Caboblanco

A virtual remake of the Bogart classic CASABLANCA with Charles Bronson standing in for Bogie. Of course this turns out to be a totally misguided film despite the exotic Mexican filming locations and the sunny clime. J. Lee Thompson made a lot of good Bronson flicks but this is possibly their worst collaboration, a stilted misfire which just seems 'off' from the outset. The French actress is possibly the most wooden I've seen and all of her scenes are excruciating; the rest veers between tepid and boring, and never engaging.

Caboblanco is a really, really bad film, that loses many points for its feeble attempts to evoke the classic "Casablanca". I feel sorry for Jason Robards and Bronson, both of whom give decent performances on this film's lousy script. I'm sorry, but the story of various low lifes and politicos vieing over suken treasure (with a crappy romance sub-plot thrown in for good measure) cannot compete with Casablanca's story of sacrificing love for the greater good. Also, this film lacks Casablanca's wonderful supporting cast and great dialogue. Judged by itself, this film is paced far too slowly, and too little occurs. The ending, though, is what mainly draws my ire-"I put a bomb in the jukebox" indeed! Avoid.

Judging solely from the cool poster art (featuring a mean looking Bronson with a .357 magnum in hand) I expected a gritty 70s/80s style crime flick with the main twist being that it's set in a tropical Latin American location instead of the typical NYC or LA. Instead what we get is a 1940s era neo-noir with shades of 'Casablanca'. I guess I would have been fine with that as it would have been an interesting change of pace for a Bronson flick (so long as it were accompanied by plenty of hard-hitting action). However whatever potential this film had quickly deteriorates as the plot becomes nothing more than a lame, slow paced, sunken treasure movie. Highlights include a few creative(though underwhelming) action scenes, topless Latina chicks, and appearances by Fernando Rey and Jason Robards (who isn't very convincing as a German expatriate). Even a cameo by a talking parrot can't save it. Avoid.

Certainly one of the more eccentric of Bronson's starring vehicles, it tries to evoke memories of Casablanca even in its title. Taken apart from that unlikely-to-attain goal, it's fairly interesting, with a few talented cast members to keep it going (though they're not well served by the material). Large chunks of the story are pretty muddled, but as a curiosity piece, it's worth seeking out for Bronson completists.