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Red Sun [1971]


RRP: £9.99
Our Price: £2.35 (subject to change)

Cowboys and Samurais
Review date: 2008-11-01 Rating: 6 out of 10

Red Sun aka Soleil Rouge is one of those gloriously demented pitches - cowboys and samurais in a French-Italian Western shot in Spain by an English director with a Swiss leading lady. As if that isn't mad enough, the villain is Alain Delon's French cowboy, who leaves his train robbing buddy Charles Bronson to take the fall after stealing the Emperor of Japan's gold sword, leaving Bronson and the Japanese ambassador's samurai bodyguard Toshiro Mifune with only seven days to track it down before the Kurosawa regular has to commit hari-kiri ("Now that's something I'd like to see!" quips Bronson). Oh, and Ursula Andress and Capucine are along for the ride, as is Terence Young regular Anthony Dawson as the screen's unlikeliest cowboy desperado. Throw in a hostile tribe of Comanches on the warpath and the editor of The Wild Bunch you should be all set for one of the best genre hybrids of the 70s. Only, sadly, while it may offer two iconic samurai for the price of one - Le Samourai and the Seventh Samurai - it isn't anywhere near as good as it sounds.

While a long way from his laziest work, Terence Young directs with more efficiency than imagination and as a result there's not too much to get excited about here. Aside from the final fight with hostiles in a burning field of tall grass the action scenes make little impression, Bronson and Mifune don't bring their A-game to the party (not too surprising with dialogue like "I think you're a helluva man." "I think you're a son of a beesh!") while it all feels rather too leisurely at 112 minutes. Then there's the rather coy nudity - Andress does undress, but only allows a glimpse of one breast and one buttock as if she only got paid half her going rate and wouldn't let the producers see the full set. Still, Maurice Jarre's eccentric score incorporating koto, dulcimer, ondes martinot, accordion and symphony orchestra makes an impression, and Delon enjoys himself as the trigger-happy black-clad villain 'Gauche.' Definitely worth a watch, but certainly not a keeper.

Cinema Club's DVD has a good fullframe transfer with the international trailer (missspelling Delon's character name as Gotch!) the only extra.

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Reviews


Enjoyable film marred by poor sound quality.
Review date: 2008-09-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

I have fond memories of seeing this film in the cinema,hence my purchase of the DVD.
I won't repeat the story line,but,rather,concentrate on the picture,and audio,quality of this DVD.
In general,the picture quality is very good,only falling down on some of the exterior shots.
However,the audio quality is rather poor,leading to both difficulty on occasions hearing the,frequently witty,dialogue,and some very "wonky" background music.
However,it is still a very enjoyable film,and the interplay between Charles Bronson,and Toshiro Mifune,is a real delight,eg the line from the former to the latter at the end of their fight.

East meets West!
Review date: 2007-10-05 Rating: 10 out of 10

Red Sun has Bronson and Mifune, two great action stars, journeying out in the Old West, trying to retrieve a jeweled sword that was suppose to be a gift for the President of the United States from the Emperor of Japan. Bronson, Ursula and Mifune all are at their peak (Playing themselves). Mifune, who never learned to speak English, spoke his own lines. Just to watch Mifune's samurai tactics vs. Bronson's gun fighting skills is worth the whole movie. And of course this movie is a must for anyone who loved either The Magnificent Seven or the Seven Samurai.

The Magnificent Seven was the American was a rip-off of Akira Kurosawa's classic, The Seven Samurai. Here we have Charles Bronson, who played the skilled rifleman, Bernardo O'Reilly, in the Magnificent Seven, paired up with Toshiro Mifune, who played Kikuchiyo in the Seven Samurai. This is a must see...


The best samurai western movie ever
Review date: 2007-02-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is a very well made, fast paced, original and EXTREMELY funny film. Both Toshiro Mifune and Charles Bronson are clearly having a great fun playing in this movie and they are on the top of their abilities. Their dialogues are irresistibly funny, ex. Bronson "I am hungry", Mifune "When a samurai is hungry, he is ashamed of being hungry !". Alain Delon and Ursula Andress are great too - he is evil as hell, she is sexy as, well... as hell too. The dialogues between Bronson and Andress are even better that those between him and Mifune. Oh, if you are a woman and a feminist, there is a strong possibility that you will not like this movie... I watched it at least a dozen of times and I never get bored. The visit in a house of perdition is one of the funniest things I ever saw and the fight with the Indians is one of the most impressive I can remember in all the westerns - the "sword versus lance" moment is particularly impressive. Really, get it, watch it, love it! It's an order!

Shanghai Noon was a remake of this film.
Review date: 2007-01-05 Rating: 8 out of 10

Great movie filmed in an international style. Mr. Bronson is very funny in this flick and has some great lines.

Also worth noting that this new DVD release has a much better picture quality than the shoddy Brazilian DVD release that has been on the market for years.

Definately worth the upgrade.


Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Alain Delon
Capucine
Toshirô Mifune
Ursula Andress
Charles Bronson

Creators:
Charles Bronson (Primary Contributor)
Toshirô Mifune (Primary Contributor)
Henri Alekan (Cinematographer)
Robert Dorfmann (Producer)
Ted Richmond (Producer)
Denne Bart Petitclerc (Writer)
Laird Koenig (Writer)
Lawrence Roman (Writer)
William Roberts (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Cinema Club
Manufacturer: Cinema Club
EAN: 5014138300845
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2005-02-07
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 110 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1972-06-09
Language: English (Original Language)

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