Charles Bronson has always had a cult following as the silent hard man who takes no mess from anybody and he plays it to perfection here in the 1974 classic Mr Majestyk directed by Richard Fleischer.
Based on Elmore Leonard’s original screenplay Bronson plays Mr Majestyk who is an ex-con and Vietnam vet whose efforts to run a normal life as a farmer are thwarted by narrow-minded locals and corrupts cops. When a Mafia hitman destroys Majestyk s crop, the farmer snaps. Taking his rifle in hand, he goes after the syndicate assassin, refusing to stop until his work is done.
There is a lot to like about the film even if it feels slightly overlong at 103 minutes, the action is plentiful and very well shot with a couple of scenes of violence that would shock even today. The music score is fabulous a real 70’s classic and the old fashion good guys v bad guys story will keep your interest until the end. Bronson certainly had the screen presence if not the acting ability to hold a film together and this is one of his lesser known but is well worth checking out.
The disc released by Signal One has a good clear transfer, some film damage at the beginning clears up to give a very pleasant viewing experience with good detail especially in close-ups. The audio is standard for this era of filmmaking and the DTS-HD 2.0 Mono soundtrack is clear and robust.
Some good extras include a newly-filmed interview with actress Lee Purcell and cinematographer Richard H. Kline, an audio commentary with Bronson and Fleischer expert Paul Talbot and the cheesy original trailer.
A good solid action film, so if you fancy being transported back to the 70’s with a slice of revenge violence then this is just the ticket.
FILM: 7.5 PICTURE: 7.5 AUDIO: 6 EXTRAS: 7
