Charles Bronson makes a small change of expression worth waiting for. We rate his work for Sergio Leone most highly; the later vigilante films too often ask him to repeat himself.
Fi1m perspective
In Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Charles Bronson holds Harmonica so still that a small change of expression becomes something to watch for. We found that stillness unsettling, because it makes us scrutinise a face that offers little reassurance. His economical delivery works in much the same way: a short line gets attention without having to be forced. The tough-guy casting makes sense, but it can obscure how carefully he controls what we see.
In The Magnificent Seven (1960), toughness had room for tenderness; in John Sturges's The Great Escape (1963), it became the practical competence of Danny, the tunnel digger. James Clavell and W.R. Burnett's screenplay makes each man's speciality immediately clear, so Bronson needs little biography to establish his place among the others. That efficiency also limits him: Danny's occupation tells us much of what the film is prepared to say about him. The performance works, but we are left wanting a little more of the man.
Leone's Western helped make him an international star, and gives his restraint more time and space. Ennio Morricone's music adds dread to the violence, while Henry Fonda's composed Frank is frightening without any strenuous display of menace. These are useful surroundings for Bronson: the film gives us time to look at faces, and he rewards the attention. The plotting grows needlessly tangled, but that is no reason to rush past his performance.
With Death Wish (1974), he became a leading American action star, and vigilante roles came to define his later career. The crime thrillers continued through the 1980s and into the 1990s, with repetitive sequels offering fewer opportunities to vary that familiar toughness. More dialogue would not necessarily have helped; a different sort of part might have. Start with Harmonica, then try Danny before committing to a long acquaintance with the vigilantes.
Biography
Charles Bronson, born Charles Dennis Buchinsky, was an American actor. He was born on 3 November 1921 in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, and died on 30 August 2003.
Bronson served in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. He worked as a coal miner before entering acting and gained attention with supporting roles in The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Dirty Dozen (1967). He played Danny 'Tunnel King' in The Great Escape (1963) and the lead role of Harmonica in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).
Bronson starred in numerous action, Western and war films made in Europe and the United States, including Rider on the Rain (1970) and the Death Wish series beginning in 1974. He also appeared in many television series.
