COLD SW EAT

Slow moving story of an ex-GI who assumed an alias as a fishing boat captain in a Mediterrenean coastal town. He is hiding from the authorities and his old partners with whom he committed a robbery; they were nabbed and imprisoned but he escaped and now they are back for revenge.

Limited scenery, "hamy" acting and awkward fight scenes. Overall cheap production, even by the standards of the late 1960s. Probably a "payday" movie for Bronson and his wife Jill Ireland. As a fan of Bronson, I believe that this is not his best work. The superbly talented, luminous Liv Ulman, sleep walks through her role as the captain's wife. Similarly, the great James Mason's acting skills are wasted in this turkey.This is not the greatest Bronson movie ever made but it is nonetheless entertaining. It does have one spectacular car chase or rather motorcycle pursuit on winding roads of south of France. There are some nice performances and it's fun to see James Mason play a villain although he's a likable one. Liv Ullman is fine and Jill Ireland plays a hilarious rich hippie chick.

There are the usual plot absurdities but Bronson is the reason we watch these movies and he's no different here. He's a very likeable tough guy trying very hard to be nice around bunch of incorrigable villains.

The main concern here though is the resolution quality. It looks like they transfered a video quality image. On a high def flat panel it looks aweful, but you can still enjoy the film. I wish they would remaster but I guess that's why the price is cheap. If image quality and DVD presentation are important then this should really get a 2 star rating.