Charles Bronson - 70's tough guy
Have I ever mentioned my fascination with Charles Bronson? He's awesome. He comes from the tough guy era of the 70's, where men were men and something... I'm not sure how that sentence ends. Anyway, I've always thought the best three way fist fight between 70's actors would be Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, and Steve McQueen.
So, I'm watching Murphy's Law, a Bronson classic, and marveling at how almost alien he is by today's standards. Nobody looks like this today. For instance - the way he squints. It's kind of like Clint Eastwood, but not quite. Eastwood looks like he's squinting into the sun, whereas Bronson looks like his brow has simply invaded his eyes. He's not squinting at all, this is how he looks at you.
Today I just noticed how he runs. It really is amazing. It sort of looks like he just ate a huge meal, and doesn't want to make his stomach ache worse. This is how a real man runs, well, in the 70's at least. You have to remember that feathered hairdo's on guys were cool, so a lot of things were different then.
In Murphy's Law, (which is actually from the 80's, but a lot of stuff from the 70's crossed over - that's really what the 80's were- weird 70's leftovers) Bronson approaches a known cocaine kingpin in a restaurant, doing the old, "We're on to you, buddy," routine that was also a big 70's thing in plot lines. The bad guy asks, "You ever heard of Murphy's Law?" and warns Bronson that a lot of bad things can happen to a guy, if they're not careful. Bronson (Murphy) replies in classic Bronson (and true to form 70's tough guy) fashion, "The only law I know, is Jack Murphy's law: don't f%#@k with Jack Murphy." Classic.
Oh yeah, fair warning on this one - there's more bad language than you can shake a stick at. If you can get past that, and the terrible way women are treated, and the somewhat predictable psychotic killer, and the stoopid bad language insults from Bronson's sidekick, well, actually the only reason to watch it is for Bronson. Murphy's Law isn't really a good film, but it's worth seeing as a kind of crazy time capsule of sorts. And to watch Bronson run.
So, I'm watching Murphy's Law, a Bronson classic, and marveling at how almost alien he is by today's standards. Nobody looks like this today. For instance - the way he squints. It's kind of like Clint Eastwood, but not quite. Eastwood looks like he's squinting into the sun, whereas Bronson looks like his brow has simply invaded his eyes. He's not squinting at all, this is how he looks at you.
Today I just noticed how he runs. It really is amazing. It sort of looks like he just ate a huge meal, and doesn't want to make his stomach ache worse. This is how a real man runs, well, in the 70's at least. You have to remember that feathered hairdo's on guys were cool, so a lot of things were different then.
In Murphy's Law, (which is actually from the 80's, but a lot of stuff from the 70's crossed over - that's really what the 80's were- weird 70's leftovers) Bronson approaches a known cocaine kingpin in a restaurant, doing the old, "We're on to you, buddy," routine that was also a big 70's thing in plot lines. The bad guy asks, "You ever heard of Murphy's Law?" and warns Bronson that a lot of bad things can happen to a guy, if they're not careful. Bronson (Murphy) replies in classic Bronson (and true to form 70's tough guy) fashion, "The only law I know, is Jack Murphy's law: don't f%#@k with Jack Murphy." Classic.
Oh yeah, fair warning on this one - there's more bad language than you can shake a stick at. If you can get past that, and the terrible way women are treated, and the somewhat predictable psychotic killer, and the stoopid bad language insults from Bronson's sidekick, well, actually the only reason to watch it is for Bronson. Murphy's Law isn't really a good film, but it's worth seeing as a kind of crazy time capsule of sorts. And to watch Bronson run.
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