Blu ray review: Mr. Majestyk

Kino Lorber continues to release some of actor Charles Bronson’s best films, the latest being Mr Majestyk (1974), directed by Richard Fleischer.

It is sometimes stated that the release of Death Wish (1974) is what caused Charles Bronson’s status to suddenly rise in America after years of stardom in Europe. In fact, Bronson had already been garnering attention in his own country with his performances in the Michael Winner films The Mechanic (1972) and The Stone Killer (1973), establishing him as the same type of modern movie tough guy that Clint Eastwood was at the time. In fact, by 1973, the year before Death Wish was released, Charles Bronson was the top box office attraction in the world and commanded a million-dollar salary for each film.

Mr. Majestyk is Elmore Leonard’s story and screenplay featuring Charles Bronson as the title character, a decorated Vietnam vet and ex-con who now owns a melon farm. Hiring migrant workers to pick his latest crop, Majestyk runs into a second-rate hood who tries to force him into hiring unskilled white drunks at a lower cost. Majestyk runs him out with a shotgun, but is subsequently arrested and imprisoned. When a prison transport bus with a noted mobster among the prisoners is attacked in an attempt to free the gangster, Majestyk takes charge of the situation by escaping the bus with the mobster, hoping to turn him in and be freed in return to bring in his crop. When the gangster escapes, Majestyk turns himself in and is used as a pawn to draw out the gangster who wants Majestyk dead.

Director Richard Fleischer was already noted for tight action dramas and film noir B pictures like Armored Car Robbery, Bodyguard, and The Narrow Margin. His career crossed several genres but he seemed to have especially fine skills for crime drama, and his approach to Leonard’s screenplay results in some good explosive action sequences. The chase scene at the end with Bronson and lead actress Linda Cristal in a pickup while being pursued by the mobster and his men is in the same lofty league as similar sequences in films from this era like Bullitt (1968) and The French Connection (1971).

Al Letteri is well cast as the mobster, Linda Cristal is a striking leading lady, and further performances by Lee Purcell, Paul Koslo, and Alejandro Rey are also exceptional.

Now in the 21st Century, a film like Mr Majestyk represents a good representative action drama among 1970s American movies. The 70s remains an exceptionally strong decade for cinema, resulting in many landmark films that are among the finest from the second half of the 20th century. Mr Majestyk is a quintessential example of truly skilled, exciting entertainment of the period that has effectively held up over time.

The Kino Lorber blu ray is a new 2K master, and includes many great special features. There is none more qualified to provide audio commentary than film historian Paul Talbot, author of the Bronson’s Loose! books. His insights are interesting, informative, and enlightening, adding a great deal to the experience. There are also interviews with cinematographer Richard Kline, actress Lee Purcell, as well as TV spots and a trailer.

The blu ray is available at this link: MAJESTYK