BREAKHEART PASS A Film Review Copyright Dragan Antulov 1998
In the 1970s Charles Bronson was a synonym for the action movies about a man who could eat bad guys for breakfast, regardless of the circumstances. The name of Alistair MacLean was a synonym for novels whose elaborate and complicated plot served only as an excuse for numerous and spectacular action scenes. The combination of two happened to be BREAKHEART PASS, 1976 Western directed by Tom Gries, director who obviously liked both of those concepts.
The movie begins on the train destined to Fort Humboldt, distant U.S. army post in the Rocky Mountains. The fort is plagued by diphtheria, and territorial governor, doctor, priest and small detachment of soldiers are going to deliver the medicine and other supplies. U.S. Marshall Nathan Pearce (Ben Johnson) boards the train, together with his prisoner, former doctor and wanted murderer John Deakin (Charles Bronson). Soon after the train begins its journey through mountainous wilderness, strange and frightening things start to happen; some of the passengers are getting killed and it turns out that almost nobody on the train is what he seems to be.
In the first half, BREAKHEART PASS looks less a like action-oriented Western and more like an Agatha Christie's whodunnit mystery. It is also painful opportunity to watch capable character actors like Richard Crenna, Charles Durning and Ben Johnson unsuccessfully trying to breath some life in their one-dimensional roles. Same is with Bronson's late wife Jill Ireland, whose character should have been left out of script. Of course, the viewer knows that, since this is a Charles Bronson movie, his character won't stay the bad guy until the end of the film. So, one huge element of surprise is wasted. Luckily, in the second half Bronson gets teamed up Ed Lauter, more believable as his sidekick, and director Tom Gries saves the day with few impressive action scenes, with the stunts co-ordinated by legendary Yakima Canutt. All in all, BREAKHEART PASS is an average Bronson actionfest, with the good Canadian exteriors and Jerry Goldsmith's music as additional attraction.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
Review written on October 13th 1998
Dragan Antulov a.k.a. Drax
Fido: 2:381/100
E-Mail: dragan.antulov@st.tel.hr
dragan.antulov@altbbs.fido.hr
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