Mr. Majestyk

Your first instinct might be to skip a movie about watermelon farming. But think again: This watermelon farmer happens to be Charles Bronson. And when some nasty gangsters decide to teach him a lesson because of his refusal to exploit migrant workers, then Mr. Majestyk (1974) takes matters into his own hands, kidnapping the notorious mob boss who's behind the intimidation tactics. So, if you've ever wanted to see about a thousand watermelons blown to bits by machine-gun fire, then Mr. Majestyk is for you. Quentin Tarantino even has his characters discuss the film in True Romance (1993). Mr. Majestyk came from a story idea by Elmore Leonard (author of Get Shorty (1995) and Out of Sight, 1998). During the 60s and 70s, Leonard built a reputation on his Western novels and for his smart, quirky crime stories but screenwriting was relatively new for him. In 1970, he had adapted his novel The Moonshine War for the screen and also wrote the screenplay for Joe Kidd (1972). This time he wrote a brief outline of Mr. Majestyk at Clint Eastwood's request. When that fell through because Eastwood was working on High Plains Drifter (1972), producer Walter Mirisch acquired the rights and brought Bronson aboard. Leonard went to work writing a full script from the outline though the final film version departed significantly from Leonard's original conception. "I've never had a good experience as a screenwriter," the writer once remarked. One example is the ending of Mr. Majestyk where a major character was supposed to die; instead the director decided it would make a better ending to let him live. Luckily, Leonard DID have control when he turned his own screenplay into a novel, which was published as a paperback original in 1974 when the movie was released. Charles Bronson was riding high at the time. He'd been in films since 1951, slowly becoming more recognizable during the 60s in Westerns (The Magnificent Seven, 1960) and war films (The Great Escape, 1963). But in the early 70s his career seemed to explode with the international success of such tough crime dramas as The Mechanic (1972), The Valachi Papers (1972) and finally Death Wish (1974). Mr. Majestyk began filming in 1973 on a ranch in southeastern Colorado. Because the only crop that was available during the time of filming was watermelons, it was decided that Mr. Majestyk would farm those and not cantaloupes as featured in the original script. Despite the usual rigors of on-location shooting and some grueling car chase stunts, it wasn't all hard work. Gourmet meals were provided for the cast and crew though reportedly Bronson and his wife left the set for more basic chow. After all, a hard day fighting hit men and mobsters deserves a hardier meal than steamed asparagus and poached salmon. Producer: Walter Mirisch Director: Richard Fleischer Screenplay: Elmore Leonard Cinematography: Richard H. Kline Special Effects: Robert Dawson Film Editing: Ralph E. Winters Original Music: Charles Bernstein Stunts: Dick Warlock Cast: Charles Bronson (Vince Majestyk), Al Lettieri (Frank Renda), Linda Cristal (Nancy Chavez), Lee Purcell (Wiley), Paul Koslo (Bobby Kopas), Alejandro Rey (Larry Mendoza), Taylor Lacher (Gene Lundry). C-103m. by Lang Thompson