Mr. Majestyk

Of the various free streaming service, one thing that I really like about Pluto is the ability to go through the various movie channels and watch something that's already started from the beginning, in addition to whether or not it's available via on-demand. Their 70s movies channel has been running a title I had probably vaguely heard of, but certainly never seen before, Mr. Majestyk, so I eventually got around to having the TV on during one of the airings and rewinding it to the beginning to watch.

Vince Majestyk is a character played by Charles Bronson. He farms melons in what one would logically guess to be the Central Valley/Stockton part of California that was the filming location for quite a few movies, notably Fat City for the purposes of this post since the main characters spend some time becoming farm laborers in that one. However, the movie is actually set (and was filmed) in Colorado, which I wouldn't have associated with melon farmers, censorious puns not intended. Anyhow, Vince is looking for people to pick his melon crop, which has to be picked within days or else the melons will rot on the vines. He's perfectly willing to use Mexicans, since they're good and will work for less in spite of the work Cesar Chavez did to try to get them more. A couple of Anglo thugs don't want this, and try to intimidate Majestyk, ultimately calling the cops when they pull a gun and cause a scuffle.

The thing is, Majestyk has a criminal record and the thugs don't, and since he actually did shoot at the thugs' truck, he did technically commit a crime. It's off to jail for him, and that's serious because of that past criminal record. Majestyk just wants to get out on bail as quickly as possible so he can get back to getting that crop picked, which is all he really wants. But if you thought a Charles Bronson movie was going to be that sedate, you'd be very much wrong.

Also in jail with Majestyk is Frank Renda (Al Lettieri). He's a big time mobster who has enough money to be able to hire lawyers to get him off every time he's been arrested and/or brought to trial. Right now, he's in jail awaiting transfer to someplace with more security, and doesn't seem to like the idea of Majestyk just wanting to be left alone. Both of them along with several other prisoners are set to be transferred, but Renda has been able to hire a bunch of men who start a shootout with the police during the transfer attempt, leaving Renda and Majestyk alone on the prison bus.

Majestyk's plan is to turn Renda back over to the police in exchange for getting the charges against himself dropped. It doesn't take much to figure out that Renda has no plans of letting that happen, to the point of killing Majestyk if need be. Majestyk is actually able to escape Renda and head back to his farm, the police willing to use him as bait to lure Renda. They know that Renda has a terrible desire for revenge and will want to get Majestyk himself....

If you like the sort of action movie Charles Bronson made, you're really going to like Mr. Majestyk. It's not necessarily my favorite genre of movie, not that I dislike the genre. And I have to say that I decidedly enjoyed it. The setting is different enough that it allows for some off-balance plot turns. Bronson may not be the world's best actor, but he was just fine in the action movies he did. Al Lettieri is a very good villain and unfortunately died much too young about a year after this movie. Linda Cristal plays one of the Mexican farm workers who has some sympathy for Majestyk, sticking by him even though she knows the danger.

If you haven't seen Mr. Majestyk, definitely be on the lookout for it and give it a watch.