Monday, November 5, 2012

The Five Best Charles Bronson Performances

During the early 1970s, Charles Bronson was the biggest star in the world--well, pretty much everywhere except the U.S. However, he quickly attracted the attention of American studios and became a boxoffice attraction stateside with films like Death Wish, St. Ives, and Telefon. Before his unexpected international stardom, he headlined quality low-budget efforts (Machine Gun Kelly) and made memorable impressions in supporting roles in movies like The Magnificent Seven. Sure, he starred in some stinkers in the 1980s, but let's forget about those and focus on the five best starring performances from the underrated Charles Bronson:

The original Death Wish.
1. Death Wish.  Morally repugnant? No. Ethically questionable? Probably. Highly manipulative? Definitely. This 1974 controversial vigilante drama may be difficult to watch at times, but it's well-made and acted with conviction. Film critic Judith Crist noted Bronson's "superb performance" as the everyman who gradually evolves into a one-man jury. Even Rex Reed wrote: "People who are tired of being frightened, endangered and ripped-off daily in New York City are going to love Charles Bronson in Death Wish as much as I do." The less side about the Death Wish sequels, the better.

Mr. & Mrs. Bronson in From Noon Till Three.
2. From Noon Till Three. Playwright Frank D. Gilroy (The Subject Was Roses) wrote and directed this clever satire about celebrity. Bronson plays Graham Dorsey, a minor outlaw who spends an afternoon with an attractive widow (Jill Ireland--Bronson's wife). Her later account of their romantic interlude--imaginatively enhanced--spawns a bestselling book, play, and song. She becomes wealthy and he winds up in prison where no one believes that he's the famous Graham Dorsey. Bronson creates one of his best characters in Dorsey, who is equally charming and conniving. Ireland gives her best film performance.

3. Once Upon a Time in the West. Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western masterpiece is an ensemble piece about the final days of the Old West (though, with its three-hour length, each of the four main characters get plenty of screen time). Bronson is a standout as the enigmatic Harmonica, whose motive for seeking vengeance against Henry Fonda's nasty villain isn't revealed until the film's grand showdown.

Remick on the phone in Telefon.
4. Telefon. Bronson portrays a KGB agent who teams with an American spy (Lee Remick) to uncover a network of programmed assassins--apparently normal people who turn into killers after listening to Robert Frost's poem "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening." Sounds preposterous? Perhaps, but it's immensely entertaining and Bronson hits all the right notes as the dogged pursuer with a photographic memory.

5. Hard Times. Bronson plays a drifter during the Great Depression, who meets a hustler named Speed (James Coburn) and becomes a successful bare-knucled fighter. It's a quiet Bronson performance, but he and the fast-talking Coburn (along with Strother Martin as their "cut man") make a fine team. TIME critic Jay Cocks called the film "a tidy parable about strength and honor" with Bronson's "best performance to date."

Honorable Mentions:  The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven (two excellent films included here only because Bronson's screen time is limited); Red Sun (an international Western more fun than it has a right to be); and Breakheart Pass (a Western mystery set on a train).

13 comments:

  1. I've always seen Charles Bronson in the same light as Sterling Hayden and Robert Mitchum -- They sometimes don't get much appreciation and are accused of deadpanning all or most of their performances. But I love all three of these actors, and I don't think people realize, especially with Bronson, how versatile they all were. Bronson doesn't play DEATH WISH as a tough guy, but as an everyday man who takes extraordinary measures. It's incredibly convincing, and his performance is what makes the movie so good. My favorite Bronson performance from your list is HARD TIMES -- understated, at times tongue-in-cheek and entirely heartfelt. Your focus on a wonderful and underrated actor is most appreciated!

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    1. Sark, I liked HARD TIMES the first time I saw it. It holds up very well (and Coburn is also quite good in it).

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  2. I agree with all your choices, Rick, but would probably substitute "The Mechanic" for "Telefon", though "Telefon" would still be in the top 10.

    Even I, a Charles Bronson fan, would not lay claim to him being a great actor, but he had enormous charisma, and a screen presence many actors would kill for.

    I remember "Rider in the Rain" getting good reviews, and so did Bronson's performance, but I haven't seen that one yet.

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    1. Yes, I thought long and hard about THE MECHANIC, too. I haven't seen RIDER IN THE RAIN in a long time, but there's a good quality version of it on YouTube (I'll be watching it soon!).

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  3. Thanks for this, Rick.

    I have a strange affection for Bronson b/c he's is one of my mother's favorite actors. She has always liked physical actors because she never quite learned English. We came to this country in 1974 & there was a small theater close to us that used to show movies with Spanish subtitles. These weren't new releases. They'd get "old" films, a few years old perhaps and show them what seemed like forever. My mother and I went to see Death Wish there. I was about 6 years old. Perhaps shocking but I knew nothing about ratings and my mother knew less. So, we're in the theater and the film starts and my mother soon has a case of nerves, finding the film very hard to take. So we left about 15 or 20 minutes in. I was fine with it. Fascinated with anything shown on the big screen. Since then, I might add, my mom has seen all the Death Wish films countless times. Even the terrible ones and loves them all. She loves action films, the bloodier, the better.

    Aurora

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    1. Great story, Aurora! By the way, my teenage sister was my "adult guardian" when we went to R-rated movies.

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  4. Once Upon A Time In The West -- tremendous Bronson performance. The Magnificent Seven -- ditto! Those are my favorite Bronson movies, right along with his portrayal of the deaf-mute Igor in House of Wax, when he was Charles Bushinsky - LOL!! Interesting and fun post, Rick!

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  5. Oh, P.S. -- I had a hard time voting on the post-1960 president poll. Where is Henry Fonda in Failsafe?!! Didn't he just seem like the perfect type of president? Love that movie! However, I did find another favorite to vote for!

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  6. Solid list. I don't remember if it was "10 To Midnight", but there was a movie where he told his daughter he HATES QUICHE. It was hilarious. Bad movie, but that scene was great.

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  7. I am a big Charles Bronson fan. I like many of his movies and his performances in all of them. My husband and I really like Telefon. Charles and the rest of the cast are great. Hard Times is a fine performance, so is Death Wish, and The Mechanic. I think most all of his performances were good. I don't care what anyone says but I loved him in Red Sun and Mr. Majestyk. I don't think any actor I know could have made those two movies as interesting as him. You must have had a nice sister. Not one of my brothers would have been an "adult guardian" and taken me to a movie in a theater!! I had to wait until Bronson's movies came on TV!

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  8. I was a big Bronson fan - I always loved his craggy presence even in small roles as in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. There was just something about him that captured the imagination.

    Though I'm not a big 'hit man thriller' movie fan I do remember seeing THE MECHANIC. I never did see DEATH WISH, primarily because I found the whole idea not something I'd care to watch.

    I did see all the other movies you mention in the post though. Good stuff.

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  9. I'm also a huge Bronson fan. Even though I'm not big fan of violent films, I have watched and enjoyed all of Bronson films. My favorites, are the ones he did with his wife Jill Ireland.

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  10. No..no...no..."Once Upon A Time IN The West" should be #1. SGR

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