Mr. Majestyk

This film will probably never be on a list of the greatest films of all time but it is one of my favourites.

The thing which makes the film outstanding is the acting. The selection of Charles Bronson, Al Lettieri, Paul Koslo and Linda Crystal are perfect. Their performances, not out of character, are what you would expect from them. Al Lettieri plays the same part as in "The Godfather" and "The Getaway" - menacing and charismatic. Bronson is at his best in his usual strong silent way and Linda Crystal gives an excellent performance as a mexican woman - a sort of shop steward for some Melon Pickers.

The thing which raises this film above many others in my opinion is the interaction between the characters, in particular Bronson/Lettieri and Lettieri/Koslo.

The film is not too heavy and allows a self deprecating sense of humour to enter the action.

The more you see it the more you respect it as a work of art.

Mr. Majestyk

You should never anger a farmer because they exact revenge very early in the morning.

Unfortunately, the hit-man in this action movie went and done it anyway.

All ex-Army Ranger turned watermelon farmer Vince Majestyk (Charles Bronson) wants to do is bring in his harvest. A local hood, however, wants Majestyk to employ his lazy workers over Mexican migrants to perform this task.

Their disagreement lands Majestyk in lockup where he gets entangled with a button-man (Al Lettieri) plotting a prison break. The melon farmer hopes to leverage this info towards saving his crop. But doing so makes him a marked man.

A role tailored made for Bronson's brand of cool bravado, this skillfully directed adaptation of crime novelist Elmore Leonard's book has a real sense of grit and realism to it that most angry veteran movies lack.

Moreover, melon farming sounds way more titillating than it actually is.

Yellow Light

vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Promising another great action drama!

Richard Fleisher's tight direction, Bronson's sheer force of presence, and above all Elmore Leonard's excellent dialog combine to make this one terrific piece of entertainment – and one of Bronson's best films. Also worthy of note is Al Lettieri as Frank Renda (another excellent performance), a fearsome, explosively violent antagonist who perfectly compliments Bronson's cool-yet-tough demeanor. Bronson plays Vince Majestyk, a watermelon farmer who wants nothing more than to get his harvest in and mind his own business. He is interrupted by the weasel-like Bobby Kopas, who is quickly set straight by Majestyk – but Kopas soon joins forces with the vengeance-seeking Renda, whom Majestyk tried to send back to jail. Renda is just itching to get at Majestyk, and what follows is an action packed battle of wits between two determined foes – with only one left standing at the end…

Mr. Majestyk also manages to combine great action with some especially sharp, funny dialog. For instance, Majestyk overhears a gas station attendant claim the bathrooms are out of service: `Hey, I was the last one to use that men's room - you saying I busted the toilet?' Overall, Mr. Majestyk is highly recommended to fans of the great Charles Bronson, action movies, or just great movies in general.

(Flash Reviews)

Bronson plays a watermelon land owner with a checkered past including stints in the military and behind bars. While on the straight, he gets hassled by the local toughs who heavily 'encourage' him to use their picking crew. He gets arrested while noisily disagreeing with him and subsequently crosses paths with another serious criminal. They don't...um...get along and the criminal wants Bronson dead. Who will outsmart who and actually more importantly will Bronson get good melons picked before they spoil? As expected, Bronson won't take gruff from anyone. He just wants to pick his melons. Ha Ha! This is a solid 70s tough guy movie with some very entertaining car chases.

This movie is a Bronson classic in my book. My favorite scene is the pick-up ride when Majestyk and Chavez make their escape from the mob. I liked it the the pick-up made all those long jumps. In most drive scenes the pickup truck would definitely be torn to pieces, but not here. they must have bought a lot of them for the movie. This movie was packed with action, suspense, and also intrigue. This was absolutely one of Charles Bronson's best!