I re-read the Elmore Leonard novel Mr. Majestyk (1974) for the umpteenth time recently – classic crime pot-boiler with trademark Leonard characters and dialogue. I knew there was a Charles Bronson movie of it, but hadn’t realised that Leonard had written it as a screenplay first then adapted it as a novel. Bronson is the titular character, a stoic farmer in Colorado who wants to get his crop of melons picked and away. However he gets busted by the cops after fighting back against a no-good shakedown artist named Wiley (Lee Purcell). While in prison, Majestyk bruises the ego of a contract killer named Renda (Al Lettieri from The Godfather) who swears a vendetta against the melon farmer even after his mob associates bust him out of the joint. The story is a nice meeting point between Leonard contemporarising his western paperbacks and the crime thrillers he’d influence Tarantino and others with; it’s a protracted showdown where the wait is the thing with the clear personalities of the characters and their snappy dialogue (as well as ‘70s action staples like car chases and shoot outs). Directed by Richard Fleischer with a good score from Charles Bernstein, this is one of Bronson’s best where the actor is given laconic charm alongside his granite tough guy composure. Recommended.
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