Cabo Blanco

Certainly one of the more eccentric of Bronson's starring vehicles, it tries to evoke memories of Casablanca even in its title. Taken apart from that unlikely-to-attain goal, it's fairly interesting, with a few talented cast members to keep it going (though they're not well served by the material). Large chunks of the story are pretty muddled, but as a curiosity piece, it's worth seeking out for Bronson completists.

Judging solely from the cool poster art (featuring a mean looking Bronson with a .357 magnum in hand) I expected a gritty 70s/80s style crime flick with the main twist being that it's set in a tropical Latin American location instead of the typical NYC or LA. Instead what we get is a 1940s era neo-noir with shades of 'Casablanca'. I guess I would have been fine with that as it would have been an interesting change of pace for a Bronson flick (so long as it were accompanied by plenty of hard-hitting action). However whatever potential this film had quickly deteriorates as the plot becomes nothing more than a lame, slow paced, sunken treasure movie.

Highlights include a few creative(though underwhelming) action scenes, topless Latina chicks, and appearances by Fernando Rey and Jason Robards (who isn't very convincing as a German expatriate). Even a cameo by a talking parrot can't save it. Avoid.

It is no secret that Charles Bronson became a star in Europe before he became one in the US because of Death Wish. In Cabo Blanco, somewhat a takeoff of 'Casablanca', Bronson starred in the most European looking of all his movies. Yes he did films in Europe like Love and Bullits, and there is a brief sequence in Naples of the superior 'The Mechanic.' But due to casting, it has a feel of a European movie, the most since Someone Behind the Door'. Of course, the film does take place in Peru, and was filmed in Mexicao, but certainly the participation of the film with Dominique Sanda, Fernando Rey, and Camilla Spav certainly gives the film that feel. Also it is only the other time that Bronson worked with Jason Robards, (Once Upon a Time in The West) this time as a villain.

It is also perhaps the most romantic film that Bronson has done, and all though he was 58 when he did the film, he looks the younger than he had ever looked since his role as Jeff in 'Violent City'.

It is also a curious puzzle in Bronson's career, as it did not get much theatrical play in the US, if at all. Why this is has never been explained. On first viewing, it is an entertaining film, at least I was when I first saw it in 86 on video. Perhaps one of the problems also was that it was short at 87 minutes, and Bronson's popularity was on decline, though, sadly, the Cannon films with Death Wish II, and 10 to Midnight, with its incredible violence would shoot Bronson back up to big box office status.

It would be, I believe, the last time we would see Bronson without a shirt on. Perhaps he might have been having trouble keeping that athletic looking body that he had, less than 20 years later he would need a hip replacement.' In fact, in the film, he is seen that way from the back, as he walks away from camera, it is almost as if he is saying through this scene, you won't see me with my shirt off again.

This is a fun movie to watch, also if you are a person who likes to see a lot of naked women, you won't be disappointed. Though I don't recommend it for that.

The film does have its flaws though, The song 'The Very Thought Of You, gets played to many times that it becomes a cliché. Also the climax, and some of the scenes before that are so contrived and silly. I would also suggest that it is condescending to some of the supposedly native Peruvians, though this might harkin back to the days of the 40 American movies, which have some scenes which begin in black and white. However, if you think about it, the ending shot is ironic, and can make one think. The narration does add a veneer of sophistication to the film. Listen very closely at the end, as you might miss some important details.

It seems like almost all Hollywood stars have to have their own version of Casablanca.

Even Shakespeare plays must not have attracted so many varied 'interpretations'.

Even Charles Bronson ?!

But surprisingly the movie is still a typical Bronson movie. Factor in the nudity, the fights, the thrills, and the 'he-men' that populate your regular Bronson movie.

I personally found the ending a bit'weak and maybe obscure'; but it helps to differentiate the movie from being a direct Casablanca copy.

Overall, it stands up OK for die-hard Bronson fans.

The third teaming of film star Charles Bronson and filmmaker J. Lee Thompson casts Bronson as "Gifford Hoyt", a hotel & bar owner in an exotic locale off the coast of Peru. It's the year 1948, and an ex-Nazi named Gunther Beckdorff (Jason Robards) pretty much runs the show in the area. Newly arrived is a Frenchwoman named Marie Claire Alessandri (Dominique Sanda), who's looking for her old lover. The plot centres around the search for a supposed fortune in gold located in a shipwreck somewhere in those waters.

The story (admittedly, heavily inspired by "Casablanca") is nothing special, but it does entertain reasonably well. It's never truly exciting, or suspenseful (and the ending does leave characters and viewers alike with a dissatisfied feeling), but it holds ones' attention. The real value lies in this exotic setting ("Cabo Blanco" was actually filmed in Mexico), and its sights and sounds. As photographed in widescreen by Alex Phillips, Jr., it looks positively great. And it's supplemented by a majestic Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack.

Bronson does quite nicely in the lead role, showing off a natural charisma that we didn't see all that often; a lot of the time, he was required to play fairly grim characters. He's extremely well supported by an amusingly slimy Robards, and an excellent Fernando Rey (in the films' standout performance) as a morally compromised police chief who's in Beckdorffs' pocket. Sanda is lovely, but comes off as somewhat awkward, having to act in English. There's also a pleasing variety of familiar faces in other roles: Simon MacCorkindale, Camilla Sparv, Gilbert Roland, Denny Miller, James Booth, Jorge Russek, Clifton James, and Aldo Sambrell.

"Cabo Blanco" benefits from a fairly sordid atmosphere, and is violent without ever dwelling too long on unpleasantness.

All in all, it's worth a look for fans of the actors.

Six out of 10.