Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

nzpedals But that's what the DVD cover said. I watched it a year ago, yet couldn't remember a single thing about it! So watched it again, and didn't recall a single scene either!There are hundreds of scenes of course, but every one is pointless and silly and sometimes ridiculous, ie, the guy with a machine gun lets off a magazine, but doesn't hit anyone, even at close range? The blow-gun scene is also simply not realistic. They might work in the Amazon, but to imply that one could fire a dart about 20 metres, up to the balcony with 100% accuracy is nonsense.Is there a story here? Not much. Cop goes after chief hood, tries to retrieve the man's dolly-bird, a real air-head. At least her (Jill Ireland) acting is good, but the role is so awful I can't see why she accepted it. The rest of the cast simply don't matter.My original rating was a 4, which is hard to justify now, but I'll let it stand.

Wizard-8 Charles Bronson was probably convinced to do "Love and Bullets" because it gave him an opportunity to work alongside his wife Jill Ireland, something he tried to do whenever he could. But the end results did him no favors. While the title promises to show another side of Bronson apart from his tough guy status, there is actually very little "love" in the movie - his character and his wife's character actually don't fall in love until the last twenty minutes, and barely any "love" is shown. They hardly ever have an in-depth conversation! Elsewhere, Bronson doesn't seem very enthusiastic, Ireland gives her character a squeaky voice that is downright annoying, Rod Steiger gives a hammy performance as the mob boss, and Henry Silva not only has hardly any screen time, his character disappears before the end to a fate unknown. The script needed more work, since there is not only very little action, important linking footage seem to be missing here and there like with the first meeting of the two leads. About the only saving grace the movie has is some nice Swiss scenery, but that only helps a little.

lost-in-limbo What's on mind… love definitely more so than bullets. The premise seems rather straight-forward, but within the context is a primarily downbeat and melancholic angle. The crime/thriller slant is pretty low-key (as the chase scenes leisurely tick along) with the main focus being on the three performances; Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland and Rod Steiger and the eventual bonds that are crafted and from that the situations that occur. Love follows on… tragedy also with guts and grit winning out.Police detective Charlie Congers has been picked to head to Switzerland to rescue an ex-mistress of crime boss Joe Bomposa who now wants her dead. Getting her first means a chance to probably convict Bomposa, but is she as innocent as she claims to know anything of importance about his crime ring.I'm not particularly surprised to see this Bronson outing become a forgettable title in his career that rarely sees daylight, and those who had seen it mainly want to bombard it for being tedious and bland. I didn't feel that at all. It has a very European vibe to the get-up with a stylish and almost uncommon development. Stuart Rosenberg's textured direction (who replaced John Huston) is economically surefooted, as he works with the beautifully moody and authentic European backdrops (that the compelling cinematography frames) and constructs moments of high-strung suspense. Plentiful they're not, but those few are well-executed. I just wished that the dangerous side wasn't kept in check. Writer Wendell Mayles' (the man behind 'Death Wish') minimal screenplay is simply old-fashioned and the pacing is quite relaxed. Concisely structured. but nothing surprises… well the final climaxes do come up and pinch you. Were I thought it achieved a rather powerful imprint was because of Lalo Schifran's arousing score. It was exotic, colourful and flavoured. Never did it not make some sort of impression. I would say it's up there with his inspired score for 'Dirty Harry (1971)'. He knows how to place the action or feelings on screen with music and successfully push the buttons.A strong cast do a serviceable job. Bronson's impassively stalwart turn fits accordingly and his chemistry with an empathic Jill Ireland (his actual wife) pays dividends. She was practically in nearly every movie he made during this period. Rod Steiger puts in an outstandingly staggering performance that grows with believable weight. Henry Silva and Paul Koslo hold up well in the bad guy roles. Also featuring with fine turns are Bradford Dillman, Strother Martin, Michael V. Gazzo and Val Avery.

paul_johnr Every good writer turns out an occasional flop, which is exactly the kind of film Wendell Mayes conceived as 'Love and Bullets.' By 1979, Mayes was at the end of a prolific career in which he wrote screenplays for three Otto Preminger films (including 'Anatomy of a Murder'), Ronald Neame's blockbuster 'The Poseidon Adventure,' and the adaptation of 'Death Wish.' His next-to-last film credit, however, was this dull, meandering chase story from Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment firm that he co-wrote with John Melson, a scribe only noted for 1965's 'Battle of the Bulge.''Love and Bullets' was one in a series of disappointing roles for Charles Bronson as the 1970s closed. Bronson was a favorite actor of Sir Lew Grade, but their collaboration proved mostly a failure. While 'Love and Bullets' and 'Borderline' made chump change at the box office, Bronson dropped out of the entertaining 'Firepower' and paired up with director J. Lee Thompson for the sleazy political thriller 'The Evil That Men Do.' 'Love and Bullets' is an ordinary crime film, casting Bronson as a police lieutenant, his wife Jill Ireland as a damsel in distress, and Rod Steiger as a European-based Mafioso. While it is impossible to figure out how much of Mayes's work actually reached the film, 'Love and Bullets' feels like an incomplete project, with most of its 103-minute run time following Bronson and Ireland across the Swiss Alps. Very little happens to keep a viewer interested and the movie feels much longer than it actually is.Bronson plays Charlie Congers, an Arizona police lieutenant who is asked by the FBI to track down Jackie Pruit (Ireland), a Southern call girl. Pruit is the devoted lover of mob boss Joe Bomposa (Steiger), who rules from his Swiss villa. The feds believe that Pruit knows everything about Bomposa's operations in the U.S. and can be forced to testify against him if returned to the country. Congers, having seen a police officer murdered by Bomposa's drug ring, agrees to the job and gets sucked into a cat-and-mouse game with Bomposa and Vittorio Farroni (Henry Silva), an assassin hired to kill Pruit before she tattles. The film is a standard chase drama; Bronson engages in hand-to-hand combat, throws an axe, and fashions a dart gun from the rod of a floor lamp.Considering the amount of talent that Wendell Mayes had, this plot is incredibly underdeveloped; for Bronson addicts, it can be a trying experience. There are occasional action scenes and your odd explosion, but we are mostly treated to Bronson and Ireland trudging across snowcaps and riding on trains, dragged out even further by Stuart Rosenberg's horrendous pacing and constant dissolves from one scene to the next. Rosenberg, who directed 'Cool Hand Luke' and replaced John Huston on this film, either had no idea of how to develop the material or completely misfired in trying to give it life. The film has underlying humor that works at times, but is mostly centered on Jill Ireland's character, which is one of the most annoying I've ever seen.Like Love and Bullets' scriptwriting, its actors are deep in talent but underutilized. Charles Bronson gives the only decent performance, simply because he's the lead actor and has more to work with. Ireland portrays a blonde, Southern bubblehead who dons wigs and passes her time by making dolls; her character is grating and as a fan of Ireland, I resent the fact that she is made so unlikable in this film. Ireland also falls conveniently in love with Bronson during the movie's second half and it doesn't look very convincing. Rod Steiger bombs as a stuttering Mafioso, rarely talking below a yell and undergoing his grammar school audition for 'The Untouchables.' Henry Silva and Paul Koslo play decent smaller roles but never supply enough menace for a viewer to care about them. The only element that truly stands out is breathtaking photography by Fred Koenekamp and Anthony Richmond, which captures the Swiss Alps' enveloping qualities. Lalo Schifrin, known for his sleek music throughout the 1970s, disposes of 'wakka-chicka' and uses a more conventional style that is pleasing, but at times mushy.While Bronson is very likable, 'Love and Bullets' feels like a project that was abandoned before ending up in ITC's hands as a last resort. Compared to other gems like 'Death Wish,' 'The Mechanic,' 'Hard Times,' and 'Breakout,' 'Love and Bullets' easily ranks as one of Bronson's more forgettable credits. Bronson, unfortunately, would step down from these glossier projects to begin his run at the Cannon Group, starring in workmanlike films like 'Death Wish II,' '10 to Midnight,' and 'Murphy's Law.' Jill Ireland maintained her presence in Bronson's films until dying of cancer in 1990. Stuart Rosenberg later directed the Robert Redford vehicle 'Brubaker' in 1980 and 'My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys' in 1991.At the moment, 'Love and Bullets' is only available in VHS copy on the Internet and, considering its dubious place on Bronson's résumé, may take a while to reach DVD. CBS/FOX Video retailed a VHS tape with good color and mediocre sound in 1989. The 'big box' presentation ruins all of the scenery that was intended for theaters, but these same images can be seen in a travel guide or by hopping on a plane to Europe. Unless you're a Bronson die-hard or admire his relationship with Jill Ireland, 'Love and Bullets' is a negligible film that only deserves a rare showing on late-night TV.* ½ out of 4Roving Reviewer - www.geocities.com/paul_johnr