Breakout (1975)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Nick Colton	Charles Bronson
Jay Wagner	Robert Duvall	½
Ann Wagner	Jill Ireland
Harris Wagner	John Huston
Hawk Hawkins	Randy Quaid	½
Myrna	Sheree North	½
Sosa	Jorge Moreno	½

Review

Charles Bronson is a delight as a carefree opportunist pilot who's sent on a mission to rescue framed American Robert Duvall from a Mexican prison. Unlike his Death Wish-persona established a year earlier, Bronson deploys a charming, witty and easy-going characterization - right in the vein of Burt Reynolds. He carries a film that otherwise can be both naïve and inconsiderate, paying little attention to the politics or framework for the situation the Duvall-character finds himself in, which is covered only by a pallid John Huston in a thin characterization. The direction, by Tom Gries, is uneven but industrious. Some crucial scenes miss their mark (e.g. the "rape"-scene), but Gries shows some nice touches including an effective use of freeze frames. It is a film supported by engaging action, a clever plot and a nice humane touch that one might not have expected in a film like this.