When I think back on the career of Charles Bronson, it's these gritty early Seventies flicks that immediately come to mind - "The Mechanic", "Death Wish", and certainly, "Mr. Majestyk". Bronson oozes that cool menace that eventually explodes on screen and he does it with style and class, even when it's over the top. For sheer visual delight, the one scene from this picture that everyone remembers is the great watermelon shoot-out, one of the more colorful gunfight scenes you're likely to witness that doesn't involve blood for all of it's red. If that weren't enough, you've got one of the great chase scenes on film when Majestyk and Nancy Chavez (Linda Cristal) take turns winding up that Ford-150 through the Colorado scrub and red-rock desert. I'm thinking to myself that there's no way any vehicle could stand up to that kind of punishment, so I wonder how many they wound up using. The trivia board for this film seems to suggest that there was only one, so if that's the case, I've got to get me one of those.

Of course there are some inconsistencies in the story that seemed to have been added to move the picture along. I could never figure out why a vehicle has to automatically blow up and burst into flames whenever it tumbles over an embankment. And maybe it was standard practice to leave the keys in one's car back in the Seventies, but that's something I'd never do. Also, why would Renda's (Al Lettieri) syndicate buy him a fully decked out lodge near the same town where he was being hunted by the cops for a prison breakout? None of this stuff makes a lot of sense to me, but you know what? It just doesn't matter. Tough guy Bronson is at his best here delivering snappy comebacks and manhandling the bad guys in the best way he knows how. Unlike punk Bobby Kopas (Paul Koslo),Bronson looked like he was in the right business.

"Mr. Majestyk" is inarguably one of Charles Bronson's most masterful action movie accomplishments (not counting the westerns like "Once Upon a Time in the West" and "The Magnificent Seven" because he didn't play the central character in those) and this is mainly thanks to the skillful writing of Elmore Leonard and the tight direction of Richard Fleischer. More than in the other contemporary Bronson action vehicles, "Mr. Majestyk" benefices from a steadily paced and intelligent screenplay that fully revolves on Charles Bronson, but at least never exaggeratedly idolizes him. Vince Majestyk is a modest and introvert Colorado melon farmer who only wants to bring in his harvest… He ends up in jail after a conflict with a local small time crook, but things get really serious when a wanted mafia hit man targets him for assassination. Mr. Majestyk wanted to deliver the escaped convict Frank Renda back to the police, but his plan failed and now Renda is obsessed with killing Vince with his own hands. The plot isn't hyper-convoluted, but it's definitely more ambitious than the average "Death Wish" sequel in which Charles blows away random street scum. The villainous characters in "Mr. Majestyk" are interesting personalities. Frank Renda (brilliant performance from Al Lettieri) is a genuinely menacing and relentless criminal, whereas Bobby Kopas is just a sleazy and cowardly local marauder who thinks he's a big shot. The interactions between Vince and these gangsters confirm their personalities. He's not afraid of Renda but remains wary and respectful at all times, whereas he continuously mocks and humiliates the racist wannabe cowboy Bobby Kopas. It is definitely the sharp and seasoned writing of Elmore Leonard what brings the film to a higher quality level. "Mr. Majestyk" certainly isn't a non-stop spitfire of action sequences, but there are a couple of explosively violent moments that are unforgettable. The escape during the prison transportation, for example, as well as the Ford pick-up chase and the climatic shootout. Great film, highly recommended to all action cinema fanatics!

"The greatest actor I ever worked with", said the great Sergio Leone. He worked quickly and efficiently. Acted so natural it didn't look like acting. Bronson is wonderful in this very fine movie, although some of the snide reviewers here don't seem to agree. Inexplicably rated at only 6.8 on this site. Ridiculous. Formulaic and predictable ? An opinion that beggars belief. Superb script by Elmore Leonard, a professional, keeps you guessing. I saw nothing predictable about the way the action unrolls. I had no idea what Majestyk would think up next. Entertaining, suspenseful, humorous, in fact deadpan witty. When times are hard, everyone gets Bronson on their side. Even the weasel. He's simply the nemesis that Drexl Spivey had in mind. Bronson is REAL; and Al Lettieri is a terrific bad guy, especially in his handling of the weasel. Their relationship was hilarious.