Charles Bronson is a prisoner, being transported by a sheriff (Ben Johnson) on a train carrying vital medical supplies to an army outpost suffering from a diphtheria outbreak. Soon it becomes apparent that some of the people aboard are not what they seem to be, as more and more of the passengers disappear or are murdered. Tension climbs with the body count as the train winds through the mountains to Breakheart Pass. Bronson's star appeal always eluded me but he was a top box-office draw when he made this adaptation of the Alistair MacLean novel. The 'last act' is a bit weak, but otherwise the movie is pretty good, with beautiful scenery and cinematography, competent acting (especially by Johnson and Crenna), and an interesting story. The action sequences (especially the fight on top of the train) are well staged and the film manages to fit the period (the 1870's) more than many of its Hollywood contemporaries (despite a 1970s aesthetic that is abetted by Jerry Goldsmith's 'commercial' but catchy music). Overall, a good action film starring (IMO) one of Hollywood's least likely leading men.
Review of Breakheart Pass
