Mr. Majestyk (1974) - Standard Bronson

Despite being a huge fan of Charles Bronson in his - obviously - most famous role of Paul Kersey in the 'Death Wish' films, I found 'Mr. Majestyk' on a streaming site and thought I'd give it a watch.  Um, basically it's like 'Death Wish' in terms of plots, just not so... er. 'Deathwishy.' Maybe 'Death Wish lite?'

I was curious as to whether this or 'Death Wish' came out first, so I looked them both up on IMDb and, apparently, this one came out a week before 'Death Wish' from what I can tell.  Strange, because they basically have similar plot beats, only 'Death Wish' went on to become iconic and this one was pretty much forgotten.  

Here, Bronson plays a melon farmer who falls foul of a group of local thugs which ultimately makes him the target of a hitman on the run.  The police are of little help, so, like Paul Kersey, it's up for Bronson to take matters into his hands in his own - lethal - way.

And, it's okay really.

There's not that much action and not much killing (believe it or not), but then I guess when it's up against 'Death Wish' it will always come across as a poor imitation.  It's certainly not a bad film and it kept me entertained enough.  If you're a die hard fan of Bronson it's definitely worth a watch, or if the 'Death Wish' films are a little too violent for you then this one - sort of - offers a more 'PG' take on the same storyline.

6/10

Heads of State (2025) - Way better than it has any right to be

Over the years my expectations for 'straight to streaming' movies has become suitable lowered.  Even if they star decent, recognisable actors, there's really no guarantee that they'll be any good.  So I just kind of put 'Heads of State' on in the background and didn't even think I'd bother finishing it.  Luckily, I was (eventually) proved wrong.

The opening is a bit 'meh' - the American President (John Cena) arrives in London to meet the British Prime Minister (Idris Elba).  They don't really get on and things seem a bit awkward.  The film is billed as an 'action-comedy' and neither of these sub-genres show up early on.  However, once the action picks up, things definitely improve.

The two world leaders are forced to go on the run while hunted by hitmen and this is the point where the movie properly starts.  It's helped by not just two excellent actors as the leading men and it's fun to watch them bicker at each other in between fighting for survival.  But perhaps the film's greatest strength is that it never really takes itself seriously.

I don't think it would have worked if it had tried to be serious all the time, but it knows it's goofy enough to know when to put the laughs in and when to play it straight (some of the actions scenes are daft, but fun and reminded me of some Roger Moore Bond levels of silliness!).

As 'Heads of State' is on a streaming service and you're not paying cinema prices to watch it, if you're in the mood for a cheeky little action film with decent actors, you could do a lot worse than this one.

7/10