Just wondering if anyone knows why there is very little discussion on this film? It only has 462 votes and there are very few discussions on it as well, far less than other Bronson films from the time, was it a low key release at the time?
For the record I don't actually think it is a great film, but the chase/action scenes are well handled and its always good to watch Bronson, with Al Letteri providing great support.
'My name's Buck...and I'm here to f*ck'
I actually think this is one of Charles Bronson's better films. The last action sequence is great. And you gotta love the bad guys shooting all the watermelons and pissing Charlie off. Excellent stuff. Other favourite Charlie Bronson movies are Hard Times, The Mechanic and Once Upon A Time In The West.
"It was easy for him because he didn't believe it was comin."
I like "Charlie" in almost anything.However,a role where his character throws White working men{Americans}out and replaces them with Mexican invaders is a traitor. Movie or real life.
Charlie lived with the White "elite" and did not have to fight in the streets with George Soros sponsored La Raza hoodlums with Mexican Flags.
That's a good question. I love this film. I also think Bronson was awesome in it. I don't think it's widely available.
J
"Oh Benson. My dear Benson you are so mercifully free of the ravages of intelligence"-Time Bandits
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I tried to start watching the film, but the only copy I had was an old TV taped version from the 80's I found, so I couldn't watch a lot of it, but what I did watch was entertaining- I was interested for two reasons, 1) Bronson and Leonard, and 2) the film was mentioned &/or featured in True Romance ("look at what we got here, *beep* charles bronson, its mr. majestyk") and Kill Bill 2 (a poster of it in Budd's trailer).
shareI first saw this movie on TV in the 70s and for some reason it has always stuck with me. I don't know if it's the way Majestyk keeps Renda on a slow burn like a homicidal Ralph Kramden or the fact that it is the only "revenge" movie (my favorite kind) that forgoes the usual avenging family/wife/kids impetus for vengeance and instead makes the shooting of the melon crop the pivotal event! I love that! That scene has always stuck in my mind and when I got the Bronson DVD set I realized that even though I think Death Wish is a good movie and the others are too, the one Bronson movie that I really would want to watch over and over is Mr. Majestyk. I love this movie and finally got it on DVD and showed it to my 12 year old son who also enjoyed it, but maybe not as much as I do. I guess if he's still recalling the slaughter of all those poor watermelons years from now, then he did.
shareThe best scene is when Bronson asks Renda for the sausages and Renda drops the tray on the floor.
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"They don't give you the leads, they don't give you the support, they don't give you dick." (Dave Moss)
The best scene is when Bronson asks Renda for the sausages and Renda drops the tray on the floor.
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"They don't give you the leads, they don't give you the support, they don't give you dick." (Dave Moss)
I found this movie particularly interesting, because it was filmed in my hometown of La Junta, Colorado, and other near by communities. The town has a population of approx. eight thousand ppl. The region to this day is known for its cantelope/watermelon crops.
my grandfather told me about the movie when i was younger, he worked in the post office and was there during the filming (post office is the building w/ columns in the background where the bus overturns)
http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv12436.php (post office)
http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc1127.php (municipal bldg-"jail". entrance they used was on the left)
http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv12255.php(manzanola, co - this bldg is seen in the background when mr. bronson enters a little restaurant)
It wasnt the best Bronson movie I have seen, but the personal connection makes this movie priceless for me.
I don't think it's a film that calls for much discussion. The plot is very simple and the characters are down to earth. It doesn't ask for philosophy or analysis. It's just plain solid entertainment.
sharei love this movie.
just because i'll always watch it, anytime it is on.
for the last 30 years, if it's on, i'll watch it.
it's like an old friend i guess.
the more you see it, the more you like it.
Al Lettieri is fantastic as Frank Renda. A great performance.
not really a guy you want to piss off.
and Paul Koslo, what an excellent wormy bad guy. terrific.
he played the frustrated cop in vanishing point as well. a great character actor.
and Bronson is at his best. mild mannered, just wants to pick those melons...
damn, i wish it was on right now...
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The plot is not simple. In fact, I don't think its depth is fully appreciated.
The character of Renda, thinly veiled as a mafioso, is meant to represent a hispanic dictator. It's also better not to think of the crops as watermelons, they're the oppressed citizens of this totalitarian state. Watermelons had been decided as a metaphor when the film went into production, since these fruits provide a vital source of nutrients to the barren region. A disruption to the annual crop can lead to deficiencies in people with vunerable physiologies or poor diets. This provides us with a second level of identifiable suffering.
During the film, they're plucked out of their beds and gathered up to be sold at the market. Later we see the greedy facist pig and his mercenaries taking potshots rather than allowing what he supposes is unlicensed profiteering. The ensuing breakneck chase shows us the desperation of the persecuted, who will flee by any means. This final piece reveals Majestyk's hidden identity as the greatest free-market economy in the World. In true horror we come to realise that those poor martyrs would never know the freedom their brothers and sisters tasted, when socialised and monetised, they took their broken country in their own hands and built something better.
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dead on Intimidator!
shareIt's also better not to think of the crops as watermelons, they're the oppressed citizens of this totalitarian state
I must have laughed for five minutes straight when I read this. Excellent Roger Ebert spoof, Autlan.
Good one, Autlan.
I'm still laughing.
I'm amazed I missed all those things when I watched the movie.
They seem so obvious once you explain them.
You ask why it's not voted for then say it's not a great film? My aspect on it it is, yes, why hasn't it had the appraisal it deserves and no, it IS a great film. A good plot and script, Bronson turning the tables on the ape-like Lettieri "...he kills people with a gun, know what I'm sayin', and you ask him 'is he gonna eat his sausage?'!"
shareI watched this because I saw it ont he discount rack at Suncoast. I had loved Bronson's performance in Once Upon a Time in the West and wanted to see if he could a carry a movie as the protagonist, and he did!
I think this movie deserves much more praise than it gets.
C'mon, how did Al Leiteri (sp) basically get off with a slap on the wrist when a bunch of his guys shot up a bus and killed several cops and he was already in jail waiting to be arraigned for murder? I thought Mr. Majestyk stunk. i was really disappointed.
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