Firepower

It is ironic that most of the director Michael Winner's films are pretty awful, there are a couple of exceptions like the original 'Death Wish', but they are few and far between. This movie is full of well known actors just picking up a paycheck, the plot is similar to a Bond film, though far inferior and the stunts are laughable. Just think that people had to go to a cinema to see this dross.

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.

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

Director Michael Winner was a very consistent director. His movies were almost always bad. Winner had a lazy style that always bothered me. He just seems to place his camera with very little thought. Getting good performances form his usually strong cast doesn't seem to concern him either. Winner's "Firepower" checks all of those boxes. "Firepower" has a good cast but it's none of their finest hours. The standout being a dreamy Sophia Loren. Loren has seldom looked better. The action is well staged, for the most part, but it's also boring. The tropical locations are nice and I'm sure the cast had a great time at whatever resort they were staying at. As far as "Firepower" goes, it's a borderline camp classic.

Aging stars try to cash in before the new 1980s action landscape changes it all. Featuring a fickle Sophia Loren, this movie lacks any real passion from its actors - whether it's romance or anger. The actors don't seem to feel anything no matter if they are betrayed, shot, or blowing bad guys up. The signature traits of each actor is missing for some reason: Loren minus the allure. Colburn minus the physicality, Wallach minus the menace. Some great character actors but they don't have enough to work with. The result of pushing out product after Jaws And Star Wars brought broad appeal back to the box office.