The Family (1970) User Reviews

Has a great beginning and ending.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 2 April 2015]

Charles Bronson is at his coolest and most bad ass in this entertaining Italian crime flick. Bronson plays Jeff Heston, a professional hit man who wants to leave that line of work behind him. But his associates will have NONE of that, and spend a lot of time trying to set him up and take him out. When attempts are made on his life, Jeff makes it his mission to get revenge on the old "friend" and current flame who tried to eliminate him.

Adding a shot in the arm is Telly Savalas, appearing around the one hour mark, as a slick, rich gangster, Al Weber. Telly is a lot of fun to watch. Female lead Jill Ireland is less satisfactory (but looks amazing), but she's not bad as this scheming, conniving person. The excellent international cast also includes Michel Constantin as Killain, Umberto Orsini as Steve, and Ray Saunders as one of Jeffs' cell mates.

This twist laden script, with six people in total credited for the story and screenplay (including Lina Wertmuller and director Sergio Sollima), has the potential to confuse the viewer, especially as it doesn't always exist in one time frame. But Sollima does an excellent job at crafting the action. One can hardly fail to notice that the opening set piece plays out wordlessly, with no actors speaking until about 12 minutes along. A climactic elevator ride similarly plays out almost without sound. The camera work is first rate, as is the use of various locations. The pacing may cause some viewers to fidget, as it's very deliberate most of the time.

Bronson fans will see a different side of him here, as he roughs up his real life wife Ireland on more than one occasion. He's not a squeaky clean protagonist, for sure. The ending may likewise take some people by surprise.

Overall this is stylish trash, well shot in Techniscope and featuring a typically eclectic soundtrack courtesy of the legendary Ennio Morricone. There are also little doses of nudity along the way.

Seven out of 10.

lesser Sollima film, lesser Bronson movie, but still entertaining enough

[movieman_kev · 6/10 · 7 May 2007]

After the highly entertaining Run,Man, Run, writer/ Director Sergio Sollima returned with this satisfying,if not all successful, tale of a hit-man, Jeff, who gained a conscience (Charles Bronson) and his quest to find the people who've double-crossed him and had him thrown in jail (and almost killed). Mrs. Bronson, Jill Ireland, is on hand as the conniving girlfriend who along with local mafioso boss, Weber (Telly Savalas) play him for a patsy. Entertaining enough and the re-added minutes of footage in the Anchor Bay released DVD of this is very welcome. Any fellow Bronson appreciator will find nothing to complain about with this one, and Jill (it very well could be a body double though) supplies the T&A content quite nicely (and multiple times). Fans of the director will be slightly off-put as this isn't as good as his films that came directly before (Run, Man, Run, The Big Gundown, Face to Face), nor after (Revolver) all of which are highly recommended by me by the way. However this is still a welcome enough diversion.

My Grade: B-

The opening car chase, Morricone's score and the ending are fantastic, even if the rest of the movie is not.

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 2 May 2021]

One of the better Charles Bronson films, with an exhilarating wordless car chase opening sequence, a memorable shock ending, and one of Ennio Morricone's greatest scores. The story does not sustain its initial momentum, but the film is stylishly shot throughout by Sergio Sollima, who gives it the flavor of an urban spaghetti Western. Bronson is typically muscular and assured; Jill Ireland, whom I often find bland, is quite hot this time, and gives one of her most accomplished performances. **1/2 out of 4.

Violent City - 1970

[cornucopia9 · 9 February 2002]

First of all i must admit that i'm a Charles Bronson fan and have been for quite a while. I have seen a lot of his films including all of them made after Violent City. So when i came across the movie being released on DVD and i was still yet to see it, i was quick to buy it. The DVD is presented in a fantastic format (trailer, production and movie stills, 15 minute interview with the director and cast and crew backgrounds). The movie is structured in a very unique way. Being an Italian/French coproduction and filmed largely in New Orleans the film consists of English and Italian dialogue to satisfy both cultures and uses flashback scenes to illustrate what is a very straightforward story of hitmen and mobsters and doublecrossings. The music score is by Ennio Morricone and as expected first rate. The cast is headed by Bronson. He doesn't talk much in this movie, more so than in his other outings and uses more of a physical style of acting with many close ups on his charactaristic face. He does well as usual. Telly Savalas has a small, but important role as the head of his "family". His philosiphies to Bronson are interesting. And Jill Ireland as Vanessa is truly seductive. She has never looked more beautiful than in this movie and you get to see plenty of her in this version. Her acting is not great but not too bad compared to some of her later stuff with her husband. As a whole i wasn't expecting too much but "Violent City" is quite under-rated and does have some very good scenes including a car chase, a sniper scene and the very well done ending. There are no good guys in this movie, but it is truthful. I give it a 7 out of 10, but i don't know if non-Bronson fans would enjoy it as much. I hope they continue to put more of Charlie's films on DVD and done in a similar way. Particularly "Rider On The Rain", "The Mechanic", "The Valachi Papers" and the little known Bronson/Curtis "You Can't Win 'Em All.

Two-fisted Charles Bronson as a hit-man who sets out to take his vendetta against the villains who double-crossed him

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 22 November 2016]

It is an interesting drama/thriller plenty of thrills , taut , intrigue , twists and turns . Jeff Heston (Charles Bronson , though Tony Musante and Jon Voight were considered for the part) is the number one killing people with a bullet whose reputation has caught up with him . After a bloody double-cross leaves him for dead and barely escapes a murder attempt , the professional hit man named Jeff tracks down the shooter and his gorgeous mistress Vanessa Shedon (Jill Ireland , Bronson's wife , though Sharon Tate was considered and Florinda Bolkan was originally lined up to star) to New Orleans . But when Jeff takes revenge , he finds himself blackmailed by a mobster (Telly Savalas , who does not appear in the movie until about one hour in) wants him to join his organization . Jeff refuses , and is then chased and hunted through an unforgiving city where love is like a serpent or like a loaded gun .

Thrilling movie about the very deadly rivalry between two extreme contenders , a double-crossed wealthy murderer , Charles Bronson , betrayed by his girlfriend , Jill Ireland , and a powerful crime boss , Telly Savalas . This crime thriller packs intrigue , suspense , noisy action-packed with exciting racing cars , explosive excitement , thrills and lots of violence . United Artists cut about eight minutes from the Italian version of this film for its American release . The film relies heavily in the complex , inter-relationship between a fiercely independent gunman , a mob boss , and their shared love interest . Bronson is pretty good as a killer sets out to revenge his Femme Fatal woman and the gang boss who put her up to it . He gives his usual stoic acting and displays efficiently his weapons and killing mercilessly his objectives , that's why the debts of vendetta are paid in bullets . It's certainly thrilling , though the morality may be questionable , even in this time , as the spectators were clearly on the Bronson's side in spite of being a ruthless killer . Bronson as a very professional hit man for a powerful organization offers the sort of monolithic acting , as always . This was one of the first major star teamings of action star Charles Bronson with his actress wife Jill Ireland . Jill Ireland gives a mediocre performance as Jeff's love interest , but the romance isn't what this movie is about and director knows his action . Furthermore , it appears a nice secondary cast , such as : Umberto Orsini , Ray Saunders , Michael Constantin , George Savalas , Telly's brother , and there stands out Telly Savalas who though received second billing , he gives a brief but magnificent acting . It contains atmospheric musical score composed , orchestrated and performed by the great Ennio Morricone , including an unforgettable leitmotif .

The motion picture was compellingly directed by recently deceased Sergio Sollima , he even choreographed the fight scenes himself because he wanted each character to have a fighting style tailored to their personality . This movie was inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville's The Samurai (1967). Sergio Sollima's direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and more inclined toward violence and too much action . Sergio wrote and directed all kinds of genres such as Pirate films as ¨Sandokan ¨ and ¨ Black Corsario¨ ; Peplum : ¨Rocha¨ , "Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators" , "Triumph of the Ten Gladiators" , ¨Ursus¨ "Goliath Against the Giants" ; Thriller : ¨Revolver¨ (1973) ; Euro-spy : "Requiem for a Secret Agent" , "Agent 3S3: Hunter from the Unknown" , ¨Tanger 67¨ ; being especially known for his ¨Cuchillo trilogy¨ : ¨Run Cuchillo run¨, ¨Face to Face¨ , ¨The big Gundown¨. And this ¨Violent City¨ is essential and indispensable watching for Charles Bronson fans . This is a satisfyingly violent and thrilling flick that avid fans of the genre will love .

VIOLENT CITY (Sergio Sollima, 1970) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 24 July 2007]

Director Sollima first forsook the Western genre with this stylish gangster drama: its complex revenge plot is, basically, a combination of two seminal American noirs – OUT OF THE PAST (1947) and POINT BLANK (1967). The end result is overlong and deliberately-paced – but the second half generates considerable tension, and the action sequences (particularly the opening car chase, a racing-car ‘accident’ and the climactic shoot-out in a rising elevator which, incidentally, are all the more effective for being completely dialogue-free) are undeniably well-staged and exciting.

The film also provided its star, Charles Bronson, with a virtual template for all his subsequent vehicles; though his real-life wife Jill Ireland (who appears in a surprising number of nude scenes) doesn’t quite cut it as a femme fatale, the couple’s chemistry is more than evident and gives credence to the on/off romance which essentially drives the narrative. Also in the cast: Telly Savalas (in his all-too-typical role of crime kingpin), Umberto Orsini (as a shady lawyer) and Michel Constantin (as Bronson’s ageing junkie pal). Beneficial, too, is the unusual New Orleans setting – and the remaining credentials are certainly imposing: “Euro Cult” fixture Ennio Morricone’s score is excellent (but, again, the main theme is awfully similar to that of REVOLVER [1973] and THE UNTOUCHABLES [1987]!); renowned cinematographer Aldo Tonti; and, most astonishingly, co-screenwriter Lina Wertmuller.

The DVD features an informative 15-minute interview with Sollima, in which he discusses how he became involved with the project: invariably, he had found the original script terrible but was eventually lured by the opportunity of a U.S. shoot, mentions that the lead roles were originally intended for Jon Voight and Sharon Tate(!), and even recalls an amusing anecdote which sums up Morricone’s attitude to films.

Doo-DOO doo-DIH doo-doo Doo-DAH -Doo...DIH-DIH-DiH-DIH (waaaawaaa)

[Bezenby · 7/10 · 22 August 2017]

Uh-oh! We've got a hit-man here who has fallen in love and wants to go straight – we all know that there's only one way to leave the mob, right? Bronson is the hit-man and Jill Ireland is the chick who's turned his head, and after one of my favourite credit sequences ever where we see Bronson under observation to a kick-ass Morricone soundtrack, a bunch of guys turn up to waste our stone-face killer. One car chase and a double-cross later, Bronson's having bullets pulled out of him and sent to jail for a while.

It gives him plenty of time to stew over what's happened. Seems the last guy who hired to him to kill someone has double-crossed him and somehow his missus seems to be involved. Being a 'let bygones be bygones' kind of guy, Bronson's first task upon being released from jail is to try and track down these two and kill them both.

Luckily for us his past-employer is also a race car driver! That gives us a lengthy sequence at a race track where Bronson scopes out a good place to take out this guy with a sniper rifle, a sequence which is dialogue free and lasts about ten minutes. Also, it takes place under a huge advertisement for Pan-Am airlines, so I guess they were fitting the bill for the film, or Sergio Sollima was just a big fan of that airline.

Once this guy has been incinerated, Bronson starts receiving pictures of him setting up the kill at the race track, and realizes that starting a new life won't be so easy after all…

Those expecting an action-packed film with Bronson taking down waves of bad guys would probably be better switching the film off around the ten minute mark because the film is more about Bronson brooding about his relationship with Jill Ireland and arguing with Telly Savalas (a mob boss who is blackmailing Bronson and wants to hire Bronson full time). Savalas is good here as a seemingly legit-businessman who may be telling more home truths than Bronson wishes to hear.

Set possibly in New Orleans and Detroit Michigan at the same time (I was a bit confused by that), the film looks great, sounds great and for the first half is great, but be warned that pace slows way down before you get to the grim ending. Also, the version I watched had eight minutes of extra footage added in Italian with English subtitles that seems to add a bit more depth to the proceedings.

For the mopiest hit-man that wants to leave the mob, look out for Tony Arzenta!

Bad, but I got some laughs out of it.

[richardbrennan-78429 · 3/10 · 26 March 2021]

Incomprehensible plot. Scenes where the dialog reverts capriciously from English to Italian with no subtitles, even during a scene that supposedly took place in Ohio! Our hero, Charles Bronson's character Jeff, gets shot up in an ambush, shooting three would be assassins somewhere in the Caribbean, yet ends up in an Italian prison, where he and two fellow prisoners are menaced by a Black Tarantula spider, which of course is not found anywhere in Europe. This movie almost, but not quite, attains a ''so good it's bad'' status. Jill Ireland was pretty sexy doing very brief nudes scenes, which gave this movie at least some saving grace. Overall though, pretty much a waste of time.

Stunning Sollima Crime-Action With Bronson

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 8/10 · 1 December 2006]

I'm a big fan of Sergio Sollima's ingenious Spaghetti Westerns, and Charles Bronson is without doubt a great enrichment to any movie he played in. Sollima's "Citta Violenta" aka. "Violent City" aka. "The Family" of 1970 is a very good crime/action flick with Bronson in the leading role and a great score by Ennio Morricone. "The Family" may not quite share the brilliance of Sollima's Westerns, but it is definitely a very solid, greatly acted film that no Bronson fan can afford to miss!

After hit man Jeff Heston (Charles Bronson) is double crossed by his girlfriend (Bronson's real life wife Jill Ireland), and almost gets killed by rival gangsters, he spends the following four years in prison. After getting out of jail, he wants to track down those who betrayed him. It is not so easy, however, to find out who was involved in his assassination attempt, and Heston has to make quite an effort to distinguish between friends and enemies.

Charles Bronson is once again great as the leading character, and definitely the best choice to play Jeff Heston. Telly Savalas also delivers a great performance as the boss of a crime family. Although many folks seem to think differently, I also found that Jill Ireland did a great job as femme fatale Vanessa. One of the few things that were not quite necessary in "Citta Violenta", were the endless car chases. Car chases are of course mandatory for a film like this, but when they get too long, they can get a bit boring easily. The car chase sequences here are usually followed by violent action, however. The movie is quite imaginatively photographed, and Ennio Morricone's score is, as always, great, and although it is a bit different to the 'typical' Morricone that we're used to from Westerns, it is immediately clear who composed this soundtrack.

A very well made action flick with a great leading performance by Bronson, "Citta Violenta" is a great flick, maybe not quite as essential as Sollima's Westerns, but immensely entertaining, atmospheric and totally badass, and not to be missed by a Bronson fan. 8/10

Aimless, but with some imaginative sequences.

[gridoon · 6/10 · 3 November 1999]

One of Bronson's oddest films, but still not as odd as Morricone's ultra-weird score. The plot is standard "revenge" stuff, but there are some imaginatively shot sequences (like the unexpected finale) by the Italian Sollima, who shows some flair. The fast-cutting, "neurotic" editing is clumsy, however, and reminded me of the editing in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", which was made one year earlier. The widescreen photography really suffers on TV.

Violent City aka The Family

[henry8-3 · 2/10 · 15 June 2023]

Hit man Charles Bronson, double crossed and barely escaping an assassination attempt, is now determined to get those responsible, including, seemingly his girlfriend, played by Jill Ireland.

Hard to overstate how much I disliked this film. The plot is sort of complex in a silly way mainly because I believe nobody understood what on earth they were making. The set pieces are slow, drawn out, sluggish, badly edited exercises milking Morricone's repetitive score for all its worth with Bronson out Bronsoning Bronson for looking tough and not resorting to the use of any expressions etc. Jill Ireland is dreadful both as a character and in the acting stakes, completely overdoing it in just about every scene, with director Sergio Sollina seemingly contriving to have her appear in various states of undress throughout the film. Bronson's relationship with Ireland is extraordinary - one minute he's beating her up or raping her the next it's all champagne and smiles. The whole thing is an extraordinary mess.

I saw this on a streaming service and whilst the film is Italian, it is largely in English. However vast swathes of the film are in unsubtitled Italian featuring badly dubbed Bronson and Ireland - it even changes languages in mid scene. As a result if you don't speak Italian you're going to miss a great deal of plot - not sure that's necessarily a bad thing! I assume this is an error as opposed to some form of artistic jigger-pokery, either way it's very annoying. I urge you to avoid this mess and tidy your sock drawer instead.

Charlie & Telly in a gritty 'n great urban western!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 24 January 2008]

There's absolutely no way that any movie can start off better than "Violent City". Charlie Bronson on a yacht with a ravishing blond chick, then moving onto land where the couple immediately gets subjected to a wild car chase through extremely narrow streets (and over stairs!) and ending with a violent shootout! And all this time not a single word is being spoken by anyone and all we here are the sounds of squeaking tires, snorting car engines and Ennio Moricone's umpteenth fabulous soundtrack. The first ten minutes of "Violent City" are so damn brilliant I was even tempted to stop watching the film because I honestly feared things could only go downwards from that point, ha! Luckily it didn't. Sure the pacing slowed down a bit (only a little bit, mind you) but a great film unfolds itself, with a simplistic but nevertheless compelling plot, gritty atmosphere and terrific acting performances by Charles Bronson (as the silent as always but deadly killer), Telly Savalas (as the sneering, sleazy and eccentric super-villain) and Jill Ireland (as the bimbo who appears to screw around with half of the city). Jeff is a retiring hit man who completes one more personal killing job when a former friend double-crosses him, leaves him for dead and runs off with his lady friend. Jeff's spectacular payback, executed at a race car circuit) gets him noticed by the big boss of the city's organized crime network. He wants Jeff to be a part of his successful crime-family, and when he refuses an exhilarating and testosterone-packed cat and mouse game ensues. The plot isn't highly original, but several independent sequences are magnificent, like the aforementioned opening, the intense finale or – most of all – the scene where Vanessa gets introduced to Weber (Savalas) in a restaurant. Sergio Sollima is a gifted director, who primarily earned his fame in the spaghetti western genre ("The Big Gundown" and "Run Man Run"). That's also exactly what "Violent City" often resembles; a gritty urban western with Bronson in his familiar role of lone outlaw passing through a town where no one can be trusted. If I understood correctly, the titular violent city is supposed to be Michigan, where strangely everyone speaks a combination of English and Italian. Funny detail on the Dutch DVD-release is that the dubbing is incomplete. Some of the dialogs start in English but halfway the conversation swifts to Italian and back to English again. Not at all bothering, especially not in case you looked forward to this movie as much as I did.

Bronson Getting best reputation...

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 20 December 2017]

Foreign movies suffer an incurable disease, it weren't belong to America's market, whenever the movie are retaliete by press whose are paid by film industry to talk down, so this outsider movies are managed to another maket places where get a propper respect, the car chasing which open the movie is a sort a breathtaken scene, it if were made by American will be marvelous, however it wasn't, who cares anyway??? After some successful movies in Europe Charles Stoneface Bronson became a legend one most better paid actors in USA together with great Eastwood!!

Resume:

First watch: 1987 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7

Unexceptional Actioner.

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 23 January 2016]

It opens with a smiling Charles Bronson at the helm of a modest yacht and a topless blond sunning herself on the deck. Bronson begins to undo her foolish bottom. Dissolve to Bronson and a girl, Jill Ireland, driving through the narrow streets of St. Thomas in a Ford Mustang, just like Steve McQueen in "Bullett" two years before, and the drive quickly evolving into a high speed pursuit, with cars screeching around sharp corners, taking leaps over the city's hills, and otherwise doing exactly what Steeve McQueen did in "Bullett" except for one shot of Bronson squealing from side to side on a cramped downhill street, which anticipates "Magnum Force," when Dirty Harry squeaked down Vermont Street in San Francisco.

Bronson drops off Ireland and continues trying to escaped but is blocked by a Porsche driven by a friend. Bronson stop his Mustang, gets out, and with a big welcoming grin, says "Coogan!", and then Coogan shoots Bronson and drives off with a willing Jill Ireland. The other villains appear and want to be sure that Bronson has shuffled off this mortal coil but Bronson outwits them and drives them off, killing one of them with the last shot from his empty Luger. No kidding, it's empty.

Bronson spends the rest of the film tracking down his betrayers -- Jill Ireland and "Coogan", who doesn't seem to be listed in the credits.

Bronson in his prime was a fine specimen with a fine frame, not muscle bound but sinewy, with startling clavicles. He sports the bandido mustache that he made famous around this time. His talent was B level but not so bad he was embarrassing. Jill Ireland is fragile and likable.

The movie takes them all over the place -- New Orleans and elsewhere -- so it's not a low-budget enterprise, but it's undone by the director's and writers' resolute determination to make this a brainless action movie. The gun shots sound tinny and carry a slight peep, as in a spaghetti Western. Ennio Morricone's music can be witty or sumptuous but here consists of variations on shrill electronic instruments. It's like listening to a musical saw. The cinematography is suitably done in lurid colors. And for reasons known only to the producers, some of the dialog is in Italian. In a Caribbean jail, three unrelated prisoners occupy a cell, and they speak Italian. A high performance care race in New Orleans is broadcast in Italian.

It's not badly directed in terms of fundamentals like camera placement and staging. There are no editorial fireworks, thank God; no instantaneous cutting, and the camera doesn't shudder with each blow, each explosion. Nice shots of bayous and mammoth live oaks festooned with Spanish moss. Interesting if brief tour of New Orleans' enflowered courtyards.

Vastly underrated film...

[xx_JOE_xx · 19 May 2001]

This is a very underrated gangster pic that stars "Old Stoneface" himself. The plot is standard revenge fodder with a few twists added in for fun. It's pretty fast paced in it's execution and Morricone score is weird and atmostpheric. This is one of Charlie's better 70's efforts and the final scene is great filmmaking. It's too bad Ms. Ireland's nude scenes were cut out (only her midsection and cleavage are shown before cutting to the next scene) cause she can't act worth a damn.

***

Somebody buy Telly some clothes

[bensonmum2 · 6/10 · 27 May 2005]

• Violent City is a real mixed bag. I'll start with the good. The ending is fabulous. The way our hero, hit-man Jeff Heston (Charles Bronson), gets his ultimate revenge is nothing short of sweet. His revenge comes out of nowhere and is startling when you realize what's happening. Bronson is another real bonus in the movie. Without too much dialogue, he's more than capable of portraying a variety of emotions. It's a refreshing change to see Bronson smiling and running on the beach as he does in one scene. You don't see that too often. Another highlight is the car chase at the beginning of the movie. Sollima lets the movie go on for a good 15 minutes during the car chase without a single line of dialogue being spoken. The chase is the key thing. Finally, Ennio Morricone's score nicely fits the action on screen. It's not his best, but any Morricone score is a winner.

• As for the bad, there are stretches of the movie where nothing happens. I was fighting to keep my eyes open during some of the middle of the movie. Another bad, and I hate to say this, is Jill Ireland. She's surely got to be one of the worst actresses to ever appear in film. Finally, the show down between Bronson and Telly Savalas. It's over way too quick. I would have liked to see it drawn out to build the tension.

• Finally, the ugly. If a half naked Telly Savalas doesn't classify as ugly, I don't know what does.

• Overall, the good outweighs the bad in Violent City, but just barely. Without the "killer" ending, I would have rated the movie a point or two lower.

Bronson delivers!

[jj805282 · 7/10 · 2 August 2022]

An early poliziotteschi by the director of "The Big Gundown," "Violent City" is a thriller about a hitman and his adversaries who are manipulated by a femme fatale, so that they end up in a worse situation than before they met her. Bronson plays his typical 70's action star schtick, which works fine, but Ireland, although pretty, really brings down the film, as she doesn't have the charisma of a Sharon Stone or Lauren Bacall. There's a scene where she talks about how she "can't share power, as it has to be held by one set of hands," which coming from her seems lame. "Violent City" is aptly named, as it is violent, and in between the violence it is tense. The Morricone score is also good. This is worth adding to your collection if you're a Bronson fan; not as good as "Death Wish," but better than "The Mechanic."

Some good and some bizarre moments in this otherwise routine poliziotteschi

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 31 December 2014]

Violent City is an Italian crime film starring Charles Bronson and Telly Savalas. It was directed by Sergio Sollima who made the notable spaghetti western, The Big Gundown. It's about a hit-man from New Orleans who is framed for a crime by a Mafia boss who has also stolen his girlfriend.

This is a pretty middling poliziotteschi with some good moments. It begins very well indeed though, with an energetic Ennio Morricone theme playing over stylish credits, followed immediately with a very dramatic car chase topped off with a by bloody gun battle. There's almost no dialogue at all for the opening ten minutes that encompasses this action – it's all very cinematic and exciting. It would only be fair to say that this section is the best part of the movie as a whole. Once the narrative kicks in, it gets a little melodramatic with a plot-line that is quite messily told and not especially inspired. Bronson is solid enough in the lead role – he certainly looks the part. Savalas is very good as the crime boss and his screen charisma certainly counts for quite a lot, it's a pity he didn't have a more expansive role. The overall dynamics between all the characters isn't as interesting as it might have been though, meaning the story is not always as engaging as it could be.

There is a limited supply of action scenes but they are sometimes quite memorable, such as the racing car smashing through a brick wall. While the lift scene at the end was very well staged with dramatic use of sound - or lack of it rather. Another moment that had me more baffled was the whole sequence involving the large spider in the jail cell; it was played out in a decidedly surreal manner that felt like was from another movie entirely, it seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever and felt suspiciously like Sollima had got hold of the – extremely creepy – mechanical spider thing and just wanted to use it in his film, so wrote it in utterly randomly! All-in-all, one for fans of Italian crime flicks, although it's certainly not one of the best examples of this genre. There is, however, some well shot action, a couple of B-movie legends and a muscular Morricone soundtrack – so there is definitely enough reasons to check it out if you like this kind of stuff.

Interesting Soundtrack, bizarre attempted rape scene

[christophlindemann · 3/10 · 30 October 2021]

Bronson is cool but his character lacks depth. Story is minimal, hardly any background for the setting and plot is provided. Soundtrack is interesting, edgy Morricone score.

But what really makes this movie problematic is a super casual attempted rape that makes absolutely no sense and has no consequence for the rapist (Bronson) or the victim, their behavior towards each other even gets better mere seconds after it happens. Really hard to watch.

A fantastic crime thriller headed by the toughest tough guy of them all.

[Brasstaxation · 10/10 · 29 December 2016]

Violent City (The family) is a curious introspective into the life of a paid assassin and the chain of events that unravel around him. Brilliant score by Ennio Morricone, it empowers the film ten-fold without question. Bronsons stoic nature and animalistic presence are used to their strengths perfectly here, his character counteracts Jill Ireland's soft & innocent persona wonderfully and works well. Telly Savalas is entertaining as always, brimming with charm and personality as usual. Violent City never got the exposure in the U.S. that it saw in Europe, a recent U.S. DVD release has finally brought this seemingly-lost gem back into the conversation. The film has a fast pace to it, this is the quintessential Italian crime film that others are replicated from. Car chases, shoot-outs and Charles Bronson. Worth a watch!

Great Beginning and Ending

[jeroennouwens · 6/10 · 15 December 2020]

Of late, I am watching some Bronson films I'm not familiar with. Violent City (1970) was up next. Recently, I watched Chato's Land, followed by Hard Times (recommended). I thought this film started off tensely and I was drawn into it, aided along by a long but tense car chase. The exotic locale also helped somewhat. I wasn't too pleased or interested in the middle part and for some odd reason there suddenly was Italian dialog in some scenes, which made sense with the subtitles, but not why a character talked English one moment and the next Italian. Must be a glitch in the version I watched. It felt shoddy and cheesy. The director was Italian, I get it. Maybe someone left in some dubbed-over scenes in the film. Another cheesy bit was the giant spider, a tarantula or something, or that's what it was supposed to be; the spider was an obvious fake. Later on, some shrubbery as background also was fake. Blood also looked fake, but I'm not complaining about that. I knew going into this film that it's no masterpiece. If I wanted a masterpiece, I'd watch Once Upon a Time in the West one more time :)

Bronson's role was the only factor keeping me from falling asleep. Eventually, there was a very good ending to the film. Oh, Jill Ireland also was pleasing on the eyes. Damn, Bronson did have a good taste in women.

Would I recommend this film? No. You could watch the car chase and see if it's your cup of tea. I'm not particular to car chases that much, but I will say it was neat. The ending, seen separately, probably makes no sense to a viewer. It is, however, a very fitting end and I was definitely awake by that time, as the elevator went up.

Bronson plans a hit, eats some spaghetti

[paul_johnr · 5/10 · 10 April 2008]

Charles Bronson's tenure in Europe featured roles vastly different from his potboilers of the late 1970s and 1980s. 'Città violenta' AKA 'Violent City' or 'The Family' is an example that was co-written and directed by Sergio Sollima, known mostly for against-the-grain thrillers and westerns. 'Violent City' is part of Bronson's sizeable résumé in international co-productions, which includes the Sergio Leone epic 'Once Upon a Time in the West' and René Clément's 'Rider on the Rain.' The film appeared during Italy's creative shift from the giallo to the poliziottescho, an over-the-top crime film that depicts urban life on the brink of chaos. Effectively made and highly unpleasant, 'Violent City' hits paydirt with its cast of Bronson, eventual 'Kojak' star Telly Savalas, and Jill Ireland, who acted in over a dozen films with her husband.

Filmed at excellent locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Orleans, 'Violent City' is vaguely similar to Bronson's 1972 drama 'The Mechanic.' Bronson plays Jeff Heston, a freelance assassin who is vacationing with his lover, jet-setting fashion model Vanessa Sheldon (Ireland). While enjoying a quiet trip, Jeff and Vanessa find themselves tailed by a band of hit men who are looking to finish Heston off. A car chase ensues in which Jeff is left for dead and Vanessa flees the scene with Coogan (Michel Constantin), a racecar driver who had previously hired Jeff to murder his uncle. Jeff is saved on an operating table, thrown into jail on suspicion of murder, and released with help from his lawyer Steve (Umberto Orsini). He returns to the U.S. and asks heroin-shooting investigator Killain (Michel Constantin again) to locate Vanessa so he can get to the bottom of things. Jeff soon finds himself in a love triangle with Vanessa and New Orleans mobster Al Weber (Savalas), who has since married his girlfriend.

Unlike crime films by such directors as Umberto Lenzi and Ruggero Deodato that pour on the bloodshed, Sollima uses action sparingly and puts greater focus on character development. The film seems to have an almost Marxist undertone in dealing with Jeff and Vanessa as peons amidst a huge game where money (especially Weber's) is the determining factor. All of the characters are self-serving and unlikable; the only person you can really sympathize with is Vanessa, who finds herself in one erotic jam after another. But even then, Vanessa is a woman who continuously seeks power rather than trying to escape the cycle. The only admirable feature of Jeff Heston, meanwhile, is a desire for self-respect that often loses control and translates into bloodlust.

While 'Violent City' is an effective thriller, it is bogged down at times by Sollima's heavy-handed, overtly political style. Sollima is a skilled director who knows how to counterbalance action and character far more than others of his generation. Violent City's opening car chase is expertly filmed and leaves you breathless, while later scenes gaze into the characters' psyches. However, 'Violent City' has stretches of philosophizing (wealth as power, control of the mass media, etc.) that get on one's nerves. This philosophizing helps to give characters dimension, but the script (co-written by Sollima and Lina Wertmüller, director of 'Seven Beauties') becomes too preachy for its own good. What helps to make other Spaghetti crime films effective is their fast tempo, leaving worn-on-the-sleeve philosophy in the background.

Nevertheless, the three lead actors play their roles solidly. Bronson is a marginal character for once and shows the range of talent that he possessed. Savalas seems to be having fun in his role as Weber, taking full advantage of the wisecracks with Heston. This is also the best work I have seen from Jill Ireland, largely because her role asks for more than usual. Umberto Orsini and Michel Constantin are decent as supporting actors but overshadowed by the English-speaking leads. 'Violent City' is competently edited by Nino Baragli and photographed by Aldo Tonti, who later shot Dino Di Laurentiis's 'The Valachi Papers.' The score by Ennio Morricone is well-made as usual, although it's quite similar to his other Spaghetti crime films (especially 'Milano Odia').

'Violent City' has received an excellent DVD release from Anchor Bay Entertainment; it gets fine presentation with several extras and restores footage not seen in its previous English releases. The film is offered in widescreen (2.35:1, enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions) with dubbing options in English, French, and Italian. Extras include a 15-minute interview with Sergio Sollima, a gallery of stills and posters, bios of the lead cast and crew, and the theatrical trailer. 'Violent City' has good print quality, although colors seem a bit washed out at times; artifacts and grain are rare. The original mono track is supplied with Dolby enhancement, making dialogue, effects, and Morricone's soundtrack crystal clear.

Because the restored footage was never dubbed into English, it is supplied in Italian with English subtitles. This occurs at various points in the film, some apparently for censorship reasons and others by decision of the filmmakers; inconsequent lines were sliced from conversations between actors, while racy moments were toned down, such as Heston forcing himself on Vanessa. Nothing of impact was previously missing, but the restored footage does help to make 'Violent City' a smoother, more developed film. Overall, it's an interesting project from Bronson, Savalas, and Ireland, although its weighed-down atmosphere costs it a few points.

** ½ out of 4

"I want you to join our little family".

[lost-in-limbo · 8/10 · 10 July 2010]

Charles Bronson at his best? In a way yes, but maybe no. I guess it all depends in what you want to see. An all out action film, moving like a speeding car (in which the opening sequence ---and what a beginning it is! --- has a beautifully staged car chase through the slender streets of the Virgin Islands) and throwing caution to the wind. Well that would be a no on that aspect. However something a little twisty within its narrative, tension building through its dramatic story developments and brooding atmospherics with a watershed performance by Bronson. I would go yes.

After a double-cross that leaves him for dead, professional hit man Jeff survives and serves some time before tracking down the culprit - an old friend and his former mistress to New Orleans. Jeff gets revenge and his lady back, but he finds himself being blackmailed by an influential crime boss Al Weber.

Bronson at this period of his career was etching out a name through European productions and "Violent City" aka "The Family" happens to be one of those better enterprises. Italian director Sergio Sollima ("The Big Gundown", "Run, Man, Run" and "Revolver") stylishly lays out the rough and ready groundwork like a fuse waiting to ignite. The slow-tempo works, due to the plots knotty structure of betrayals and double-crossings with slice of tragedy in something of a modern western vibe and these moments are either broken up by reflective instances (like splicing together flashbacks), getting reactions in a game of wits between characters or relentlessly dynamic and imaginative action sequences. Sollima's crisp cinematography frames it all with remarkable long shots and showy camera angles, as the visuals are simply stunning and the location work is brought live by its authentically flavoured New Orleans backdrop. Ennio Morricone composes the scorching music score, which is excitingly cued with its majestically saucy edge… but despite the masterful effort I thought the greatest sequences arose from the silent periods in the intensely crackling opening spectacle and climatic finale passage of the film (which was beautifully unsettling). The tight screenplay keeps it sly and cynical, but at the core behind its engagingly complicated plot mechanisms is a simple minded, but seething revenge outlook. The acting fairs-up with more of a physical, but terse performance by Bronson, which his silent and tough persona fitted right at home with. There's burning conviction by Jill Ireland with her tantalizingly devious turn and Terry Savalas is living it up as a powerful crime figure. Umberto Orsini and Michel Constantin are quite good too.

A gritty, compelling crime potboiler.

It was Oh-kay...

[KevinHartsRedheadedStepSon · 6/10 · 22 September 2021]

This is a movie that had a lot of potential, but just kind of meanders. Bronson is in amazing shape in this and Ireland is beautiful. Overall, the parts that cut to Italian without subtitles drag the movie down.

Family Business

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 7 July 2015]

****SPOILERS**** Unevenly slapped together with it's subtitles switching from English to Italain, causing major confusion to those of us watching it, crime movie. With what looks like an equally confused and just going through the motions Charles Bronson as once top and now retired Mafia hit-man Jeff Heston. Jeff is being forced to work for mob boss Al Weber, Telly Savalas, who uses the leverage of Jeff's old flame-as well as Bronson real life wife-Vanessa Shelton played by Jill Ireland to get him to join his criminal operation.

It's in fact Vanessa who double-crossed Jeff in trying to get him whacked by his once good friend race car driver Coogan at the start of the movie! That's after a wild 12 minute car chase, by Weber's men, while the two were vacationing in the sunny Virgin Islands. With Jeff now looking for revenge later has Coongan killed in an ambush he set up for him at a New Orleans race track. It's there that Jeff is secretly photographed shooting Coogan's wheels from right under him causing his car as well as Coogan to disintegrate when it hit a brick wall on impact. With Weber using the photos of Jeff's crime to blackmail him to join his gang Jeff feeling betrayed twice takes his rage out on Vanessa by brutally working her over and at the same time, when he gets tired of using her as a punching bag, making love to her.

****SPOILERS**** Unknown to Jeff he's being used by Vanessa and her as well as his, who once got Jeff off on a triple murder rap, shyster lawyer Steve, Umberto Orsini, who in fact double-cross Jeff's boss Al Weber, whom he ended up killing, and thus together with Vanessa take over Weber's entire criminal operation! Faking that he checked out to Africa as a paid mercenary in the Congo Jeff back tracks to New Orleans and sets up a kill-zone to zero in on both Vanessa & Steve as their about to legally, with all the papers signed, take over the late Al Weber's criminal enterprise. You get quite a blast for your money or admission in Jeff not only turning the tables on his blackmailers, Vanessa & Steve, but how he set the two up in a glass and outside high-rise elevator to off them. The beautiful color photography more then makes up for the confusing and uneven script and storyline that seems to have been patched together by its screen writers while they were getting themselves good and high on drugs and strung out in an opium den.