My Top 10 Charles Bronson Films

Up until a year ago I had only seen one Charles Bronson film, The Mechanic (which I've written about in length here). To me this is surprising because The Mechanic might very well be in my Top 25 Favorite Films of all time...and a large part of that is the Bronson persona. So about a year ago I rented Death Wish because it's Bronson's most famous role...and that started my Charles Bronson obsession. Since then I've seen many many Charles Bronson films – some aren't available on DVD so I had to hunt them down on VHS.

Charles Bronson was best known for his "tough guy" image and often times criticized for it. Some critics dismissed his movies for the random violence and killings – I've seen Indiana Jones kill more people then in some so-called "violent" Bronson films. While Bronson did star in these types of films that is not all he produced, which you'll see below. Many of Bronson's films also starred his wife, Jill Ireland...and judging by her acting skills it was probably a stipulation in his contract.

Below are my 10 personal favorite Charles Bronson films. I'm not a fan of westerns or war movies – which Bronson made his share of – so they're not represented in this list. You'll also see that I added a "Death by Bronson" tally under the film titles. This is to prove my point from above.

Here we go...


1- The Mechanic (1972)
(Death by Bronson = 18)
This is the second film Bronson made with director Michael Winner. In it Charles Bronson is a professional hit man who works alone for "The Organization." But when willing acolyte Jan-Michael Vincent proves he has the stuff aspiring killers are made of, Bronson agrees to train him. But Jan-Michael Vincent may have ideas of his own. In the scene below Bronson gets a new assignment...killing his longtime friend and father of Jan-Michael Vincent (this is before Bronson and Vincent team up).


2- Death Wish (1974)
(Death by Bronson = 10)
This is the fourth time Bronson teamed up with director Michael Winner. Death Wish became a franchise for Bronson/Winner but the sequels were not as good – Death Wish 3 was just ridiculous. In Death Wish, Bronson plays Paul Kersey, a New York Architect whose world is suddenly torn apart by the murder of his wife and the rape of his daughter. After a vacation to Arizona, Kersey returns to New York with a vengeance against crime, and takes to vigilantism. Here he is doing his thing...


3- Violent City (1970) a.k.a. Città Violenta
(Death by Bronson = 10 plus 1 tarantula)
In Violent City, Bronson plays a hit man who's double-crossed by his girlfriend (Jill Ireland) and barely escapes a murder attempt on his life. He then sets out to take his revenge on the woman and the shooter but finds himself blackmailed by a powerful crime boss (Telly Savalas), who's now with Ireland, who wants Bronson to join his organization. Violent City is one of the films Bronson made in Europe during the late 60's/early 70's before making it big in the States. It's my favorite from that time period...although I was a little confused the first time I saw it which I'll explain. Apparently, the DVD release is a directors cut (which I wasn't aware of) so besides there being some filler shots there are a few scenes that all of a sudden switch to Italian for no reason. I thought this was an odd choice but the reason is because the director added these scenes later so they weren't dubbed to English – even though Bronson is speaking English he was dubbed in Italian so I'm not sure what's going on there? One thing that I found fascinating in the DVD extras was the director talking about the amazing soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. The director explains that for the final scene (the elevator scene) Morricone had scored a beautiful piece of music but the director decided to keep the scene absolutely silent..not even ambient background noise...the only sound being bullets breaking through glass. Sometimes simpler is better. Anyway, here's the double-cross scene...



4- Twinky (1969) a.k.a. Lola
(Death by Bronson = 0 but he breaks a young girl's heart)
Directed by Richard Donner (of Superman fame) Twinky is a mod comedy of a middle aged writer of pornographic novels (Bronson) who meets and falls in love with a sixteen year old school girl (Susan George). This alone is cause for concern but when the couple get married and move to America, the trouble (and fun) really begins. For some reason they changed the title to Lola for the American release. I've seen both versions and the only difference is that they poorly overdubbed Bronson saying "Lola" everytime he says "Twinky", and they also butchered the theme song to take out the "Twinky" reference. Not sure what they achieved by changing the name? Here's a scene...



5- St. Ives (1976)
(Death by Bronson = 1)
Novelist Raymond St. Ives (Charles Bronson), an ex-reporter who covered the crime beat, may be in over his head when he agrees to negotiate the return of stolen ledgers for stinking rich Abner Procane (John Houseman). St. Ives will need all his mental acuity and physical prowess to complete the task: If the books fall into the wrong hands, an all-out gang war could follow. Also stars the lovely Jacqueline Bisset (which helped this film secure a spot high on my list). In this scene St. Ives applies pressure on a local snitch...


6- Mr. Majestyk (1974)
(Death by Bronson = 5)
Vietnam veteran Vince Majestyk just wants to grow his watermelons and live in peace on his farm. But he finds his peaceful existence shattered when racketeers threaten him after he refuses their demand to replace his migrant workers with their people. Majestyk winds up in jail on bogus charges and meets a local mobster and right away the two are at odds. But the favor is in Majestyk's court.


7- The Stone Killer (1973)
(Death by Bronson = 10)
In the third film Bronson made with director Michael Winner, Bronson plays Lou Torrey, a detective who's transferred to Los Angeles and uncovers a plot by a Sicilian mafioso for a future massacre. The mafioso's plot involves the use of Vietnam veterans to murder all his enemies in a rerun of the "Sicilian Vespers" when the previous generation of Sicilian mafiosi were all killed on a single day. Torrey gets various clues that something big is about to happen but will he discover what is planned before the big day? I chose this scene not for Bronson's acting, nor the action, but just for being whacked out...you'll see...


8- The Valachi Papers (1972)
(Death by Bronson = 2)
When Joe Valachi (Charles Bronson) has a price put on his head by Don Vito Genovese, he must take desperate steps to protect himself while in prison. An unsuccessful attempt to slit his throat puts him over the edge to break the sacred code of silence. This is a mob movie that doesn't show the glitz and glam of being a mobster...which is probably more accurate than some other films in this genre.


9- Hard Times (1975)
(Death by Bronson = 0)
In the depression, Chaney (Charles Bronson) rides into New Orleans with two dollars in his pocket. He meets Speed Weed (James Coburn), a fast-talking promoter of bare-knuckle fights. Speed, against his own instincts, gets Chaney a bout with one of the local toughs, and a career is launched. Speed goes on to borrow money from local mobsters to set up fights for Chaney, but then gambles away all winnings. This leads to a final fight that's a life or death matter for Speed.


10- Breakout (1975)
(Death by Bronson = 1 but accidental)
When American businessman Jay Wagner (Robert Duvall) lands in a Mexican jail after being framed for murder by his shady grandfather (John Huston), Jay's wife (Jill Ireland) hires maverick pilot Nick Colton (Charles Bronson) to break him out – a near-impossible task, as Colton soon discovers. Turns out Grandpa's in cahoots with the CIA and the Mexican government and will do everything in his power to keep Jay behind bars. Here's a scene where they dress Randy Quaid in drag for a conjugal visit with Duvall...to break him out, of course...


Some other Charles Bronson films that are worth a watch are: Cold Sweat (1970), Rider on the Rain (1970), Telefon (1977), Someone Behind the Door (1971), Love and Bullets (1979), and Chato's Land (1971) – I know the last one's a western but it's the first time Bronson worked with Winner so I had to include it.


And here's a compilation of music from various Charles Bronson movies...


[DOWNLOAD] Music From Various Charles Bronson Movies

01- Citta Violenta -- Ennio Morricone -- Citta Violenta
02- Svolta Definitiva -- Ennio Morricone -- Citta Violenta
03- Disperatamente -- Ennio Morricone -- Citta Violenta
04- Main Titles -- Roy Budd -- The Stone Killer
05- Jazz Source -- Roy Budd -- The Stone Killer
06- M1 (sk 10) -- Roy Budd -- The Stone Killer
07- Death Wish (Main Title) -- Herbie Hancock -- Death Wish
08- Joanna's Theme -- Herbie Hancock -- Death Wish
09- Fill Your Hand -- Herbie Hancock -- Death Wish
10- St. Ives Suite -- Lalo Schifrin -- St. Ives
11- Main Title -- Jerry Fielding -- The Mechanic
12- The Big Chase/The Big Drop -- Jerry Fielding -- The Mechanic
13- The Party -- Jerry Fielding -- The Mechanic
14- Twinky -- Jim Dale -- Meet Jim Dale And This Is Me
15- Mr. Majestick -- The Ray Davies Orchestra -- Flashpoint
16- Main Title -- Jerry Goldsmith -- Breakout
17- Ambushed -- Jerry Goldsmith -- Breakout
18- Breakout (Part 1) -- Jerry Goldsmith -- Breakout
19- Main Title -- Riz Ortolani -- The Valachi Papers
20- Tarantella Party -- Riz Ortolani -- The Valachi Papers