Firepower

A truly epic cast of Hollywood heavyweights descend upon the idyllic backdrop of St Lucia, in a meandering action-thriller concerning a widow (Loren) who hires reputable mercenary Coburn to search for those responsible for her husband's assassination.

A galaxy of mega-stars blur the lines between allies and enemies, the intricate plot twists hatch an array of ruses, red herrings and cross and double cross subplots with which it's sometimes difficult to keep pace. Apparent continuity errors don't help the situation, but the undeniable charisma of the cast is hard not to like. OJ and Coburn make a watchable pairing, whilst bona fide stars Wallach and Mature are largely confined to bit parts, or in Mature's case, a solitary cameo lasting little more than 30 seconds. Bad guys Franciosa and Grizzard are potentially the highlights in the deep and diverse international cast.

Winner's trademark quick cuts, comic-book characters, pyrotechnics and opulent set design allied with Lord Grade's penchant for big names and lavish locations, create a colourful 70s aesthetic which admittedly is pure hokum, and yet never dull nor tedious.

Forgettable time-waster, without purpose or meaning. It proves that even a few wild car chases and large-scale explosions can't sustain a desperately uninteresting and uninvolving story. The large cast is largely underused. (*1/2)

The Quick Pitch: A respected chemist is murdered because of information he has on some faulty pharmaceuticals. The chemist's wife, Adele Tasca (Shopia Loren) wants the government to bring gun-for-hire Jerry Fanon (James Coburn) out of retirement to track down the man responsible. From there on, things get complicated with twist after twist that I'm not going to even try to explain.

Across the internet, I see a lot of people slagging on Firepower. No, it's not great and it's got its share of problems, but it sure is fun. As my title indicates, tell me a movie starts both Loren and Coburn and I'm in. I thought both were quite good given the material they were handed. The supporting cast is interesting, with Anthony Franciosa, Eli Wallach, Vincent Gardenia, and O.J. Simpson (Simpson's line about not killing anyone made me chuckle). Add in plenty of over-the-top explosions, lots of intrigue, and some fantastic looking Caribbean locations, and everything is in place for a good time.

Unfortunately, though, there's a thing called plot that's necessary for a good movie. The problem with Firepower is that the plot is too complicated for its own good. There are so many twists and turns that I defy anyone to keep up and understand everything that's going on. Who is on whose side? What is the mob's role? Who is Fanon's lookalike and why is he in the movie? A simpler plot would have really helped.

One more thing that gave me more than one unintentional laugh, as Fanon and Co are making their escape from the baddie's plantation, they are helped along over and over again by some of the most fortunate coincidences I've ever seen. For example, Fanon is being chased by three guys on horseback with a helicopter overhead. Miraculously, just as the baddies are bearing down on Fanon, a preset explosive detonates, destroying the helicopter. The three biggest chunks of the wreckage just happen to hit the three guys on the horses. How convenient!

5/10

Michael Winner's films aren't complete without a lot of blood, and this one has enough to fill a bucket or two.

James Coburn is the retired hitman who comes back in to kidnap a certain Karl Stegner, a mysterious and very wealthy man wanted by the IRS and various other federal agencies.

Coburn teams up mainly with OJ Simpson, with some dubious assistance from Sophia Loren, and we have a 70s high-tech sort of caper. Lots of gadgetry, most of it explosive, large quantities of double-crossing and shooting, plenty of pretty shots of the Caribbean from floating gin palaces, and a plot of such ludicrous over-complexity that it's silly.

It was obviously immense fun to make: several very large houses get burned down, bulldozed and otherwise trashed. As do various means of transportation. With lots of explosions and shooting.

It's implausible and it's almost impossible to understand why anyone would do what these people do, but apparently this is what they do. Bullets fly and things blow up.

There is an awful lot of frenetic activity, constantly accompanied by the sound of gunfire with regular scenes of conflagration.

Did I mention that there's a lot of shooting and explosions in this? In case I didn't, there is, as well as a very confusing plot.

It's not a very good movie.

Director/Writer Michael Winner (best known for the "Death Wish" Series) is in Full-Throttle Mode in this Picturesque Satirical Blood-Bath.

Watch for a Boat-Scene where James Coburn is Literally Soaking a Bad-Guy with the Red-Stuff to Attract Sharks and Extract Information.

Roger Moore Bond Movies Take-Off that is an Enjoyable Grotesque.

A Sleek Presentation, the Best that Money Can Buy, Colorful and Calamitous, Colliding Confusion that is One Jaw-Dropping Scene After Another.

A Good-Looking Example of Sophomoric Bloat that Hollywood Churns-Out Routinely because it Sells.

A Fun Name-Cast and an Over-the-Top Crowd-Pleasing Picture that Wraps Up the 70's "Nicely" with an Explanation Point that Says "Having Fun Yet".

One of the Unintended Ironies is Watching O. J. Simpson Joking About Murder and this Joyful Guilty-Pleasure Never Stops.

Sophia Loren, James Coburn, O. J. Simpson, Eli Wallach, Anthony Franciosa, George Grizzard, and Vinnie Gardina all Think this is a Hoot.

And it is...

Worth a Watch.