Charles Bronson ruled the action box office in the seventies with reliable films like 1975's BREAKHEART PASS.
Faithfully adapted from Alistair MacLean's book, Bronson stars as lawman John Deakin, on board a train as a prisoner and charged with murder.
Being transported to a Fort in Nevada to face the charges, Deakin's surrounded by troops, a huge cache of weapons and ammunition.
Ben Johnson is a Marshall, Richard Crenna is a Governor with plenty on his agenda, Ed Lauter is a Major who despises Deakin and Jill Ireland is Crenna's young girlfriend, along for the adventure.
Early into their travels, the train is plunged into a major health scare, an Indian attack and a lot of intrigue as plenty of our characters have motives well hidden in their period costumes.
Bronson is at his stoic best, expressing only enough emotion to get by but nailing every action scene.
Allegiances change, good guys and bad guys switch sides and the fights take place all through, over and on the sides of every train car.
Jerry Goldsmith provides a classic western music score that runs nearly the entire film and Lucien Ballard (The Wild Bunch, The Getaway, True Grit) photographs every snow covered frame in classic Western style.
Director Tom Gries cut his teeth on classic television (Mission Impossible, Honey West, Batman, The Rat Patrol) and works well with Bronson and the stunt team to create some nice suspense.
If you're a Bronson fan or love 70's action movies, Breakheart Pass is a fun diversion.
We'll shoot it a B-.
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