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Review: The Great Escape (1963)

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You couldn't ask for a movie with a higher pedigree of talent in front of the camera and behind the scenes. 1963's The Great Escape  is populated wall-to-wall with actors that I enjoy: Steve McQueen ( Bullit ), James Garner ( Support Your Local Sheriff ), Charles Bronson ( Mr. Majestyk ), Donald Pleasance ( Halloween ), James Coburn ( In Like Flint ) and Richard Attenborough ( Jurassic Park ) lead an all-star cast of current A-listers (and some that would be). Handling directing duties is John Sturges, a director who helmed more than his fair share of classics, including  Last Train from Gun Hill  (1959), The Magnificent Seven (1960), and The Eagle Has Landed (1976) .  So it's with something close to guilt that I admit in this review that I don't love The Great Escape.   I know I should. All the elements for success are there, from real-life heroism, underdogs that the audience can (and should) root for, even triumphs and tragedies as played out agains...
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Review: Mr. Majestyk (1974)

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Mr. Majestyk is my kind of movie.   Charles Bronson takes center stage in this tale of vigilante justice and revenge set against the backdrop of the gorgeous Colorado landscape. Add in a screenplay written by the great Elmore Leonard, whose outstanding short stories and novels have been adapted into the films 3:10 to Yuma, Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, Out of Sight, and even the television series Justified , and you've got a recipe for gritty, 1970s greatness.  Charles Bronson plays the titular character, Vince Majestyk, a rural farmer who raises melons. His one desire is to get his latest crop harvested and brought to market. Turns out, he's got a lot invested in this, and as his backstory unfolds, we realize the melons represent more than just agriculture. Like the anti-hero out of a noir film, Majestyk has been tripped up by life and is trying his best to rise above the bad hand that he was dealt. When he chooses to hire a group of Hispanic migrants, led by Linda Cristal ( The ...
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Review: Fort Massacre (1958)

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Fort Massacre  is one of the many smaller westerns from the 1950s that features an excellent script, solid performances, and beautiful cinematography. The film was released by United Artists and was directed by Joseph M. Newman, the same guy who made the underrated sci-fi classic  This Island Earth.  The story follows the U.S. Cavalry's C Troop as they navigate Apache country after an ambush that left a number of their men either dead or injured. They're trying to get to their outpost 100 miles away while under constant fire from hostile natives. It's the same plot that could have been (and was) used for a ton of war movies, but the draw of Fort Massacre  isn't the story; the real beauty is watching these characters as they deal with what appears to be a no-win situation.
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