Charles Bronsonwas one of Hollywood’s tough-guy actors for his entire career, and this included a period where he was one of the top action stars in the industry. While he got his start inco-starring roles in films likeThe Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape,andThe Dirty Dozen,he thrived in his solo action efforts.
Bronson proved he was a Hollywood draw as anaction star thanks to his movieDeath Wish,which did for his career whatDirty Harrydid for Clint Eastwood. This movie allowedBronson to move out of his typecast Westernand military roles and become more of a butt-kicking action hero.
While his ensemble movies remain among the best in Hollywood history, looking at his solo starring efforts proves thatCharles Bronson was a star with or without Hollywood royaltysurrounding him in the cast.
10The Evil That Men Do (1984)
The Evil That Men Dowas one of Bronson’s best movies of the 1980s, a decade when his star was dimming a little as new action heroes hit the scene. Similar to his 1972 hit,Mechanic,Bronson was a hitman again, but this time he is hired to kill a man who is deadlier and more evil than he is.
Bronson plays Holland, and he heads to find the “Doctor” (Joseph Maher), a murderer who has tortured and killed countless people and never faced punishment for his crimes. What results is Holland showing why he is a dangerous man, and might be as deadly and ruthless as the terrible “Doctor.”
The movie works perfectly for Bronson because most of the film takes place outdoors, which takes Bronson from his familiar police stations and dark alleys and presents action scenes more similar to his Westerns and war movies. It also allows Bronson to deliver more brutal action than in any of his action films outsideDeath Wish.
9Messenger Of Death (1988)
Charles Bronson developed a long-lasting relationship with director J. Lee Thompson, and he starred in nine movies for the director, withMessenger of Deathbeing their eighth together. Thompson retired after their ninth outing. This movie was based on the novel,The Avenging Angel,by Rex Burns.
Messenger of Deathfollows the story of a water company that wants to start a family feud among fundamentalist Mormons to steal their land for the company. It all begins with two masked men who murder three sIster wives and their five children, leading to the patriarch wanting revenge.
Bronson plays Garret Smith, a newspaper reporter. The movie sees Bronson in a different role, as he works as a journalist trying to uncover the secrets a fundamentalist sect attempts to hide. Instead of seeking to kill everyone involved, he is trying to keep the peace between the two Mormon families separated by religious beliefs.
While it seemed at one point that Bronson was going to start destroying people, he only really beat up one person, who happened to be an assassin, but he was the most peaceful person in this action movie. While not typical Bronson, it is a beautifully shot movie, and the mystery he uncovers along the way is well done.
8Death Wish 3 (1985)
Death Wishmade Charles Bronson an action movie star. However, of the four sequels, the only one that came close to matching the first movie was the third,Death Wish 3.This was also the last with original director Michael Winner behind the camera.
This is also where the franchise changed its focus from the dark and gritty tone of the first two movies to a more over-the-top action franchise more similar to theRambosequels than theDeath Wishfilms. This helped it become one of the most popular movies of the franchise for fans, with a 53% audience score onRotten Tomatoes.
When one of Paul’s friends is killed by gangsters, the local police chief (Ed Lauter) offers him free rein to kill all the gangsters if the police receive credit for bringing them down. Paul agrees, and the movie ends up as one of the craziest kill fests of Charles Bronson’s career.
7Murphy’s Law (1986)
Charles Bronson stars in Murphy’s Law as Jack Murphy, an alcoholic detective in the LAPD who is unhappy thanks to his failures in his career and marriage. When a murderer he put away years before, Joan (Carrie Snodgress), gets out of prison and kills Murphy’s ex-wife and the police officers, she frames him for the murders.
When no one believes his innocence, he breaks out of jail while handcuffed to a thief, Arabella (Kathleen Wilhoute), and the two work together to find out who the real killer is, not realizing it is his old nemesis.
Murphy’s Lawis very much a product of its time, with extreme violence, gratuitous nudity, and just about every action movie trope of the decade. However, the action is always great, and the final confrontation with the female serial killer offers something fresh for the genre.
6Breakheart Pass (1975)
While Charles Bronson starred in action movies through the end of the 1980s, he was never better than he was in the mid-1970s. One year after he broke out inDeath Wish,Bronson starred inBreakheart Pass.This is one of Bronson’s Western action movies, a mystery story set on a train with a fantastic supporting cast.
Western movie icon Ben Johnson is here as a US Marshal, while Bronson plays his prisoner, John Murray. However, in reality, he is US Secret Service Agent John Deakin, undercover to bring down a group of killers using the train to transport guns and weapons meant to pay off Native Americans to mine their land.
The action is confined to the space of a moving train, making the environment much more claustrophobic than in other Charles Bronson action movies, which creates several tense moments.
When the train hits Breakheart Pass, Deakin has to face the criminals on the train, the Native Americans showing up outside, and the outlaws arriving on the scene. This remains one of Bronson’s best solo Western movies, and the twists and turns make it a fun story, with an explosive climax as the bow on the package.
5Death Hunt (1981)
Death Huntis a Charles Bronson action movie based on a true story, but one that takes a lot of liberties with factual events. The true-life event was the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s pursuit of Albert Johnson after a trapping dispute. What resulted was a 150-mile pursuit that ended in a shootout.
The movie is a fictional account of this manhunt, with Charles Bronson playing Albert Johnson. However, he is made more heroic here, as a man who rescued a dog from a dog fight and then had to defend himself against a vicious trapper named Hazel (Ed Lauter). This leads the RCMP to believe Johnson is a serial killer.
The film supposes that Johnson was innocent of the charges, and another man on the scene was the actual “Mad Trapper.” The movie is action-packed, featuring several intense chase scenes, gunfights, and a standout scene where two men shoot down an aircraft. It also re-teamed Bronson with hisDirty Dozenco-star Lee Marvin.
4The Mechanic (1972)
Next toDeath Wish,Charles Bronson’s most popular action movie isThe Mechanic.This actually came two years beforeDeath Wishand proved that Bronson was perfect in these action movie roles, helping turn him into one of the biggest action stars of the 1970s.
Bronson plays Arthur Bishop, an assassin who takes a young man under his wing. This young killer is the ruthless Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent), the ambitious son of the former head of the criminal organization that Arthur works for. Before this, Arthur was hired to kill Steve’s dad, and kept this secret from the son.
The movie is a fun cat-and-mouse game between Arthur and Steve, and the ending is a fun twist that shows that, in this life, no one gets out alive. The movie received mixed reviews, but for fans of action movies, it has everything one could want, including a dark, twisted ending.
3Mr. Majestyk (1974)
Released the same year as Death Wish, Charles Bronson stars as the title character in the action filmMr. Majestyk.Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard(3:10 To Yuma, Justified), Vince Majestyk is a former U.S. Ranger instructor and Vietnam War veteran who now works as a farmer.
When a small-time hood tries to shake him down in a protection racket scheme, Majestyk defends himself and ends up arrested for assault. Majestyk ends up breaking out of jail with a mob hit man and tries to use him to trade for his freedom. However, this puts him as the primary target for the hit men’s crew.
This movie shares a lot in common withFirst Blood,although the people hunting Majestyk are the bad guys, and not the police. However, it all ends up the same with Majestyk leading his pursuers into the wilderness, where he has the advantage.Mr Majestykremains one of the most beloved action films for Bronson’s fans.
2Death Wish (1974)
The firstDeath Wishmovie made Charles Bronsona massive action movie star. While the film was highly controversial when it was released, thanks to the violence and a man taking the law into his own hands, it is very tame compared to later similar films. However, that is also what makes this first movie such a masterpiece.
This is the movie that popularized the vigilante genre of action films, with Bronson starring as a doctor whose wife was murdered and his daughter was violently raped. The police couldn’t do anything about it, so he bought a gun and took to the streets seeking revenge against anyone he felt was responsible.
His target was muggers in New York City, and while he believed he was saving people from the pain he suffered, he was becoming as deadly as the men he was killing.It remains the bestDeath Wishmoviein the franchise, specifically because it doesn’t devolve into Bronson killing everyone he sees, and remains more nuanced.
1Hard Times (1975)
Death WishandThe Mechanicare more popular, butHard Timesis the best Charles Bronson action movie he ever starred in.Directed by Walter Hill(The Warriors),Hard Timesstars Bronson as CHaney, a drifter in Louisiana in the Great Depression who is almost unbeatable in bare-knuckled boxing matches.
James Coburn co-stars with Bronson as Speed, a hustler who helps the two make money off his illegal fights while trying to make it through one of the most challenging times in American history. This movie has the best critical score of any Bronson solo action film, sitting at an impressive 89% onRotten Tomatoes.
The film works best thanks to its Great Depression setting, because it makesCharles Bronson’sChaney a character people can cheer for, while if it were set in more modern times, it wouldn’t have the same charm. In the end, it is a powerful film about a man who will fight and never give up, regardless of the odds set against him.
