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A Disappointing Continuation

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I liked director Michael Winner's The Stone Killer but the more I thought of the style of this 1973 crime/action film my memory went right back to two other action films of a similar heritage and their respective directors/stars which made me feel like this film was more or less just a cheap imitation of the following two classic action movies. I am referring to director Don Siegel's 1971 crime/action classic Dirty Harry starring Clint Eastwood as Detective Harry Callaghan who reprized his role a few more times with even greater success. The other film I am remembering is director Peter Yates 1968 classic Bullitt which starred Steve McQueen as San Francisco Police Lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When I was watching Charles Bronson drive recklessly through the city streets of New York as he was chasing actor Paul Koslo (the bad guy) who was riding a motorcycle, my mind immediately reflected on Steve McQueen's classic car chase scene with his 1968 Ford Mustang racing through the steep hills of San Francisco. Now THAT was a car chase that director Peter Yates made for the record books that audiences are still talking about more than 50 years later.There was also an earlier scene in The Stone Killer where Charles Bronson who plays Detective Lou Torrey is interrogating a suspect in the police precinct behind a closed door and he punches the suspect a few times such that his suspect nicknamed Jumper (played by Jack Colvin) has his face swell up and Jumper tells Detecive Torrey "Heh, stop, you can't do that I know my rights" So Detective Torrey calls in the policeman stationed in front of the door and he asks his fellow officer if he sees any swelling or bruising on Jumper's face and the police officer says "not a thing". So we just witnessed police brutality by Charles Bronson. I bring this up because again I was reminiscing about the style that Clint Eastwood's character Harry Callaghan would dish out street justice. Clint Eastwood's style of dishing out his form of street justice was just so much more memorable than Charles Bronson's as Clint always seemed to deliver his beatings not only with gusto but you anticipated (maybe even salivated over) that Harry Callaghan was going to whup this bad guy and you didn't want to miss this next scene for anything. I cannot say that Charles Bronson's delivery as detective Lou Torrey was memorable, but just adequate. I am not criticizing Charles Bronson who is one of my favorite action heroes (he has so many memorable and great films) but I blame a rather dull film on director Michael Winner who I believe was trying to emulate both directors Peter Yates (1968 Bullitt) and Don Siegel (1971 Dirty Harry & 1973 Charley Varrick) styles on the action screen.If it were not for Charles Bronson starring in The Stone Killer I probably would have dropped my score down another notch or two. It's an okay crime/action film but not a memorable one. I rated The Stone Killer a 5/10.

The Stone Killer (1973) *** (out of 4) Charles Bronson plays tough Detecitve Lou Torrey who finds himself investigating a murder, which no one seems to know what it's connected to. After getting a name the investigation grows deeper and more and more bodies begin to pile up. Soon Mafia boss Al Vescari (Martin Balsam) enters the picture.In a lot of ways this film borrows from DIRTY HARRY. Bronson is basically playing the same type of character, although this movie makes sure to show his character as someone who isn't a racist but instead someone who will beat you no matter what your color is. The film touches on several issues including racism but there's no question that the viewer isn't meant to think too much. Instead this is just a fast-paced action movie that has a lot of fights, a lot of gun battles and of course the lead doing what he does best.It's really interesting watching the films that Bronson and director Michael Winner made during this period. In many ways this one here contains the most violence and it's certainly the most action pack. I'd say that the story has a bit too much going on as there's a lot of plot here for this type of movie but thankfully the screenplay basically just puts Bronson into one dangerous situation after another. This is a great thing because he shoots bad guys, beats confessions out of people and basically does whatever he can to get the job done.Bronson is quite good in the picture and once again he isn't given too much dialogue. The actor always acted with his body and he would have been perfect in the silent era. He turns in a very good performance here and really packs a punch with the role including some very funny bits of dialogue. The supporting cast is also very good with Balsam doing a good job in the Mafia role and especially a scene set in a cemetery. You've also got Jack COlvin, Norman Fell and even John Ritter in an early role.THE STONE KILLER has a lot of good things going for it but the action and stunts deserve a lot of credit. As you'd expect for the era, there's a pretty good car chase as well as plenty of scenes where bullets are flying and bodies are dropping. Fans of Bronson will certainly eat this one up but he and the director were about to make their masterpiece the following year with DEATH WISH.

No 3D, graphics effects gizmos for this one!!!!The best car vs motorcycle chase, in history. A helicopter chase. And a real, based-on-real-facts, story to boot. Charles Bronson. Murder and high speed chases. Big, fat cars of the 70's. And this thing is a 6.2? And that BS about Batman getting ****ed in the financial markets gets an 8?You know that's BS. So pick this one up. The Stone Killer. Short, straight to the point. And the real story is ever better. I'm sorry but I have to pay attention to this incredible movie. I'm sorry if there were any typos. Forget about writing. Just watch this movie, now.

***SPOILER*** Charles Bronson as transplanted to L.A NYPD detective Lou Torry gets the lowdown from burnt out and drug addicted ex hit-man Armitrage, Eddie Firestone,that a big hit is to take place back in New York City on April 10, 1973. Returning Armitrage to NYC to face drug charges he's killed in a drive-by shooting just as he stepped off the plane returning him in the presence of Det.Torry! Torry who didn't for once believe a thing that Armitrage told him now feels that there's something in his far out and off the wall story. And is now determined to do everything he can, even brake the law, to stop the impending bloodbath from happening!It's old time Mafia Don Al Vescari, Martin Balsam, who's behind this massive hit job in that he's been planning it for over 40 years. It was on April 10,1931 or really in real history September 10, 1931, the years must have clouded Vescari's memory, that over 40 of his fellow Sicilian Mafia cohorts were massacred by the Luciano/Lanskey mob. That was to clear the way for a major restructure, in accepting Jews Irish and non Sicilians, into the mob as full time blood members. Like back in 1931 when Luciano used non Italians, the Jewish members of Lanskey's Murder inc, who couldn't be traced to the killings Vescari plans to use faceless and traceless ex-Vietnam vets, many with both mental and drug problems, to do his dirty work for him!The movie slowly builds up to its blood soaked conclusion as Let. Torry despite all the evidence,like in the newspapers books and even movies and TV specials, available to him in the history of the Mafia doesn't get it, the significance of the April 10 date in Mafia history, until the film is almost over. By then it's already too late with all the mob non Sicilian chieftains are by then assembled at a midtown Manhattan hotel where their killers, the ex Vietnam GI's, lead by super patriot Lawrence, Stuart Margolis, are waiting to ambush them.***SPOILERS** Typicel Bronson action flick with Bronson as Det. Torry saving the day but not the mob higher up whom Lawrence & co. end up doing in before they themselves are iced by Torry and members of the NYPD as well as Government SWAT teams and a company of NY National Guard. Det. Torry still couldn't really get the job done by him not being able to stop the massacre but with all those killed being criminals anyway no one watching the movie seemed to really care. In the end it was non other then the man who engineered this whole sale slaughter Don Vescari, in him feeling guilty about what he did, who went to confession to have his soul cleansed of the some dozen or so murders that he was responsible for.