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