Mr. Majestyk (1974)

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writer:

Elmore Leonard (written by)

Release Date:

17 July 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

He didn't want to be hero... until the day they pushed him too far.

Plot:

A melon farmer battles organized crime and a hit man who wants to kill him.

Plot Keywords:

Organized Crime | Watermelon | Farm Worker | Neo Noir | Hitman

Cast

Charles Bronson	...	Vince Majestyk
Al Lettieri	...	Frank Renda
Linda Cristal	...	Nancy Chavez
Lee Purcell	...	Wiley
Paul Koslo	...	Bobby Kopas
Taylor Lacher	...	Gene Lundy
Frank Maxwell	...	Det. Lt. McAllen
Alejandro Rey	...	Larry Mendoza
Jordan Rhodes	...	Deputy Harold Richie
Bert Santos	...	Julio Tomas

Also Known As:

Mister Majestyk (International: English title) (poster title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 | Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-15 (uncut) (2004) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1974) | Australia:M | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1974) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:PG | UK:15 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway - 1193 Fremont County Road 3A, Canon City, Colorado, USA

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

The Ford truck was not modified to do the stunts - it was pretty much box stock. Ford used clips from the film in TV commercials to demonstrate how tough their trucks are built.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the chase in the canyon, the left headlight is alternately there or missing.

Quotes:

Nancy Chavez: If you want to go to bed with me, why don't you say so?
Vince Majestyk: I don't want to talk about it, I want to do it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in True Romance (1993)

"I got a melon to pick"

Mr. Majestyk isn't great art, but then Charles Bronson hasn't often been in many movies (Once Upon a Time in the West and possibly the Great Escape as exceptions) that might even be considered full-on 'films'. He's a movie-star, and on the B-side of the record, so to speak, of 1974's Death Wish was this little diddy where he plays, of all things, a melon farmer. But don't let that fool you into thinking this movie's a campy push-over. The first part of that might be true here and there, as it's hard to avoid it being a little goofy seeing a guy like Bronson as a farmer. Elmore Leonard as screenwriter, however, elevates the material to being fun without being overly stupid. Richard Fleischer as director, too, keeps the material afloat above that dangerous level of being one of those more forgettable Bronson programmers of the 80s. This is a writer, director and star all knowing what can be done with the material, and it works for what it's worth. I loved seeing some of the action, even if it early on is fairly brief (albeit with an amazing shot of Bronson literally crashing out of the back window of a car), and there's always a fresh way in terms of attitude with him.

Mr. Majestyk is, if nothing else, a showcase for Bronson and his 'quiet but don't-f***-with-me' take on his character. He's believable because of a very simple character establishment- a war hero, already served time, divorced, just wanting to do his work, right? Wrong. He gets put in jail for getting in a scuffle with a cowboy (a funny scene all-around), gets put into a rock and a hard place with a mob boss (Al Lettieri) who is obsessed with rubbing him out for almost taking him back to jail. Soon, once the melons get involved, it becomes a mano-a-mano movie. Some of the acting is less than great, specifically from Linda Cristal as the Migrant lady whom Bronson's Majestyk falls for. But all the way the sense of tongue-in-cheek never becomes too much, as a mob movie crossed with vigilante drama could get. It's just enough to garner some big dumb grins, and mostly it's very professionally shot and scored in a very 70s style too. It's a tough better than average 'guy' action-genre movie, and definitely one of the Bronson vehicles I'd recommend.