Cold Sweat

'Cold Sweat' is a 70's actioner I was actually quite pleasantly surprised by. Charles Bronson plays a guy whose cronies have caught up with him after spending many years in jail for a crime that he fled from. He's in sanctuary in France with his wife (played, rather slummingly wouldn't you say? By Liv Ullmann), and what do you know, his evil friends from the past catch up with him and takes his whole family hostage so that they can complete the One More Job together. Bronson accepts, but since this is a Bronson film, He's Got Other Tricks Up His Sleeve. So begins a fun little cat and mouse game, mainly dealing with the daughter or other of the bad guys (played hilariously by James Mason) and the trade-offs Manson and Mason are fun to watch. There's lots of chases too! Wee! Finally, I just want to comment on the print of the film I saw on DVD. It looked somewhat banged up, but I thought it just added to the viewing aesthetic of the movie! I just felt I was in a New York grindhouse movie theater, with this double featured with say, Dolomite or something.

I watch movies for specific reasons. I don't always look for such things as a plot. What did I get out of "Cold Sweat"?

First, a reminder to mix business AND pleasure. The gentlemen who produced this could have filmed in New Jersey. Rather, they chose the south of France. Good choice! Beaulieau-sur-Mer in the south of France, as well as the lovely French countryside way down south.

Charles Bronson pumped up, as usual. It appears that he does a set of push-ups before every scene. He's cut, in a black T-Shirt for the whole film. And he's not in his famous revenge mode. Here, he calculates. And expresses himself, emotionally. See the quote section...

Terrance Young's direction. Yes, the early Bond-film director is at his bond-vivant! best, with rich panoramas and an eye for pretty things. I'll have another, garson.

Nice Airport and a really cool 1970 hair salon. Think Korova milk bar ala Clockwork Orange.

Old French cars from the late 60's. Those Citroens are cool. And that off-roading experience in that red sedan was hilarious. Also, the close-up of the bias-ply tire folding over...priceless.

Finally, attractive leading ladies.

If you can find this movie, watch it! I found my DVD at Fleet Farm coupled with another Bronson movie, "Chino" for the reasonable charge of $4.99.

Usually this Italian Charles Bronson outing gets torn to shreds, but I found this sturdy, vigorous and taut crime feature to be modestly well-done in what it sets out to achieve with its modest budget. This would be the first international production (the others to follow 'Red Sun (1971)' and 'The Valachi Papers (1972)') and the weakest of three films, which director Terence Young would have Bronson in the leading role. Bronson is reliable and looks in good shape. Along side him there are recognizable faces in James Mason, Liv Ullmann, Jill Ireland, Luigi Pistilli, Michel Constantin and Jean Topart. The lesser support cast do an admirable job, but the likes of Mason, Ullmann and especially Ireland hit the bottom. Mason basically chews on his lines. Ullmann doesn't look all that comfortable and Ireland just makes you cringe. The former two are wasted. Other than Bronson, it's the villainous side-kicks Pistilli, Constantin and the cold-blooded Topart that are the life of the party. The script falls on the flimsy side. A tightly drilled and violently gritty story, but elementary straight-laced all-the-same. A former soldier/drug smuggler attempts to start a new life in the south of France with his family, but some of his ex-comrades return to settle a score. What begins as slow-grinding, laying out the premise's predicament would gradually unfold into a collection of grit-your-teeth, cat-and-mouse set-pieces. Thrillingly fast, long-winded and twisty-turny cars chase being the pick of the lot. It's not until the last half of the story when the raw, brutal explosiveness kicks in. The pace moves well enough, and the scenic photography of the European locations is fittingly captured. The bravura camera-work solidly gets amongst the action and the swirling music score is penetratingly overstated in a gusty fashion. Durable action joint.

Charles Bronson is as cool as cool gets in this okay action-thriller based on a Richard Matheson novel. Bronson plays "Joe Martin", American expatriate and boat expert living in France with a wife (Liv Ullmann) and stepdaughter (Yannick Delulle). One eventful night, his dark past catches up with him; an old associate, Ross (James Mason) wants him to atone for a past mistake by getting mixed up in the drug trade.

"Cold Sweat" is an okay film of its kind. No more, no less. It's directed with some competence if not an over-abundance of style by Terence Young ("Thunderball"). It mostly derives tension from the pressure put on Joe by such characters as Ross, Whitey (Michel Constantin), and Fausto (Luigi Pistilli). Of course, one is never in much doubt that Bronson will rise up righteous and kick some ass. He handles much of what goes on with some true savvy - and a fair amount of amusing dialogue.

A drawling Mason is great fun to watch, especially as Ross must deal with unexpected difficulties. Some folks might say that Ullmann is slumming here, but she offers an appealing performance as a wife who tries her best to be strong. Bronson's real-life love Jill Ireland is okay as a moll. But it's Jean Topart who tends to steal the show, cast as a tough-talking, trigger-happy goon named Katanga.

The unqualified highlight of the film is an extended car chase that is at least reasonably exciting. Bronson, who's at the wheel, has a pretty imposing (and unlikely) deadline staring him in the face.

Overall, "Cold Sweat" is well worth a look for fans of the star.

Seven out of 10.

Charles Bronson is an expatriate American boat owner in the south of France, living with his wife, Liv Ullmann and his stepdaughter. He seems a lighthearted guy, until James Mason shows up. Mason was his captain in the army, and the leader of a smuggling ring, which included Bronson. Bronson turned witness, and Mason went to prison. Now Mason has kidnapped Ullmann and daughter to force Bronson to take part in his latest scheme. But despite some good planning, matters soon become complicated.

It's seems like an odd trio, but despite Bronson clearly being the star, Ullmann and Mason get some fine, extended sequences. There's also some fine location camerawork around Nice and Beaulieu-sur-Mer, an exciting high-speed driving sequence, and Jill Ireland as a ditz.