Red Sun

East meets West in this rather ingratiating period Western. Set in 1860 America, it has a Japanese ambassador (Tetsu Nakamura) traveling by train to meet the President. There, the ambassador will give the President the gift of a special sword. But then bandits including Link (Charles Bronson) and Gauche (Alain Delon) seize control of the train, intending to make off with the loot on board. But the back-stabbing Gauche betrays Link, steals the sword, and rides off into the sunset. Now, a samurai named Kuroda (Toshiro Mifune) must track down the bad man, kill him, and retrieve the sword within seven days, or else commit hara-kiri. Since he and Link both have an interest in Gauche, the two of them team up - albeit reluctantly on Links' part.

Overall, this is good fun, and is capably directed by Terence Young. It was more violent than this viewer expected; while some people will be put off, I didn't mind at all. It's got decent action throughout, with the finale taking place within tall grass as the main characters are attacked by aggressive Comanches. It's also got plenty of sex appeal, as some of the ladies, such as Ursula Andress as Gauches' girlfriend, show off some skin. But what really makes "Red Sun" work to the extent that it does is its humour. The culture clash leads to some real chemistry between Bronson and Mifune. Bronson is especially amusing. We didn't always get to see this kind of performances from him: jovial, smiling, cracking jokes. And he goes to work on manipulating Mifune with a vengeance. Link wants to keep Gauche alive as long as possible so he can find out where the loot is stored, and has to convince Kuroda not to kill him immediately.

Other familiar faces turn up: Anthony Dawson, Luc Merenda, Monica Randall, etc. But if you're a fan of the stars, you'll find that this is primarily a solid vehicle for their abilities. Delon makes for a great villain, looking right at home in Western duds. Putting in a special appearance is another lovely lady, Capucine, who plays Pepita.

While somewhat overlong, "Red Sun" does show the audience a pretty good time.

Seven out of 10.

Culture clash ending in mutual respect, with an understanding of BOTH cultures... good western action-adventure at the same time. Battle of wills and skills as Bronson butts heads with Mifune, who of course has all kinds of surprises Bronson's character has never seen. They are forced by circumstance to collaborate and travel together. Bronson the epitome of western tough and smart guy, in this case whose ethics are not always ivory soap; Mifune plays the epitome of determined, skilled, smart, ethical samurai knight type. Very funny watching them struggle with each other, surprise each other, and learn from each other... and deal with bordello, desert, etc. They have to retrieve the treasured sword and in the process chase down and fight a truly nasty slick cold fish. You'll end up liking Bronson and loving Mifune. Both actors did a wonderful classic job with this one!

Red Sun is the type of film they mean when they talk about international production. American Charles Bronson, Japanese Toshiro Mifune, German Ursula Andress, French Alain Delon, Italian Capucine and for good measure this film was shot on the plains of Spain which did not look like they'd seen much rain by Englishman Terrence Young.

The film concerns the train robbery of a gang in which Alain Delon is in charge. The money isn't enough for Delon, the train is carrying some Japanese passengers with a ceremonial samurai sword, a gift from their Emperor to our president. Two of three Japanese are killed, the mistake Delon makes when he decides the sword would make a nice souvenir is that he lives a real live Samurai in Toshiro Mifune alive with a vengeance quest. Delon makes a second mistake in double crossing Charles Bronson and not killing him as well. Bronson is a member of his gang who cuts all ties, but forms an uneasy alliance with Mifune.

Mifune wants Delon dead, but Bronson just wants him alive long enough to say where he's hidden the money. Bronson and Mifune go to a bordello run by Capucine to get Ursula Andress, a hooker favored by Delon as a hostage.

Red Sun works nicely as a film because of the interesting if antagonistic chemistry between Bronson and Mifune. From an uneasy alliance they develop a genuine regard for each other. As for Delon he has a gentlemanly demeanor that's a very thin veneer for one of the meanest mean streaks ever on the big screen.

Fans who are younger will recognize the plot of Red Sun being later used in a modern day feature Renegades with Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips as the uneasy allies with Rob Knepper as the gang leader with a mean streak.

I'm not really big on foreign made westerns, but I make an exception in the case of Red Sun.

One thing's for sure, this is the only movie where you get to see a Samurai fight a Comanche. Charles Bronson plays an outlaw who robs a train. Among the passengers on the train is the ambassador of Japan and his samurai bodyguard, played by The Seven Samurai's Toshiro Mifune. When Bronson is double-crossed by one of the men in his gang, he teams up with the samurai to chase down the villain and get his revenge. If you think this sounds like a Jackie Chan/Owen Wilson movie, you're right on. Shanghai Noon was definitely a parody of this film. This is a very enjoyable, action-packed, unique western, but it definitely has some R-rated content. At the end of the day, it's hard to find a better Charles Bronson western. 4 out of 5 action rating

I had to see this film...mostly because of the strangeness of the cast. In addition to the three guys I mentioned above, Capucine and Ursula Andress appear in the film....making it a film starring an American, a couple French folks, a Swiss lady and a Japanese man! Talk about a strange conglomeration of actors!

When the film begins, the first Japanese ambassador to the United States is on a train heading through the west towards Washington, DC. However, a gang of bloody bandits hold up the train and kill a lot of folks...and steal the gift from the Emperor to the President. The ambassador is determined to get this back and sends one of his samurai (Mifune) to recapture the sword that was stolen by Gauche (Delon). It also happens that Gauche (which, oddly, means 'left' in French) just tried to murder his partner (Bronson) and so the Samurai and the angry crook decide to work together to get their revenge on Gauche. But, not surprisingly, the partnership is a rocky one...and the pair have to eventually learn to work together in order to get what they want. This process makes up the bulk of the film.

While the mismatched theme is very familiar, the situation is, at the very least, hard to believe and a bit contrived! You simply have to ignore this and watch the film and enjoy it for what it is-- an escapist action film. The Comanches in the film, by the way, fight like idiots--charging up to be bumped off one after the other! Not especially good or bad...just competently made and worth your time overall.