best movie i've ever seen.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Released in 1972 and directed by Terence Young, "Red Sun" is a Western starring Charles Bronson as a train robber who teams up with a samurai (Toshirô Mifune) to get Gauche (Delon), the moral-less killer who wronged them both. Ursula Andress and Capucine are also on hand. "Red Sun" combines a gritty realistic tone with comic booky flavor typical of Spaghetti Westerns, but the filmmaking is just overall more professional and effective than most Italo-Westerns. The movie flows well, increasing momentum for the kinetic final act, which contains some pictorially dramatic scenes. I was surprised by how good "Red Sun" is. All the main cast members fit their characters superbly with Delon standing out as the handsome villain dripping with evil. Ursula, who doesn't appear until the midway point, is even more stunning than usual. The relationship of Link (Bronson) and Kuroda (Mifune) is amusing and interesting as it develops. Furthermore, the locations/sets are notable, especially the cane field in the final act. Despite all these good things there's the obvious problem that Gauche is a murderous weasel right out of the gate so why are we supposed to root for his accomplice Link? The answer is that this is a story of redemption. Yes, Link is obviously a greedy criminal at the beginning, but he's otherwise likable and seems to have some kind of sense of honor underneath his gruffness, which is palpably contrasted by Gauche. ***SPOILER ALERT*** As the story unfolds Link's association with Kuroda slowly and positively affects him to the point that he's no longer a lucre-obsessed scumbag by the climax: Disarmed by Link at the end, Gauche tries appealing to Link's greed, but Link decides that the dying samurai's honor is more important to him than learning the all-important location of the stolen money, so he executes Gauche. Just before Kuroda expires, Link promises him that he will return the priceless katana to the Japanese ambassador, thus preserving Kuroda's honor. Give Link some credit: He coulda made a small fortune off the sword (which would make up for the loss of the stolen loot), but he gave it back to the proper owner instead, which testifies to a vastly changed man. ***END SPOILER*** The movie runs 112 minutes and was shot in Spain. GRADE: Borderline B+/A-

Both Likable and a Slight Letdown.A Movie that has a Great International Cast Starring Charles Bronson and Tishiro Mifuni, and a Unique Appeal of being a Samurai-Spaghetti-Western. Featuring Ursula Andress…"That's Christina for ya, you never know what gun she's going to reach for."Also with Alain Delon as an Aloof, Greedy, Murdering Gunslinger, who seems to be Enjoying Himself (the actor and the character). The Film has been Cut a Lot of Slack because of its Differentness and Star Attraction. The Crossover Appeal is also a Factor.But while it is Entertaining and Fun, Violent and Well Executed, something doesn't Click and the Overall Result is Good but Not Great. The Action has some Flourishes that Impress but are Not Stunningly Different, and the Indians are Nothing more than Ducks in a Row to be Mowed Down without much Effort.Two Scenarios Stand Out among the Lackluster. The Confrontation at the Ranch with the Mexicans and the Finale in the High Grain. Otherwise things are Amusing and Interesting but Pedestrian. Bronson is more Animated than Usual and Mifune's Samurai is Elegantly Stoic.Overall, Definitely Worth a Watch and if You Lower Your Expectations there is much Off-Beat Enjoyment to be had.

I like this film. It's a 1971 spaghetti western, so be prepared to make some allowances. Still, it's worth watching, if only for the incomparable Toshiro Mifune. Gentlemen will be pleased to see Ursula Andress, Capucine, Monica Randall. And who but Delon could look gorgeous even with a gold tooth?Nobody should expect "serious" entertainment from this film, so lighten up and enjoy a bit of light romp.And to whomever said this is "ripe for remake," I say bite your tongue! I can only imagine the revolting, mushy mess today's politically-correct Hollywood would turn it into. Who would replace Bronson? The ineffectual Brad Pitt (ugh!)? And Delon? No, some things are best just not attempted.

Without exaggerating, I was absolutely loving this movie for its first half hour or so. After that the movie rapidly started to decline and became less and less refreshing and fun to watch.It all sounds so awesome; having cowboy Charles Bronson and samurai Toshirô Mifune teaming up together in a western. One of the "Seven Samurai" meets one of "The Magnificent Seven". This given thing makes this movie a bit of a must-see and novelty for movie buffs but it at the same time is also really the only interesting and original thing about this movie. Japanese samurai movies were pretty much the eastern equivalent of western westerns, so the idea of the combination of bringing together these two worlds into this one movie really isn't that weird but it's just something that hasn't been done very often, which certainly makes this movie sort of unique.And it also does work very well. Toshirô Mifune is simply doing his own thing and his characters isn't trying to adjust to American culture and costumes. He keeps fighting with his own sword and wears his Japanese robes and even keeps eating his sushi. It worked out well for the movie and for the chemistry with the Charles Bronson character. It's like one of those mismatched duo movies, who have nothing in common and don't like each other very much, that are being forced to work together, due to circumstances.The movie is pretty much being a formulaic and typical spaghetti western, with as a difference that it picks mostly an entertaining approach to things. This can be seen as a pleasant thing but at the same time it's something that only works out well in the movie its first half.It's hard to say where the movie goes wrong. Perhaps the story is simply too thin and formulaic to carry an entire movie, so the movie gets a bit more tiresome to watch during the movie its second half. It's also too bad that the movie felt the need to throw in a female character and love interest. I'm sorry to say but female characters rarely work out in westerns and only are distracting from the story and slow things down, no matter how amazing Ursula Andress is looking in this movie. It's also part of the reason why especially the movie its middle is too slow and far too little interesting is happening in it.More of a novelty than a great movie really.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/