Firepower (film)

Last updated

Firepower
Firepower FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by Michael Winner
Written byGerald Wilson
Based onstory by Bill Kerby
Michael Winner
Produced byMichael Winner
Starring Sophia Loren
James Coburn
O. J. Simpson
Eli Wallach
Victor Mature
Jake LaMotta
Cinematography Robert Paynter
Edited byMichael Winner
Music by Gato Barbieri
Production
companies
ITC Entertainment
Michael Winner Productions
Distributed by Associated Film Distribution
Release date
  • 13 April 1979 (1979-04-13)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million [1]
Box office$1.2 million (US rentals) [2]

Firepower (aka Fire Power) is a 1979 British action-thriller film directed by Michael Winner and starring Sophia Loren, James Coburn, O. J. Simpson and Eli Wallach. [3] [4] It was the final film in the career of actor Victor Mature. The film was poorly reviewed by critics who objected to its convoluted plot, though the lead performances and filming locations were generally praised. [5]

Contents

Plot

In New York City, Adele Tasca is present when her husband is murdered by a letter bomb. She suspects the reclusive billionaire Karl Stegner, his former employer, of committing the assassination. She learns that her husband, who worked as a chemist, discovered that his employer had made a contaminated drug that resulted in patients contracting cancer. The US government would like to be able to find and bring charges against this mysterious Stegner, who hides his face from the world and his income from the tax department.

FBI agent Frank Hull is assigned to the case but does not know how to find Stegner. He decides to use a former secret agent, Sal Hyman, to help him. The latter hires Jerry Fannon, a former mafia hitman, for a million dollars, and sends him to Antigua. Sal thinks Jerry is the only man likely to infiltrate the network that protects Stegner.

His right-hand man, Catlett is killed by Leo Gelhorn on the island, but with the help of the beautiful Adele, who wants revenge, Jerry succeeds in tracking down Stegner, before realizing that he actually captured Stegner's double, who was the victim of an attack by Stegner's men. Jerry returns to the island where Stegner is hiding. The mysterious Dr. Felix is really Stegner.

After disposing of the vehicles and the helicopter of Dr. Felix, Jerry enters the house with a bulldozer. He takes Felix prisoner and leaves with him and Adele, pursued by Stegner's bodyguards. As they prepare to leave the island by seaplane, Adele turns a gun on Jerry. Felix takes his weapon, but when he fires at Jerry, Adele turns away. Jerry finally takes off with Dr. Felix to be brought to justice.

A little later, Adele is introduced to Harold Everett, another billionaire who she sets her eyes on, as her next conquest.

Cast

Production

Firepower started as a Dirty Harry film written by Bill Kerby. It was considerably rewritten. [6] In 1977 O. J. Simpson mentioned one of his upcoming projects was Fire Power for producer Carlo Ponti with Terence Hill. [7]

Sophia Loren was cast at a reported fee of $1 million. [8]

According to director Michael Winner, producer Lew Grade had fully expected Charles Bronson to co-star with Loren. With much of the pre-production crew already on location in the Caribbean (Saint Lucia), Grade wanted to shut down the production when Bronson pulled out. Realizing how much money he had already sunk into a film that had not properly secured its star actors, Grade saved face by moving ahead and using James Coburn as a replacement for Bronson. [9]

Coburn said "I did it for the money, the locations (the Caribbean islands) and to work with Sophia Loren. The director was Michael Winner. He’s probably one of the weirdest guys I’ve ever met. Yet, I thought he was a good guy when I first met him. But when he got on the set, he was almost like a total dictator. I found it hard to work for that way. The most fun I had was when I got to drive a bulldozer through a house in the islands (laughs).” [10]

Winner says the millionaire character was based on Howard Hughes and Robert Vesco. [11]

Firepower was filmed in Curaçao, [12] Saint Lucia, Antigua, [13] Brooklyn, New Jersey, New York, Miami, Florida, and Key Largo, Florida. Bridgeport, Connecticut. [14]

Victor Mature makes a cameo at the request of director Michael Winner, who wanted someone instantly recognisable for the role of one of the richest people in the world. [15] "I worked for eight hours on one scene," he laughed. [16] [N 1]

Winner says he "resented" having O. J. Simpson imposed on him but "now I am happy he was given to me because what he lacks in experience he makes up with in charisma." Simpson said "there were times on this movie, I didn't feel comfortable. I needed a little more attention from the director to establish my character." [18]

Reception

Firepower was an early release from AFD, a new distribution company set up by Lew Grade in association with EMI to distribute their films in the US. [19]

Critical

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Winner directs movies the way others toss salads, which means that “Firepower” is best appreciated at a kind of mental half‐mast. A lot happens. None of it makes sense". She further added: "Some of the performances Mr. Winner gets from his supporting players are rip‐roaringly awful, as is Gato Barbieri's loud and schlocky score. However, there's a nice chemistry in the teaming of Miss Loren, Mr. Coburn and Mr. Simpson, each of whom has an unusually physical presence on the screen." [20]

Author John Howard Reid concurred that the plot was too convoluted, stating that the film has "enough plot twists and action sequences for a dozen movies". He approved of the performances, but expressed disappointment that Victor Mature barely had any screen time and was not central to the plot and that Coburn's double role wasn't used to better effect. [12]

The review in Variety noted: "If the story becomes too tough or tiresome to follow, or the action grows tepid and repetitive, there’s always the beautiful scenery of the glamorous Caribbean locales." [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophia Loren</span> Italian actress (born 1934)

Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone, known professionally as Sophia Loren, is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Coburn</span> American actor (1928–2002)

James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.

<i>Two Women</i> 1960 film by Vittorio De Sica

Two Women is a 1960 war drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica from a screenplay he co-wrote with Cesare Zavattini, based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Alberto Moravia. The film stars Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Eleonora Brown and Raf Vallone. It tells the story of a woman trying to protect her young daughter from the horrors of war. The story is fictional but based on actual events of 1944 in Rome and rural Lazio, during the Marocchinate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Bronson</span> American actor (1921–2003)

Charles Bronson was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town in the Allegheny Mountains. Bronson's father, a miner, died when Bronson was young. Bronson himself worked in the mines as well until joining the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 to fight in World War II. After his service, he joined a theatrical troupe and studied acting. During the 1950s, he played various supporting roles in motion pictures and television, including anthology drama TV series in which he would appear as the main character. Near the end of the decade, he had his first cinematic leading role in Machine-Gun Kelly (1958).

Lady Liberty is a 1971 Italian-French comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, and starring Sophia Loren, William Devane, Gigi Proietti, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito and Edward Herrmann in his film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Mature</span> American actor (1913–1999)

Victor John Mature was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include One Million B.C. (1940), My Darling Clementine (1946), Kiss of Death (1947), Samson and Delilah (1949), and The Robe (1953). He also appeared in many musicals opposite such stars as Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Winner</span> English filmmaker, food writer (1935–2013)

Michael Robert Winner was a British filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several collaborations with actors Oliver Reed and Charles Bronson.

<i>Days of Thunder</i> 1990 film by Tony Scott

Days of Thunder is a 1990 American sports action drama film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams, and Michael Rooker. It also features appearances by real life NASCAR racers, such as Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, Neil Bonnett, and Harry Gant. Commentator Dr. Jerry Punch, of ESPN, has a cameo appearance, as does co-producer Don Simpson.

Stirling Dale Silliphant was an American screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his screenplay for In the Heat of the Night, for which he won an Academy Award in 1967, and for creating the television series Naked City, Perry Mason, and Route 66. Other features as screenwriter include the Irwin Allen productions The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Stuart</span> American film director and producer (1928–2012)

Mel Stuart was an American film director and producer who often worked with producer David L. Wolper, at whose production firm he worked for 17 years, before going freelance.

<i>Hard Times</i> (1975 film) 1975 film by Walter Hill

Hard Times is a 1975 action drama sport film marking the directorial debut of Walter Hill. It stars Charles Bronson as Chaney, a mysterious drifter freighthopping through Louisiana during the Great Depression, who proves indomitable in illegal bare-knuckled boxing matches after forming a partnership with the garrulous hustler Speed, played by James Coburn.

<i>The Cassandra Crossing</i> 1976 film by George Pan Cosmatos

The Cassandra Crossing is a 1976 disaster thriller film directed by George Pan Cosmatos and starring Sophia Loren, Richard Harris, Ava Gardner, Martin Sheen, Burt Lancaster, Lee Strasberg and O. J. Simpson about a disease-infected Swedish terrorist who infects a cross-European train's passengers as they head to a derelict arch bridge which is liable to collapse.

<i>The Mechanic</i> (1972 film) 1972 American action thriller film by Michael Winner

The Mechanic is a 1972 American action thriller film directed by Michael Winner from a screenplay by Lewis John Carlino. It stars Charles Bronson, in his second collaboration with Winner, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, and Jill Ireland.

<i>The Driver</i> 1978 film by Walter Hill

The Driver is a 1978 American crime thriller film written and directed by Walter Hill, and starring Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern and Isabelle Adjani. The film featured only unnamed characters, and follows a getaway driver for robberies whose exceptional talent has prevented him being caught. A detective promises pardons to a gang if they help catch him in a set-up robbery.

<i>Boy on a Dolphin</i> 1957 film by Jean Negulesco

Boy on a Dolphin is a 1957 American romantic adventure film theatrically released by 20th Century-Fox. It is set in Greece and shot in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced by Samuel G. Engel from a screenplay by Ivan Moffat and Dwight Taylor, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by David Divine.

Firepower is a military concept rooted in the ability to direct a heavy weight of metal onto the enemy or enemy possession.

<i>4 for Texas</i> 1963 film by Robert Aldrich

4 for Texas is a 1963 American comedy Western film starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg and Ursula Andress, Charles Bronson and Mike Mazurki, with a cameo appearance by Arthur Godfrey and the Three Stooges. The film was written by Teddi Sherman and Robert Aldrich, who also directed.

Bill Kerby was a screenwriter for several Hollywood films and television series who wrote and co-wrote the 1970s films Hooper and The Rose.

Sangaree is a 1953 American 3-D color period costume drama film by director Edward Ludwig. It was adapted from the 1948 novel of the same name by Frank G. Slaughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Beck</span> American actor (1924–1984)

Vincent Beck was an American character actor who began his career as on stage. He was also a prolific film and television actor who acted in films such as Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), The Spy in the Green Hat (1967), The Scorpio Letters (1967), The Pink Jungle (1968), The Bamboo Saucer (1968) and Vigilante (1983). He also appeared in numerous television shows including The Monkees, Get Smart, Daniel Boone, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Bonanza, The Time Tunnel, and Lost in Space.

References

Notes

  1. Winner recalled Mature "let his hair go grey when he did 'Firepower' with Sophia Loren. He dyed it dark but it came out green. Sophia was orange so he said that the end of the film was the green man meets the orange woman." [17]

Citations

  1. Reed, Rex (1979). Travolta to Keaton. Morrow Reed. p. 52.
  2. Epstein, Andrew. "The big thuds of 1979 – Films that flopped, badly." Los Angeles Times, 27 April 1980, p. 6.
  3. "Firepower". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  4. Erickson, Hal. "Review: 'Firepower'." Allmovie, 2019. Retrieved: 3 September 2019.
  5. Halliwell 1989, pp. 248–249.
  6. Lyons, Donald and Dan Yakir. "Shooting star." Film Comment (New York), Vol. 16, Issue 1, (Jan/Feb 1980), pp. 49-53, 80.
  7. Lee, Grant. "O. J. – Running a screen play." Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb 1977, p. f14.
  8. "On the set of 'Firepower' – Suddenly, Sophia." Los Angeles Times, 2 July 1978, p. n37.
  9. Winner 2004, pp. 224–225.
  10. Goldman, Lowell (Spring 1991). "James Coburn Seven and Seven Is". Psychotronic Video. No. 9. p. 27.
  11. Buckley, Tom. "At the movies: What Sophia Loren was doing in Grand Central." The New York Times, 30 June 1978, p. C8.
  12. 1 2 Reid 2015, p. 205.
  13. American Photo, July–August 1995, p. 13. ISSN 1046-8986.
  14. Waggoner, H. "Byrne plays opposite Miss Loren in his role as film promoter: Four movies scheduled." The New York Times , 22 June 1978, p. NJ23.
  15. "Whatever Happened to Lady Joan?" Los Angeles Times 27 June 1978, p. f6.
  16. Tedrick, Dan. "No lions to slay at Rancho Santa F." Los Angeles Times, 29 May 1980, p. sd_a6.
  17. Barnes, Anthony. "Winner's tribute to modest mature.":. Birmingham Post [County Edition], 11 August 1999, p. 10.
  18. Steiner, Stephen. "New bottles for the old juice." Chicago Tribune, 3 September 1978, p. g10.
  19. Kilday, Gregg. "A new dimension for a brother act." Los Angeles Times 28 October 1978, p. b11.
  20. "Review: 'Firepower'." Rotten Tomatoes, 6 April 2017.
  21. "Review: 'Firepower'." Variety , 6 April 2017.

Bibliography

  • Halliwell, Leslie. Leslie Halliwell's Film Guide. New York: Harper & Roe, 1989. ISBN   978-0-06016-322-8.
  • Reid, John Howard. Classic Movies: The Best and the Worst Pictures to see! Films to avoid! Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu.com. (Reid Books), 2015. ISBN   978-1-312-96238-5.
  • Winner, Michael. Winner Takes All: A Life of Sorts. London: Robson Books, 2004. ISBN   978-1-86105-734-1.