The Stone Killer

This is an enjoyable time waster. And to paraphrase Bronson himself (from the film), "(it) has its' gaudy moments." There is some memorable dialogue and where else can you see Papa Walton (Ralph Waite) playing a racist detective in a series of outdated cheap suits? The mob characters are cliches and the plot is somewhat farfetched. But there are worse things to waste 90 minutes on. The bottom line: THE STONE KILLER isn't one of Hollywood's greatest films, it certainly isn't the worst. It's Bronson.

Some people make "dated" sound like a bad word. I like a movie to look and sound like its when and where. This was so perfect. Just like it should be. The car chase: is it really necessary? Yes! This is very generic and very 70s and very perfect. I have seen most of the most important movies of this kind from the late 60s up until the mid 70s, white and black, and I can't really see how this is any worse than any others. Perhaps it's a late addition to the genre, and maybe it isn't all that funny, but it's just like it should be. Did you notice when the paper basket is on fire and no one says anything? I'm not sure how realistic the movie is, but I don't think it's a mistake to add the mafia dimension. However, the date, April 10th, is fictitious, isn't it? "The Castellammarese War ended on April 14 of 1931 after the murder of Giuseppe "Joe The Boss" Masseria," one web page says. A clean and perfect 10.

"Death Wish" director Michael Winner knocked the bottom out of the tough guy cop movie genre when he cast Charles Bronson in this Sicilian mafia revenge caper. As granite-jawed Police Detective Lou Torrey, Bronson gets in trouble early when he shoots a kid with a gun. He clears out of New York and heads out west to Los Angeles. The mafia are staging an attack on their own kind. The car chase where Bronson leaps a car through a gas station is pretty cool. Winner never lets the pace lag in this exciting actioneer. Stuart Margolin has a great role as a commando leader who doesn't believe in luck. The mafia massacre is staged with finesse. Based on the novel A Complete State of Death. John Ritter fans will get a kick out of watching him play a uniform.

If you're not already a Charles Bronson fan, this film isn't likely to change your mind. But for those of you like their action films with side-burns, bell bottoms and good old fashioned,hard-hitting action, you'll really enjoy this. Bronson does his "Dirty Harry" impression while investigating a strange ring of murders involving ex-vietnam vets and the Mob. Great car chases. The crazy car crack up inside a parking lot is this film's action highlight. One of my favorite Bronson flicks.