Film Perfection

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

This is possibly one of Charles Bronson's best cinematic performances with the exception of a few of his other films. Albeit the story is a little corny and there seems to be a lot of action going on all the time (which is O.K. with me) this movie really spoke volumes to me. Learning that this film is based on an incident that supposedly happened around 1870, that blew me away alone. A gunslinger, a samurai and a woman who only cares for herself (Ursula Andress) make up for the meat of the cast. A lot of action sequences in this movie and it is a little funny in some spots, Bronson (unusually) provides a lot of the laughs in the film. This movie is incorporating all different types of stuff and it just seems a little to-good-to-be-true type movie, but I really really really liked it! It's not to often that you get to see a gunfighter and a samurai fight on the same side in a "traditional" spaghetti western. Terence Young did a great job on this film. 8 out of 10 stars any day of the week.

In the late 1800's, Arizona. Two desperadoes Link and Gauche with the help of some professional bandits and Mexican outlaws, rob a train which was carrying gold guarded by union soldiers, but also on board is the Japanese ambassador who is heading to Washington D.C. In the process Gauche takes their sacred gold sword, which is a gift from their Emperor to the U.S. president. Also Gauche back-stabs Link by attempting to kill him, so he keeps the cash for himself. Unknowingly to Gauche, Link survives. The ambassador's bodyguard Kuroda, plans to get that sword back and kill him straight away for honour, but Link needs him alive, so he can find out where he hid the stolen loot. The two unwillingly pair up with the same goal, but Kuroda has only got seven days to do so, or he and Link will die by his sword.Terrance Young's multinational (Spain, Italy and France) production of "Red Sun" is a boldly unusual western in the shape of the odd couple (west meets east) set on the old-western frontier, which has a nicely balanced out comic vein and stupendous lead performances. You could call it an experiment and it's an interesting blend, even though the story seems familiar, it does keep to its strengths and never wanders off onto pointless sub-plots. What goes on is elaborately important to the story. A snappily eventful script comes through with the witty humour being drawn upon the pair's bumpy relationship, involving their differences and actions. Charles Bronson is at his charismatic best with a lively turn as the rascally equipped gunfighter Link and the legendary Toshiro Mifune authentically emits classy grace with ace determination and stubbornness as samurai bodyguard Kuroda. They excel together and make a real good pairing. This is what sells the film from the get-go. Alain Delon makes for an formidable villain figure, as the deviously suave Gauche and beautiful bombshell Ursula Andress (who offers a brief topless scene) is terrifically dynamic as Gauche's robust firebrand girlfriend Cristina. Anthnoy Dawson and the wonderful Capucine also show up in minor parts. Young's direction can stumble in some shapeless touches, but mainly he keeps a busy pace and engineers some excitingly biting passages of raw action; like the suspenseful dying half with a bit of splatter on show. Editing is smoothly tailored. Maurice Jarre's uncannily saucy music score is less than grand, but atmospheric enough to the period. Henri Alekan's spaciously scenic cinematography, is kind of lost on the small screen and in full frame. This is sad as the picturesque locations are important to the feel of certain scenes. An assiduously engrossing display of swords and guns, which is far from a masterpiece, but chiefly entertains and makes suitable use of a flavoured international cast.

Toshiro Mifune & Charles Bronson in an early 70's Western with Alain Delon as the bad guy & Ursula Andress playing an opportunistic whore?Sounds irresistible, but it's all a bit of a mess, which is often what happens when there's too much of a good thing. Plenty of talent & personality in the acting department, but too little attention paid to the story itself.Bronson plays a train robber forced by the Japanese ambassador to help find a priceless sword stolen by Bronson's double-crossing partner Gauche, played by Delon. Accompanying Bronson is Mifune playing, surprise surprise, a powerful samurai.Mifune, as always, is riveting, & Delon seems to be enjoying himself as the devilish Gauche. Bronson's a bit on the lazy side, but it's fun to watch the sparring between him & Mifune. Ursula Andress' role seems pretty pointless, but she was never hired for her acting abilities anyway.The film breezes cheerfully along, but the big showdown ends up being confusing & dull, with a tribe of vicious Comanches thrown in at the last minute, as if to provide some excuse not to have Mifune cut Delon's head off straight away. The climax, as such, only comes after being dragged out for too long, & so, falls flat. The subplot involving Cristina (Andress), Gauche's old flame, makes things even messier, & her character's motives are never all that clear.Still, it's well worth a look if you're a fan of any of the principal actors, or Westerns in general. Just don't expect a masterpiece.

One of the frequent occurrences in movie industry is when a studio is desperate for a hit and hires several big name actors and then gives them a hopeless script and an uninspired director to work with. Such is the case with "Soleil rouge". A cheap French/Spanish/Italian production starring Charles Bronson in the part of a "charming" outlaw and thief Link, Toshiro Mifune in a near-ridiculous incarnation of a Samurai that is on his quest to avenge the killing of his samurai buddy by the French thief Gauche played by Alain Delon in his probably dumbest and poorest role ever and finally the Swiss diva Ursula Andress, the only real thrill in this movie, but not because of her acting skills.The chemistry between Bronson and Mifune doesn't work so well and they fail to impress and save this film.Somehow it all seemed so promising to the producers;hire Terence Young, the director of the three best Bond films and three cool macho heroes, one from the East to make it interesting and with Ursula Andress the mega babe of the 60's, how can it fail? The worst thing is that it also is very misleading to the average man who thinks he's in for a real treat the moment he spots the film in his video store. By the time the uninspired and dull showdown is over, one can only comfort himself that it could have been worse. And indeed, there are worse films, specially from that time and in Italian/French/Spanish production. I don't mean to be disrespectful to those countries and their film industry, but the horrible dubbing and making movies just for money was a usual thing back then, not just in those countries.In the end, one can just wish this affair never happened. And I fail to understand why so many like this movie. To me it's just a great waste of such fine talents. Even Ursula Andress has done better films and I bet she doesn't exactly brag about being in this film. Oh, and it also features Maurice Jarre's worst score.5 out of 10.