De la part des copains

Charles Bronson is as cool as cool gets in this okay action-thriller based on a Richard Matheson novel. Bronson plays "Joe Martin", American expatriate and boat expert living in France with a wife (Liv Ullmann) and stepdaughter (Yannick Delulle). One eventful night, his dark past catches up with him; an old associate, Ross (James Mason) wants him to atone for a past mistake by getting mixed up in the drug trade.

"Cold Sweat" is an okay film of its kind. No more, no less. It's directed with some competence if not an over-abundance of style by Terence Young ("Thunderball"). It mostly derives tension from the pressure put on Joe by such characters as Ross, Whitey (Michel Constantin), and Fausto (Luigi Pistilli). Of course, one is never in much doubt that Bronson will rise up righteous and kick some ass. He handles much of what goes on with some true savvy - and a fair amount of amusing dialogue.

A drawling Mason is great fun to watch, especially as Ross must deal with unexpected difficulties. Some folks might say that Ullmann is slumming here, but she offers an appealing performance as a wife who tries her best to be strong. Bronson's real-life love Jill Ireland is okay as a moll. But it's Jean Topart who tends to steal the show, cast as a tough-talking, trigger-happy goon named Katanga.

The unqualified highlight of the film is an extended car chase that is at least reasonably exciting. Bronson, who's at the wheel, has a pretty imposing (and unlikely) deadline staring him in the face.

Overall, "Cold Sweat" is well worth a look for fans of the star.

Seven out of 10.

Cold Sweet (1970)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Charles Bronsplay plays Joe Martin, a man living a happy life with his wife (Liv Ullmann) and her daughter. All of that is thrown out the window when his past comes back to haunt him. Captain Ross (James Mason) demands that Joe use his boat for a drug trade and this leads to a cat and mouse game.

Terrence Young directs this entertaining if rather light weight action picture that fans of the action legend will enjoy while others will probably not be overly entertained by the thin plot. There's no question that the plot really isn't all that original and that a re-write certainly wouldn't have hurt. Even by 1970 we had seen countless movies dealing with the family man and his past catching up with him.

What keeps COLD SWEET moving and entertaining is the fact that you've got a wonderful group of actors. Bronson was just a natural at playing this soft-talking tough guys and he turns in a good performance. Both Ullmann and Mason certainly have much more important roles in their careers but it's still fun seeing them in a film like this. Jill Ireland plays a hippie chick and it's Luigi Pistilli who steals the picture as a cold-hearted bad guy.

COLD SWEET features some very good action scenes including the finale with an excellent sequence of a car going down the side of a cliff that is highly entertaining. Again, this is a fun action film but one wishes that there was a bit more to the story.

'Cold Sweat' is a 70's actioner I was actually quite pleasantly surprised by. Charles Bronson plays a guy whose cronies have caught up with him after spending many years in jail for a crime that he fled from. He's in sanctuary in France with his wife (played, rather slummingly wouldn't you say? By Liv Ullmann), and what do you know, his evil friends from the past catch up with him and takes his whole family hostage so that they can complete the One More Job together. Bronson accepts, but since this is a Bronson film, He's Got Other Tricks Up His Sleeve. So begins a fun little cat and mouse game, mainly dealing with the daughter or other of the bad guys (played hilariously by James Mason) and the trade-offs Manson and Mason are fun to watch. There's lots of chases too! Wee! Finally, I just want to comment on the print of the film I saw on DVD. It looked somewhat banged up, but I thought it just added to the viewing aesthetic of the movie! I just felt I was in a New York grindhouse movie theater, with this double featured with say, Dolomite or something.

Usually this Italian Charles Bronson outing gets torn to shreds, but I found this sturdy, vigorous and taut crime feature to be modestly well-done in what it sets out to achieve with its modest budget. This would be the first international production (the others to follow 'Red Sun (1971)' and 'The Valachi Papers (1972)') and the weakest of three films, which director Terence Young would have Bronson in the leading role. Bronson is reliable and looks in good shape. Along side him there are recognizable faces in James Mason, Liv Ullmann, Jill Ireland, Luigi Pistilli, Michel Constantin and Jean Topart. The lesser support cast do an admirable job, but the likes of Mason, Ullmann and especially Ireland hit the bottom. Mason basically chews on his lines. Ullmann doesn't look all that comfortable and Ireland just makes you cringe. The former two are wasted. Other than Bronson, it's the villainous side-kicks Pistilli, Constantin and the cold-blooded Topart that are the life of the party. The script falls on the flimsy side. A tightly drilled and violently gritty story, but elementary straight-laced all-the-same. A former soldier/drug smuggler attempts to start a new life in the south of France with his family, but some of his ex-comrades return to settle a score. What begins as slow-grinding, laying out the premise's predicament would gradually unfold into a collection of grit-your-teeth, cat-and-mouse set-pieces. Thrillingly fast, long-winded and twisty-turny cars chase being the pick of the lot. It's not until the last half of the story when the raw, brutal explosiveness kicks in. The pace moves well enough, and the scenic photography of the European locations is fittingly captured. The bravura camera-work solidly gets amongst the action and the swirling music score is penetratingly overstated in a gusty fashion. Durable action joint.

Charles Bronson takes his drearily and ultra-violent vendetta after his spouse , Liv Ullman and daughter , are kidnapped by a drug boss , James Mason , and his hoodlums: Michael Constantine , Luigi Pistilli , Jean Topart.

This brutal thriller contains noisy action , car chases , intrigue , and lots of violence among crooks . However , filmmaking and writing are average .Typical Bronson flick has Charles in his ordinary role as an avenger taking law on his own hands. Based on the novel by Richard Matheson called "Ride the nightmare" which is butchered to produce the ordinary vengeance movie .It boasts superior cast with prestigious secondaries as Luigi Pistilli, Michael Constantine , the great James Mason and Jill Ireland, Bronson's wife. Special mention for Jean Topart as a moronic henchman and Liv Ulmman who gives a nice acting as anguished and captured wife.

It displays an atmospheric and thrilling score by Michael Magne. Including evocative cinematography shot on location in Francia , Azul Coast. This turgid motion picture was regularly directed by the prolific Terence Young, including some flaws and gaps. Young was an uneven filmmaker with hits and flops. As he made three of the best Bond films :Doctor No , Thunderball, From Russia with love , he also directed other genres , Western : Red Sun , Dramas /intrigue : Klansman, Bloodline , Jigsaw man , The poppy is also flower, wait until dark ; Costumer : Adventures of Moll Flanders , Adventure : The Rover and WWII : Triple Cross .Rating 5,5/10 , acceptable and passable . The movie will appeal to Bronson fans. Charles does all that can be expect of him and he will reward his legions of enthusiasts.