Soleil rouge (1971)

In 1870, a gang robs a train and steals a ceremonial Japanese sword meant as a gift for the U.S. President, prompting a manhunt to retrieve it.

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Laird Koenig (story), Denne Bart Petitclerc (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Bronson, Toshirô Mifune, Alain Delon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Bronson	...	Link Stuart
Ursula Andress	...	Cristina
Toshirô Mifune	...	Kuroda Jubei (as Toshiro Mifune)
Alain Delon	...	Gotch 'Gauche' Kink
Capucine	...	Pepita
Barta Barri	...	Paco (as Bart Barry)
Guido Lollobrigida	...	Mace (as Lee Burton)
Anthony Dawson	...	Hyatt (as Tony Dawson)
Gianni Medici	...	Miguel (as John Hamilton)
Georges Lycan	...	Sheriff Stone (as George W. Lycan)
Luc Merenda	...	Chato (as Luke Merenda)
Tetsu Nakamura	...	Japanese Ambassador (as Satoshi Nakamura)
José Nieto	...	Murdered Mexican Farmer (as Jo Nieto)
Julio Peña	...	Peppie (as Jules Pena)
Mónica Randall	...	Maria (as Monica Randall)

Storyline

The Japanese ambassador is traveling through the Wild West by train, when gangsters hold up the train, to rob a gold shipment. They also carry an ancient Japanese sword the ambassador was carrying as a present for the US president. The ambassador's bodyguard (Toshiro Mifune) will go after them, with the aid of one of the gang's leaders betrayed by his pals...

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Plot Keywords:

battle | blood | arizona territory | new mexico territory | horseback riding | 

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Taglines:

All the high adventure of "The Guns of Navarone".... All the explosive excitement of "The Professionals"

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Genres:

Action | Western

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Japanese ambassador was played by Tetsu Nakamura, a Japanese actor known for his excellent command of the English language. It is believed that he coached the non-Englis- speaking [Toshiro Mifune] for the English dialog required.

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Goofs

When Link Stuart at the end is waiting for the train he looks at the train coming around the bend. Behind the train you can clearly (blu-ray) see a car driving along a road near the tracks.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[as the train stops at a remote station, an officer positions his squad of soldiers outside the train]
U.S. Army Officer: All right, men, fall out. Take your positions.

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Connections

Referenced in Lovelace (2013)

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Soundtracks

Home, Sweet Home
(aka "There's No Place Like Home")
Music by Sir Henry Bishop
Lyrics by John Howard Payne
Played on pianola at Pepita's place

User Reviews

Pretty silly, but worth a look for fans

Toshiro Mifune & Charles Bronson in an early 70's Western with Alain Delon as the bad guy & Ursula Andress playing an opportunistic whore?

Sounds irresistible, but it's all a bit of a mess, which is often what happens when there's too much of a good thing. Plenty of talent & personality in the acting department, but too little attention paid to the story itself.

Bronson plays a train robber forced by the Japanese ambassador to help find a priceless sword stolen by Bronson's double-crossing partner Gauche, played by Delon. Accompanying Bronson is Mifune playing, surprise surprise, a powerful samurai.

Mifune, as always, is riveting, & Delon seems to be enjoying himself as the devilish Gauche. Bronson's a bit on the lazy side, but it's fun to watch the sparring between him & Mifune. Ursula Andress' role seems pretty pointless, but she was never hired for her acting abilities anyway.

The film breezes cheerfully along, but the big showdown ends up being confusing & dull, with a tribe of vicious Comanches thrown in at the last minute, as if to provide some excuse not to have Mifune cut Delon's head off straight away. The climax, as such, only comes after being dragged out for too long, & so, falls flat. The subplot involving Cristina (Andress), Gauche's old flame, makes things even messier, & her character's motives are never all that clear.

Still, it's well worth a look if you're a fan of any of the principal actors, or Westerns in general. Just don't expect a masterpiece.

Details

Country:

France Italy Spain

Language:

English Spanish Japanese

Release Date:

9 June 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Red Sun

Filming Locations:

Adra, Almería, Spain

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,840,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Corona, Oceania Produzioni Internazionali Cinematografiche, Producciones Balcázar S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1