Ranked: Charles Bronson – The Cannon Years
Charles Bronson was born Charles Buchinsky on November 3, 1921 in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania.
To celebrate what would have been Mr. Bronson’s 100th Birthday today, I have invited some special guests to join members of the Bulletproof Action staff as we look back at an important chapter in Charles Bronson’s career… his Cannon Years.
Our special guests include…
- Paul Talbot: Author of Bronson’s Loose: The Making of the Death Wish Films and Bronson’s Loose Again: On the Set with Charles Bronson, Paul is a Charles Bronson historian who in addition to his books has provided commentary tracks for several Blu-ray releases of some of Charles Bronson’s classic films, including the upcoming Kino Lorber special edition release of Mr. Majestyk.
- Austin Trunick: How are we going to discuss Charles Bronson and Cannon Films and not invite the author of The Cannon Film Guide, Volume 1 (1980 – 1984) himself, Austin Trunick!?!
- Adam Howe: Author of the twisted fiction novel One Tough Bastard, Adam’s next novel, co-written with Joseph Hirsch, is The Polack, a 1930s crime pulp “starring” Charles Bronson as… Buchinsky.
- Saurav Dutt: Not only is Saurav Dutt a political analyst and columnist for major media outlets, he is also an action movie analyst who enjoys listening to the Bulletproof Podcast and making special guest appearances here on the site.
Now on to the countdown…
Chris The Brain: Nobody is going to select 1988’s Messenger of Death as Charles Bronson’s best Cannon film as is evident by its position on this list. But nobody can deny that it is Bronson’s best film featuring a Mormon subplot.
Messenger of Death is unique in the fact that it is the one Cannon movie where Bronson doesn’t kill anyone. Instead Bronson’s character, Garret Smith, a newspaper reporter from Denver is investigating the mass murder of a family in rural Colorado but he finds there’s much more at play here than a Mormon family feud.
The big action highlight of the film is when big city reporter Smith and small town reporter Jastra Watson (Trish Van Devere) find themselves on the road with two tanker trucks from the Colorado Water Company looking to put the squeeze on them. That scene has always been my biggest takeaway from the movie, well that and the fact that Bronson was reunited with his 10 to Midnight co-star Gene Davis, but this time Davis managed to keep his clothes on for the entire duration of the film.
Austin Trunick: Oh, Assassination—few people’s favorite ‘80s Bronson flick, but I have a real soft spot for it. Bronson plays Jay “Killy” Killian, a high-ranking Secret Service agent freshly returned from a lengthy medical leave. Thinking that he might need to shake off some rust, he’s given the “easy” assignment of protecting the new First Lady throughout Inauguration Day celebrations. During the parade, a motorcycle explodes near her vehicle—everyone passes it off as an accident except ol’ Killy, who thinks someone might have designs on assassinating the President’s wife.
First Lady Lara Royce Craig—or “One Mama,” as the Secret Service nicknames her—is played by Bronson’s real-life wife, Jill Ireland, and she’s a real battle axe. She likes to sneak away without telling the Secret Service what she’s up to, which is a real problem when it turns out that someone indeed is trying to kill her. She especially dislikes Killy, and so of course the two get stuck with each other when she has to go into hiding. They embark on a cross-country road trip while avoiding assassins at every turn.
As much as I like Assassination, I’ll acknowledge it’s middle-tier Bronson—the action is pretty good for most of the film, up until a wet fart of an ending. Assassination had the misfortune of being made at a time when Cannon found themselves out of money, and had to pull budget from their current productions just to keep the engine running. There were plans to shoot a big, spectacular action finale, but those pages had to be ripped out of the script when the money ran out, and instead we get an anticlimactic ending featuring one of the most obvious Bronson stunt doubles we’ll see in any of his movies.
There’s a lot to like about what’s still there, though. Jan Gan Boyd, playing Killy’s colleague, gets to be one of the rare, Cannon-era Bronson squeezes who’s not just in the movie to be assaulted or killed. And most of all, I like just how comfortable Charlie seems in this role—probably more so than in any other movie he made for Cannon. (Remember: these films were mostly made while Ireland was sick with cancer, and shooting a film took time away from his family and his dying wife.) Bronson and Ireland had great chemistry, for obvious reasons, and both look to be having lots of fun playing this antagonistic relationship. I’m just grateful they got to share a screen one last time before Ireland passed away in 1990.
Saurav Dutt: There is a fine line between lunacy and insanity and Cannon Films frequently erased it with their run of Bronson flicks. But no film in that oeuvre carries quite the scent of salaciousness, depravity, violence, sexual darkness, and downright nastiness than one of their sleazier efforts during the company’s decline: Kinjite-Forbidden Subjects.
In fact you might need a shower and a cosy bubble bath after watching this one because this is one ugly, repellent, revenge flick that will make you squirm a little uncomfortably on the edge of your seat. And by that I also mean this film is utterly captivating and brilliant for the action fan, and a beautiful product of its time.
Want to see Charles Bronson go on a racial tirade where he lambasts entire Japanese history, culture, and anyone who even looks vaguely like they might originate from the South Pacific hemisphere? Check.
Want to see a creepy greasy-haired villain be forced to swallow a luxury time piece at gunpoint and almost gag his intestines out? Check.
Want to see, or at least hear, minors being gang raped and sodomised by disgusting leering human traffickers? Ch….wait, what?!
Yes that’s the kind of film this is and if there is one saving grace to witnessing all this carnage and unpleasantry, it’s in seeing Bronson going postal in his quest to expose a paedophile ring, hunt down sex traffickers, and do his bit for US/Japanese business relations while shooting lots of people.
That’s the story on the face of it but running alongside this is the equally distasteful story of a Japanese family emigrating to the US and adjusting to the cultural landscape. It is the male member of this family who sees his young daughter plucked from the streets and sold off to the aforementioned creepy gang, led by Juan Fernandez who is diabolical yet brilliant throughout the film. Bronson is on the scene to investigate this case but then there’s an extra bit of spice thrown into this Cannon gumbo because it turns out said Japanese businessman has the hots for Charlie’s pubescent daughter and has in fact been sexually assaulting her on the way to school.
Wait, what?
Folks we’re not watching Anna Karenina, we’re paying for brutality Bronson style, we’re paying for un-PC balls to the wall gratuitous sex and violence, and we want our villains to get their comeuppance. In that respect Kinjite delivers everything we the bulletproof action fan demand, even though we have to go through some rocky ethical terrain to get there-but hey you’re a Bulletproof Action fan not a member of the Sound of Music appreciation society, so suck it up and deal with it.
If you want to see Charles Bronson demolish a child prostitution ring with extreme prejudice, force pedophiles to swallow Rolexes with a revolver shoved in their face, stuff dildos up rear ends of villains as retribution, and organize child molesters to be sodomized in the safe confines of a jail cell, then Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects is the film for you. If you want to see some of the most unpleasant bad guys in the history of Cannon Cinema get what’s coming to them, Paul Kersey style, then this is the film for you.
I can tell you this, they won’t ever be making a film of its ugly, un-PC like ilk again and for that reason you need to get this on your watch list today. Just have that bubble bath ready afterwards.
Chad Cruise: Before NBA All Star Lebron James “took his talents to South Beach”, professional architect, hobbyist vigilante, and killer of scum Paul Kersey took his talents out west to Los Angeles. A brief return to New York City for some vacay time (and killing) in Death Wish 3 brought Kersey right back into that world that he had struggled to escape from for the previous films. With Death Wish 4, though, I was almost certain that his new relationship would end in a far less tragic fashion.
Nope… all dead. They’re all dead. The life and loves of Paul Kersey are all destined to end in the most dramatic and terrible way and it’s a real wonder that he doesn’t flip out and kill everyone. Lucky for us good folks, Kersey redirects his rage into burying the criminals who cause the destruction and the drug-peddling cartel scum of L.A. are among the ones who feel his wrath in DW4. Throw in an always game John P. Ryan as the ‘guaranteed to be a bad guy’ millionaire who essentially turns PK into an assassin and you have a Bronson classic that is close but not quite as good as the best of his Cannon bunch.
Matt Spector: Most people know Murphy’s law as “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Those people are fools. I prefer Jack Murphy’s law, “don’t fuck with Jack Murphy.” Charles Bronson as the downtrodden and slovenly (although he looks exactly the same as most of his other films) detective is a unique combination of action and thriller for Bronson. First, there is the aforementioned sad sack cop who is picked on by some of the other cops and is getting divorced from his stripper wife. Second, Jack Murphy is the one on the run while trying to solve the crimes as he is the number one suspect. And third, there is a heavy female (non-Jill Ireland) presence for a Charles Bronson film as he is paired with the potty-mouthed Arabella McGee (Kathleen Wilhoite) and goes against the female main antagonist Joan Freeman (Carrie Snodgrass). Murphy’s Law still provides the same high level action you would expect from Cannon, teaches the audience several juvenile insults thanks to Arabella and gives us what I think should be a new law – Don’t fuck with Charles Bronson.
Adam Howe: The Architect of Death is Back!
Having relocated from NYC to LA, in-demand architect and ex-vigilante Paul Kersey makes the mistake of taking his new squeeze (bleeding heart-lib radio reporter Jill Ireland) and his catatonic daughter (who remains institutionalized following the events of the first movie) for ice cream in the park… which in a Death Wish movie is just asking for trouble. A laudably diverse gang of punks – including Kevyn Major Howard, a memorable ‘that guy’ shitbag of the period, and Larry Fishburne, doing a dry-run for his role as Jimmy Jump in King of New York – steal Kersey’s wallet. Kersey gives chase (Bronson has a hunched, wide-legged, rabid-badger-like gait that’s every bit as singular as Steven Seagal’s run, though of course, far more masculine). He traps one of the bastards in an alley, disarms him, and dishes out a few righteous slaps, but makes the mistake of letting him live. Later, the punks pay a visit to Kersey’s home, where they brutally rape and sodomize his housekeeper, kidnap his daughter (to be raped later), and knock Kersey unconscious. Recovering from his assault, Kersey learns that his daughter has been killed while attempting to escape from the gang (leaping from an upper-floor window and impaling herself on a spiked fence). Kersey immediately reverts to type, checking into a scuzzy downtown hotel, donning a sailor’s knit cap and pea coat, and masquerading as a skid row bum while he stalks and slaughters the scumbags, delivering such stone-faced kill-quips as “Goodbye,” BLAM! To Kersey’s credit, throughout all this, he honors the deadline of his current architectural project… though it must be said, based on his concept designs, he’s a better vigilante killer than he is an architect.
The movie that got the Bronson/Cannon ball rolling. Death Wish II is a nasty, sleazy, cynical piece of work; Bronson’s in it for the paycheck, and director/shit-stirrer Michael Winner jettisons any of the original picture’s subtlety, such as it was, in favor of adding to the running time of the notorious home invasion/rape sequence. Notable for being the one and only screen credit of actress Robin Sherwood, playing Kersey’s daughter, who spends the majority of her time on-screen being brutalized; presumably she had nothing left to give after this performance… although director Winner claimed to have had an on-set affair with the actress, which would surely have soured her on showbusiness. (Winner would have been a dead-cert scalp in the “Me Too” era.)
This is far from Bronson’s best movie, I’ll admit (for me that’s Hard Times, with his best Cannon picture being 10 to Midnight). Kersey has been reduced to little more than a slasher movie maniac, wielding a gun instead of a knife. Jimmy Page’s moody score, and Bronson’s shadow smearing across back alley walls as he stalks his prey, add to that “stalk-and-slash” atmosphere; in his knit cap and pea coat, Kersey could be Frank Zito/Joe Spinell in William Lustig’s Maniac. But I remember this movie fondly from my “yute.” As a kid in the UK, when we only had four television channels, whenever Death Wish 2 aired, the next day all the lads in the schoolyard would repeat Bronson’s “Do you believe in Jesus” line. The home invasion scene was so heavily censored for British TV, reduced to little more than the break-in, and Bronson being knocked unconscious, that it was years before I saw the uncut version – kinda wish I hadn’t – and realized what Bronson was quite so miffed about; I just thought he really, really hated burglars.
Chris DePetrillo: Death Wish 3 is peak Cannon. It’s just nonstop madness for 90 minutes and I couldn’t love it any more than I already do. Gang members take to the streets like wild animals, committing heinous acts daily with no recourse until Paul Kersey comes to town. As anyone who has seen the previous Death Wish films would know, once you cross Kersey, there’s no coming back from it. Except this time his elimination of all of these scumbags is pretty blatant; he kills The Giggler in plain view of his neighbors and gets cheered for it! Paul’s the hero that the neighborhood needs, and Death Wish 3 is a movie that everyone should see at least once. I know that this film is divisive, as some people think this was the downfall of the series, taking it from serious subject matter to cartoonish levels of action. To those people I say think again! Death Wish 3 epitomizes 80’s excess with everything that an R rated movie from Cannon Films should have. To me, this is one of Bronson’s best, and my personal favorite.
Paul Talbot: 10 to Midnight is my personal favorite of the eight films that Charles Bronson made for the legendary Cannon Group. In 1982, Cannon had their first big hit with DEATH WISH II. Naturally, Cannon wanted to make another Bronson movie immediately. They didn’t even have a story in mind, but producer Pancho Kohner came up with the title 10 TO MIDNIGHT and Cannon slapped together a crude black and white poster and took it to the Cannes Film Festival in the spring of 1982. The foreign buyers didn’t need to know what the premise was. The fact that it was a new movie starring Bronson and a gun was enough. Cannon was already in profit on 10 to Midnight before a single frame had been shot or a script had been written. Cannon had Bronson, a title, and a budget—but there was no movie. And Cannon had to find a script right away because the foreign buyers were anxious to get the movie that they had already paid for.
Meanwhile, director J. Lee Thompson (best known for the original Cape Fear) was developing a thriller called Blood Bath about a rule-breaking cop on the trail of a severely-disturbed sex maniac. Thompson had already directed three Charles Bronson movies, so Cannon merged Bronson and the foreign money into the BLOOD BATH project and called it 10 TO MIDNIGHT—even though the title 10 TO MIDNIGHT has absolutely no relation to that script.
While researching Blood Bath, Thompson created the villain by combining several real-life serial killers, including Richard Speck, who had massacred a dorm full of nursing students in Chicago in 1966, and another killer known as “Jack the Stripper,” who murdered six women in London in the mid-60s. That guy was never caught because he stalked the women while he was totally naked, so he left behind no evidence via clothing fibers. Thompson didn’t want his villain to be middle-aged or sleazy. He wanted him to be young, good-looking and clean cut like the legendary 1970s serial killer Ted Bundy. And he named the character “Warren” because he had imagined the character as looking like the movie superstar Warren Beatty.
10 to Midnight didn’t do much at the American box-office when it played theaters in the spring of 1983. By this time, Bronson was 61 years old and most of his fans were older than the people who bought movie tickets. But at that time, the cable TV and video rental markets were exploding. A lot of young viewers first became Bronson fans by watching this ultra-violent picture on Home Box Office in the summer of 1984. And many older Bronson fans had their interest rekindled when they watched this movie. Many fathers and sons bonded while watching 10 TO MIDNIGHT together. Today, almost 40 years after it was made, 10 TO MIDNIGHT stills holds up as a slasher masterpiece.
