Love and Bullets

Love and Bullets (1979)

** (out of 4)

Charlie Congers (Charles Bronson), an Arizona cop, is sent to Switzerland by the government to try and track down the girlfriend (Jill Ireland) of an infamous gangster (Rod Steiger). The cops only goal is to bring her back but soon the gangster puts a hit out on her life.

LOVE AND BULLETS is a pretty flat, boring and lifeless picture, which is somewhat shocking when you consider that it was meant to be a major blockbuster. All sorts of money was spent on the production but very little excitement actually made it to the screen, which is too bad for Bronson fans as the actor turns in a decent performance and the setting is certainly great enough to where something more should have came from it.

There are all sorts of problems with this movie but we'll start with the fact that it just has an overall cheap and tired look. There are quite a few action scenes throughout the running time but they're just downright boring for the most part and I'd argue that there's no energy to be found in any of them. What's worse is the fact that there's clearly meant to be some suspense as the cop and woman barely get away from the hit men but that never happens. The lack of suspense is a major letdown.

Of course, it doesn't help that you really don't like the annoying woman. Ireland is given the task of playing an idiot with a Southern accent and I think it's fair to say that this is probably the worst performance she ever gave. The accent is just all wrong and comes off more annoying than anything else. Steiger really isn't any better as he's rather hammy and the sometimes stuttering has zero effect. Henry Silva and Strother Martin are always fun to see. As for Bronson, I thought he was good here in that typical Bronson kind of performance.

LOVE AND BULLETS isn't the disaster some people make it out to be but there's no question that it falls well short of the actor's best movies.

Three federal agencies are trying to bring stuttering gangster Rod Steiger to trial. To do that, they need to bring back his bimbo girlfriend, Jill Ireland, from Switzerland. For some reason, they can't extradite her, so they send Phoenix cop Charles Bronson to do the job. In the meantime, the mob sends a hitman after her, so she cannot testify.

With a title that suggests a Keystone comedy, it seems an odd vehicle for Bronson, but director Stuart Rosenberg - John Huston started as the director, but bowed out after shooting a few scenes - puts a lot of comedy into Miss Ireland's performance, the visuals and soundtrack. Extensive location shooting also adds some quality to this movie, making it a very watchable Bronson vehicle.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bronson co-star in Love and Bullets. He as a cop and she as a protected witness. She needed a lot of protection.

It's an average Bronson action/adventure saga, but with the unusual twist that Jill Ireland actually comes off much better than her husband does. I did enjoy her saucy portrayal of mobster Rod Steiger's moll. It's a combination of Judy Holliday's Billie Dawn and Tammy Faye Bakker. I'll tell you this Tammy Faye must have been the makeup consultant for Jill on this film.

Rod Steiger has an interesting part as a gangster with a stutter. He's persuaded by his associates to do in the woman he loves because they're all afraid she'll rat them out. Broderick Crawford's solution was to finally propose marriage to Holliday in Born Yesterday. Jill might actually have done it.

Instead she's chosen for a rub out and Bronson is the Phoenix City detective who travels to Switzerland to get her back and into protective custody. He's a by the book cop, until the end when he evolves into his Death Wish character.

Love and Bullets said to say can't really make its mind up whether it's a straight action/adventure or satire of same. Indecision costs it many points from reviewers, but Bronson fans should like it.

What's on mind… love definitely more so than bullets. The premise seems rather straight-forward, but within the context is a primarily downbeat and melancholic angle. The crime/thriller slant is pretty low-key (as the chase scenes leisurely tick along) with the main focus being on the three performances; Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland and Rod Steiger and the eventual bonds that are crafted and from that the situations that occur. Love follows on… tragedy also with guts and grit winning out.

Police detective Charlie Congers has been picked to head to Switzerland to rescue an ex-mistress of crime boss Joe Bomposa who now wants her dead. Getting her first means a chance to probably convict Bomposa, but is she as innocent as she claims to know anything of importance about his crime ring.

I'm not particularly surprised to see this Bronson outing become a forgettable title in his career that rarely sees daylight, and those who had seen it mainly want to bombard it for being tedious and bland. I didn't feel that at all. It has a very European vibe to the get-up with a stylish and almost uncommon development. Stuart Rosenberg's textured direction (who replaced John Huston) is economically surefooted, as he works with the beautifully moody and authentic European backdrops (that the compelling cinematography frames) and constructs moments of high-strung suspense. Plentiful they're not, but those few are well-executed. I just wished that the dangerous side wasn't kept in check. Writer Wendell Mayles' (the man behind 'Death Wish') minimal screenplay is simply old-fashioned and the pacing is quite relaxed. Concisely structured. but nothing surprises… well the final climaxes do come up and pinch you. Were I thought it achieved a rather powerful imprint was because of Lalo Schifran's arousing score. It was exotic, colourful and flavoured. Never did it not make some sort of impression. I would say it's up there with his inspired score for 'Dirty Harry (1971)'. He knows how to place the action or feelings on screen with music and successfully push the buttons.

A strong cast do a serviceable job. Bronson's impassively stalwart turn fits accordingly and his chemistry with an empathic Jill Ireland (his actual wife) pays dividends. She was practically in nearly every movie he made during this period. Rod Steiger puts in an outstandingly staggering performance that grows with believable weight. Henry Silva and Paul Koslo hold up well in the bad guy roles. Also featuring with fine turns are Bradford Dillman, Strother Martin, Michael V. Gazzo and Val Avery.

Charles Bronson is at his best when playing the silent tough guy, but in this British-backed chase thriller he is let down by workmanlike direction and a drearily routine script. Bronson's Phoenix cop, Charlie Congers, is certainly a silent and tough character - just the kind of role old Stone-Face usually excels at - but there are too many weaknesses in Love and Bullets to make it a particularly worthwhile film.

Phoenix police officer Charlie Congers (Bronson) is keen to gather evidence on Mob bigwig Joseph Bomposa (Rod Steiger). He learns that Bomposa's mistress Jackie Pruitt (Jill Ireland) is hiding out in Switzerland, so he jets off hoping to find her and persuade her to testify against him. Bomposa, realising that the game could be up, issues orders that Jackie must be silenced whatever the cost. Soon, Congers and Jackie are on the run in snowy Switzerland, with a whole bunch of hired killers hot on their heels.

Steiger is in over-acting mode here, but fortunately he doesn't have too many scenes so his opportunities to embarrass himself are kept to a minimum. The story is a simplistic chase narrative of a type seen many times before, and scripters Wendell Mayes and John Melson don't have many surprises up their sleeves to freshen this one up. Bronson fans like to see their man wasting bad guys and plunging head-first into action, but Love and Bullets pauses far too regularly for its own good and viewers looking for action will feel very short-changed. The film isn't a total loss - it has sporadic effective scenes, is always pleasing to the eye, and has one genuine moment of surprise near the end - but on the whole it is undoubtedly a lot less impressive than it could have been. Don't rush to add it to your wish list.