Avec les compliments de Charlie

What could have been an excellent crime thriller is turned into a mediocre film thanks to the uninspired direction of Stuart ("Cool Hand Luke") Rosenberg. With Wendall ("Death Wish") Mayes as writer, I had high hopes for this film. Bronson plays an Arizona lieutenant who is after a drug lord (Rod Steiger), responsible for the death of a fellow cop. The FBI butts in, telling him that if he wants to help out he can persuade Steiger's mistress, (Jill Ireland, doing a good Dolly Parton) to give testimony to the DAs. Bronson travels to Switzerland to retrieve her. Lots of boring shots of him taking trains, planes and automobiles to do this. Steiger does a great job playing a stuttering mafiosa don and the film boasts many excellent character actors (Henry Silva, Paul Koslo, Val Avery, Strother Martin, Bradford Dillman, etc.) A few good action scenes, but in the end, we needed more bullets and less love...

This action flop has aged so well to the point when you leave out Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland and most of the cast, the film moves into the realms of a minor (but most certainly unintentional) masterpiece. The stars undoubtedly had a pleasant paid holiday in Switzerland while making the film. Charles Bronson preferred Europe, so this ridiculous change of scenery was probably thrown in as it suited producer, director and stars.

Paul Koslo (the actor perpetually with the worst hair in Hollywood) is as always a lackey and fallguy who gets blown away. But this film really comes into its own with such a towering performance from Rod Steiger that one has to wonder why he wasn't nominated for an Oscar. 100% brilliant comedy send up - his speech impediment is a masterstroke, masterly executed. Steiger can be watched and rewatched endlessly, he's such a scream, while the end of the film one of the best blasts you'll ever see.

This is a solid if somewhat obscure Charles Bronson film. Rod Steiger gave a good performance as a mob boss. Beautiful Swiss film location. Somewhat tame and melancholy story. Still Bronson gets his man. Not his best, but still enjoyable.

Three federal agencies are trying to bring stuttering gangster Rod Steiger to trial. To do that, they need to bring back his bimbo girlfriend, Jill Ireland, from Switzerland. For some reason, they can't extradite her, so they send Phoenix cop Charles Bronson to do the job. In the meantime, the mob sends a hitman after her, so she cannot testify.

With a title that suggests a Keystone comedy, it seems an odd vehicle for Bronson, but director Stuart Rosenberg - John Huston started as the director, but bowed out after shooting a few scenes - puts a lot of comedy into Miss Ireland's performance, the visuals and soundtrack. Extensive location shooting also adds some quality to this movie, making it a very watchable Bronson vehicle.

What's on mind… love definitely more so than bullets. The premise seems rather straight-forward, but within the context is a primarily downbeat and melancholic angle. The crime/thriller slant is pretty low-key (as the chase scenes leisurely tick along) with the main focus being on the three performances; Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland and Rod Steiger and the eventual bonds that are crafted and from that the situations that occur. Love follows on… tragedy also with guts and grit winning out.

Police detective Charlie Congers has been picked to head to Switzerland to rescue an ex-mistress of crime boss Joe Bomposa who now wants her dead. Getting her first means a chance to probably convict Bomposa, but is she as innocent as she claims to know anything of importance about his crime ring.

I'm not particularly surprised to see this Bronson outing become a forgettable title in his career that rarely sees daylight, and those who had seen it mainly want to bombard it for being tedious and bland. I didn't feel that at all. It has a very European vibe to the get-up with a stylish and almost uncommon development. Stuart Rosenberg's textured direction (who replaced John Huston) is economically surefooted, as he works with the beautifully moody and authentic European backdrops (that the compelling cinematography frames) and constructs moments of high-strung suspense. Plentiful they're not, but those few are well-executed. I just wished that the dangerous side wasn't kept in check. Writer Wendell Mayles' (the man behind 'Death Wish') minimal screenplay is simply old-fashioned and the pacing is quite relaxed. Concisely structured. but nothing surprises… well the final climaxes do come up and pinch you. Were I thought it achieved a rather powerful imprint was because of Lalo Schifran's arousing score. It was exotic, colourful and flavoured. Never did it not make some sort of impression. I would say it's up there with his inspired score for 'Dirty Harry (1971)'. He knows how to place the action or feelings on screen with music and successfully push the buttons.

A strong cast do a serviceable job. Bronson's impassively stalwart turn fits accordingly and his chemistry with an empathic Jill Ireland (his actual wife) pays dividends. She was practically in nearly every movie he made during this period. Rod Steiger puts in an outstandingly staggering performance that grows with believable weight. Henry Silva and Paul Koslo hold up well in the bad guy roles. Also featuring with fine turns are Bradford Dillman, Strother Martin, Michael V. Gazzo and Val Avery.