Charles Bronson plays Chino Valdez, a reclusive horse rancher who takes great pride in his free-roaming mustangs; however, he's largely avoided by people in nearby towns for being a half-breed. Then into his life comes a runaway kid, Jamie Wagner (Vincent Van Patten, "Rock 'n' Roll High School"), and a relationship akin to that of a father and son dynamic develops. Chino falls hard for Catherine (Jill Ireland), the half-sister of an arrogant cattle baron (Marcel Bozzuffi, "The French Connection") who owns more of the local land than Chino realizes. Naturally, the bigoted Bozzuffi warns the horse rancher to stay away from his sibling. Things, unfortunately, only get uglier as the story plays out.
This Bronson fan quite liked this one, precisely because it wasn't the typical Bronson vehicle where we get to see him do many badass things. It functions as more of a straight drama that only gets a little more action-oriented and melodramatic in its final quarter. It's a slow, quiet, appealing tale, with a script credited to Clair Huffaker based on a novel by Lee Hoffman. It features some truly beautiful horses, and much lovely scenery as well (this was filmed in Almeria, Spain). The credited producer / director is the great John Sturges, of such classics as "The Great Escape" and "The Magnificent Seven", and the score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis is a delight. Bronson is in good form, Van Patten is appealing, Bozzuffi is an effectively unsubtle antagonist, and Ireland is endearing (especially as she figures in a lot of the lighter moments). So there are certainly fine ingredients in play here. It likely won't be to all tastes, and it refrains from giving us a conventional, "happy" ending, which may affect how viewers feel about the film overall. Still, it's worth a look for Bronson fans looking for a slight change-of-pace.
Seven out of 10.
This Bronson fan quite liked this one, precisely because it wasn't the typical Bronson vehicle where we get to see him do many badass things. It functions as more of a straight drama that only gets a little more action-oriented and melodramatic in its final quarter. It's a slow, quiet, appealing tale, with a script credited to Clair Huffaker based on a novel by Lee Hoffman. It features some truly beautiful horses, and much lovely scenery as well (this was filmed in Almeria, Spain). The credited producer / director is the great John Sturges, of such classics as "The Great Escape" and "The Magnificent Seven", and the score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis is a delight. Bronson is in good form, Van Patten is appealing, Bozzuffi is an effectively unsubtle antagonist, and Ireland is endearing (especially as she figures in a lot of the lighter moments). So there are certainly fine ingredients in play here. It likely won't be to all tastes, and it refrains from giving us a conventional, "happy" ending, which may affect how viewers feel about the film overall. Still, it's worth a look for Bronson fans looking for a slight change-of-pace.
Seven out of 10.