is the best thing in the whole film.
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crego
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Post by crego on Jun 6, 2009 2:54:11 GMT -5
Shot in Turkey in 1969, by the original " THE ITALIAN JOB" director, this english production is not a great film. The plot looks a lot like " VERA CRUZ", with Bronson in the Lancaster role. But the photography is amazing, and Bronson makes a fine duo with Tony Curtis. It's funny this film didn't resurfaced on DVD...
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