Red Sun (1971).

Review #2564: Red Sun.

Cast: 

Charles Bronson (Link Stuart), Ursula Andress (Cristina), Toshirō Mifune (Kuroda Jubei), Alain Delon (Gauche), Capucine (Pepita), Barta Barri (Paco), Lee Burton (Mace), Anthony Dawson (Hyatt), Gianni Medici (Miguel), George W. Lycan (Sheriff Stone), Luc Merenda (Chato), and Tetsu Nakamura (the Japanese Ambassador) Directed by Terence Young (#150 - Dr. No, #278 - From Russia with Love, #335 - Thunderball, #1763 - Inchon)

Review: 

Yes, there are some movies that do slip by the radar despite having a few big names around the sun. Apparently, the film had been in development since 1968, complete with Toshiro Mifune being tapped early but the idea of having Clint Eastwood as a co-star eventually fizzled. Instead, in perhaps amusing irony, you've got Charles Bronson (one of the stars of The Magnificent Seven, the remake of Seven Samurai) co-starring with Mifune. Laird Koenig wrote the story for the film before a handful of screenwriters came in with Denne Bart Petitclerc (in his first screenplay after writing for TV and fresh off the one season run of creating Then Came Bronson [1969-70]), William Roberts (coincidentally a writer on the Seven film), and Lawrence Roman for what became a French-Italian-Spain production (i.e. filming in Spain and plenty of worldly companies producing the venture, which actually was supposed to be a Warner Bros.-Seven Arts movie). It was the second of three movies that Young made back-to-back with Bronson (a favorite of making movies in Europe that he once stated were thought to be foreign by Americans and American by the Japanese) with Cold Sweat (1970) and The Valachi Papers (1972) being the others (each with varying levels of involvement from French-Italian companies). Incidentally, Mifune learned his lines phonetically, as he did for roles in English (which, well, he didn't know the language, and this isn't even getting into movies where he is dubbed like with Midway [1976]). It didn't exactly become a widely well-known hit, although Mifune's presence apparently got it a couple of attendance records in the run in Japan. Apparently, Quentin Tarantino noted his appreciation of the film on at least one occasion.

 

The term "Spaghetti Western" referred to Westerns produced in Europe that were mostly made in either Italy or Spain. Here lies the setting in 1870, a couple of years after the first Japanese ambassadors arrived in America and yet there are perilous times ahead on a journey through the West through railroads and outlaws. You get an "East meets West" type of buddy movie that makes for an unwieldy but serviceable time to sit through at least once. By the first 25 minutes of its 112-minute runtime, you get the setup that appeals to the most ridiculous of time limits: if the duo fails to recover a gold-handled tachi in one week for the ambassador, the bodyguard and the ambassador will actually commit harakiri (ritualistic suicide*). Heck, by the time 40 minutes are gone, you already got a brief goofy fight to make light of Bronson trying to "fight" Mifune. In that sense, Bronson probably benefits from a clash of macho-ness with Mifune where he seems to not aim for the usual dry self in the "shoot-and-slash" pace of action. Sure, he still is outdone by Mifune in the type of presence that comes with basically commanding the screen without having to say much, but I think you get the appeal that each bring in learning what really matters in "honor". Honestly, the film needed a bit more from Andress and others, because it really is a road film with Bronson & Mifune and Delon basically sucks out the rest of the energy even with the limited time basically being a mustache-twirler type of adversary. The sequence near the climax where they have to confront Comanches does veer into a few cliches, but at least the movie finds a way to close itself out with a mostly deserving finish (predictable, sure, but familiar fun is still fun). The landscape may seem familiar, and the carnage may be inevitable (dynamite, train robberies, and double-crosses), but that's part of the fun if you buy what Young and company is selling for flim-flam charm. As a whole, it isn't a great movie by any means, but it has a few entertaining moments with a dynamite enough duo with Bronson and Mifune leading the way to make it a curious recommendation for those who like oddball type of Westerns.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Song of the day!

Come one, come all, be ready for another month-long celebration in August on Movie Night with...Acknowledged in August Again

*Seppuku, harakiri, you get the idea.

Le Mans.

Review #1851: Le Mans.

Cast: 

Steve McQueen (Michael Delaney), Siegfried Rauch (Erich Stahler), Elga Andersen (Lisa Belgetti), Ronald Leigh-Hunt (David Townsend), Fred Haltiner (Johann Ritter), Luc Merenda (Claude Aurac), Christopher Waite (Larry Wilson), Louise Edlind (Mrs. Anna Ritter), Angelo Infanti (Lugo Abratte), and Jean-Claude Bercq (Paul-Jacques Dion) Directed by Lee H. Katzin.

Review: 

You remember the movie Grand Prix (1966), do you? If you don't, that is fine, because I last viewed it eight years ago, but I remember vividly trying to watch it alongside Le Mans as a double-header on cable television late one night. It didn't work out for one half, but the point remains the same. Grand Prix was the John Frankenheimer spectacle about Formula One racing with a wide cast of international actors. At the same time that this film was released, they had a competing group trying to make their own film about racing that involved Steve McQueen (who had rejected an offer to star in Grand Prix) and John Sturges, which was to be called Day of the Champion. This project clearly interested McQueen greatly in the dignity in the sport, one that he felt certain would be a definitive film on motor racing (as described by his wife later). Unfortunately, McQueen could not get the project to actually get on schedule, which led to him starring in other projects; Le Mans (1971), as it would be re-titled, was his first film role since The Reivers (1969). So, what was this race that interested him? The 24 Hours of Le Mans, established in 1923 in France. If you didn't know what the race was (i.e. not watch recent films like Ford v. Ferrari), the race is an endurance match where the winner is determined by what car covers the most distance in 24 hours of racing, complete with dedication taken to keep the car running without failure and driver health to consider (the most recent death in a race was in 2013). McQueen set up his own production company in Solar Productions, which would form an association with Cinema Center Films to make this feature. It should be noted that McQueen was so in love with racing that he even raced under the Solar label for the 1970 edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring (alongside a second driver); McQueen, with a cast on his leg, saw his team finish second to a team driven by Mario Andretti. Alan Trustman was hired to write the script, but troubles with McQueen led to him being fired in favor of Harry Kleiner. However, Sturges would not end up in the director's chair. After time had spent getting a bunch of footage, they fell into trouble with Cinema Center, wanting to take control of the film due to its lack of progress (to the point where they wanted to replace McQueen with Robert Redford); Sturges was quoted as saying he was "too old and rich" to put up with this kind of trouble. Instead, it would be Lee H. Katzin, a Detroit native that was best known for work in television such as Bonanza and Mission: Impossible before he directed his first film in What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969). Shooting was done during the 1970 edition of the race. The movie, made on a budget of $7.6 million (considerably over budget), could not quite make back its return. McQueen apparently couldn't even race at the historic venue because of insurance issues; during production, driver David Piper got into an accident that resulted in the amputation of his leg. 

A documentary, directed by Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna about the making of the film, was done in 2015 called Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans, which includes taped interviews of the time involving McQueen and Sturges alongside recollections done by his wife, his son, and others. Honestly, the one defining aspect of the film in its 106 minutes is its great flawed nature. It is as if McQueen thought that he could make a art house movie for the racing nut, which seems like the strangest combination imaginable. It is no wonder why Sturges couldn't reconcile his differences with McQueen, and it is evident that one doesn't see much of a vision with Katzin, particularly for a movie that doesn't have much of dialogue. The highlight is the racing, pure in all of its gritty and stated form, which will either attract or dissuade a viewer from seeing this curiosity, right down to seeing a few dings in cars and French locale. I appreciate the craftsmanship that comes from the movie, which does eventually build itself into something worth caring about for a race that feels endless in the span of a day. McQueen is basically a cog in a machine that works on the strength of documentary-like footage and not much else. Leigh-Hunt is adequate in a small supporting role that might have been chewed to coaching cliches but is instead just a quiet role for okay credit. Technically speaking, the parts of Grand Prix that worked were just the racing parts, so making a movie about Le Mans that isn't three hours long is probably a compliment, since having a cursory story about a guy who is consumed by racing and not much else (certainly not Andersen, that much is sure) is better than trying to stretch out for things that you might not remember after the movie ends; in other words, all one needs to know is that involves a race between Porsche and Ferrari where anything can happen in a day. It moves on its own pace without going for the easy "Hollywood" turns, right down to its climax with the final three cars gunning for the best position to take, which it handles quite well with few words. As a whole, it is the ultimate average movie, one that is definitely not for everyone but is a useful document of its time for what was ultimately put on the screen in a star-crossed venture. If you can find it, and if you are into what it wants to say about the roar of the engine, it might work for you. 

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.