Ms. Birri and I watched this slice of 70s sundrenched cinema this weekend.
I thought it was excellent, for what it was. My appreciation for Charles Bronson, whom I short-sightedly characterized for many years as a shoot-em-up action/adventure guy, continues to grow.
I also appreciated the non-stereotyped portrayals of migrant workers.
Nice cinematography with regard to the natural landscape.
And a big thumbs up for including the red ATSF boxcar.
I need to get around to this one. Fleischer is not on my auteur radar, otherwise I would have seen this sooner. I've been catching up on some fine Bronson this year as well. (Death Wish [not as simplistic as I had been led to believe], Breakout, The Mechanic, The Stone Killer, Breakheart Pass [first time in ages])
Anyone have any thoughts on Chato's Land and/or From Noon till Three?
Great film. One of bronson's best films. Superb score by charles bernstein too. Movie stolen by Al (Sollozzo in godfather) Lettieri but overall great dialogue. Bronson has some terrific lines, as does Al Lettieri.
Majestyk: "You make sounds like you're a mean little ass-kicker... but I ain't convinced.... You keep talking and I'm gonna take your head off."
Probably on a par is Hard Times. Noon till 3 is tosh but Chato's Land is ok, not as good as Winner's Lawman though.
You may recall in True romance Drexl Spivey (Oldman): talking about Christian Slater, says "Marty. Y'know what we got here? Motherfuckin' Charlie Bronson. Mr Majestyk..."
OK. So right off the bat: Excellent main title music by Charles Bernstein - great arrangement, a little bit of dissonance, unusual sound.
Would Bronson have been so willing to put the asshat gas station attendant in his place if Linda Cristal wasn't so svelte and foxy?
9 minutes in now and I see we're getting a rematch between Bronson and Paul Koslo from The Stone Killer: "You make sounds like you're a mean little asskicker..."
OK. So right off the bat: Excellent main title music by Charles Bernstein - great arrangement, a little bit of dissonance, unusual sound.
The score was good, but overall, I found it to be an amalgamation of a lot of 70s sounds, especially Morricone.
Of course, as the third Bernstein brother, it must have been very hard to live up to the standards that his two older brothers, Elmer and Leonard, had set.
Al Lettieri is in this! This movie is now officially an early 1970s classic. I don't even need to watch the rest of it to certify it as such.
Naturally, that snarky Charlie Bronson thinks Lettieri, looking his most thuggish ever, is a TV star who plays the accordion. Will he regret saying that later on?
OK. So right off the bat: Excellent main title music by Charles Bernstein - great arrangement, a little bit of dissonance, unusual sound.
The score was good, but overall, I found it to be an amalgamation of a lot of 70s sounds, especially Morricone.
Of course, as the third Bernstein brother, it must have been very hard to live up to the standards that his two older brothers, Elmer and Leonard, had set.
You can't beat the 1970s funk sound as far as I'm concerned.
And you almost had me going with the Bernstein brothers bit. The fact that you neglected to mention Peter gave the game away.
Theres a great line from lettieri when he cant get a straight answer from Bobby Kopas (koslo)
Paraphrasing but something like "i only knowed you a half hour and all you done is talk shit to me out of da side of your mouth...."
I just came to that scene - about the halfway mark. Koslo was actually cowed. I'm awaiting some type of showdown with Kopas, Renda, and The Melon Felon.
It's getting brutal. Lettieri and his mooks are at the melon farm, bashing in a cop's head with a 4x4, roughing up the hired hands, shooting up stacks of harvested watermelons. (Like heads being blown away. I see what they did there.)
Oof! And now they've crushed Alejandro's Rey's legs with a car. And this was rated only PG?
