Woodyanders Laidback ex-patriot innkeeper Giff Hoyt (a nicely low-key performance by Charles Bronson) runs afoul of nefarious former Nazi Gunther Beckdorff (Jason Robards in fine crusty form) and falls for fetching French femme fatale Marie Claire Allesandri (a charming portrayal by the beauteous Dominique Sanda) while searching for sunken treasure in Peru in 1948.Director J. Lee Thompson, working from a convoluted and involving script by Mort Fine and Milton S. Gelman, relates the complex and compelling story at a steady pace, ably crafts a brooding film noir atmosphere, offers a flavorsome evocation of the exotic setting, stages the action scenes with skill and flair, and sprinkles in a satisfying smattering of pretty naked ladies for extra trashy good measure. The sturdy acting from the excellent cast helps a whole lot: Fernando Rey as suave, yet corrupt police chief Captain Terredo, Simon MacCorkindale as dashing sailor Lewis Clarkson, Camilla Sparv as washed-up booze-sodden floozy Hera, Gilbert Roland as alcoholic weakling Dr. Rudolfo Ramirez, James Booth as ill-fated diver John Baker, and Denny Miller as brutish flunky Hurst. Moreover, this movie deserves extra praise for being more plot and character driven than your average Bronson action opus. Jerry Goldsmith's zesty score hits the stirring and spirited spot. Alex Phillips Jr.'s sumptuous widescreen cinematography makes invigorating use of a constantly mobile camera. A worthwhile picture.

HEFILM This is very slickly made film which sadly doesn't have a good reputation or a decent widescreen release. The camera-work on the film is excellent with much moving camera a great score and good locations.The odd thing is the bursts of full frontal nudity and one really graphic death scene. These seem to be included for fans of Bronson's gritty films but seem totally out of place here.Sondra is dull as usual. Bronson solid. Robards doesn't seem to want to be bothered by doing a German accent. It has real visual sweep. Odd rather forced voice over which seems to be trying to set this up for a sequel perhaps at the end.Despite these forced elements--of violence, nudity,and nostalgia--the bulk of the film works as a mystery and intrigue--rather than say action. One of the few of director Thompson's later films that really hearken back to his early Hollywood career of sweeping location quasi epics.Ending builds suspense only to pay it off in an offbeat--and perhaps off putting way for some.Deserves more respect and proper restoration than it gets especially among the later career of Bronson.

Michael_Elliott Cabo Blanco (1980) ** (out of 4) Peru, 1948 is the setting for this adventure film about a group of criminals living in Cabo Blanco. A bar owner (Charles Bronson) finds himself caught up in a mystery dealing with missing gold, which includes a beautiful woman (Dominique Sanda) searching for her husband, a Nazi war criminal (Jason Robards) and a crooked police chief (Fernando Rey).CABO BLANCO is often laughed at because it's considered a rip-off of CASABLANCA. While this film does borrow heavily from that classic picture, the overall movie isn't nearly as bad as its reputation. At the same time, I really have to scratch my head as to why the producers would call the film CABO BLANCO because with that title you just know people were going to compare it to a much better film. It didn't really matter how this movie turned out, the odds of it being better than that Humphrey Bogart classic was very slim so why put your film in a bad position from the word go? As for the film itself, it's slight entertainment, although there's no question that there are plenty of flaws throughout. I think the biggest problem is the actual screenplay, which has way too much story and at times it gets rather bogged down in dialogue. The story itself could have been more interesting had there simply not be so many characters talking about so many different things. I know the film had some production issues so perhaps this might explain some of this but at just 87 minutes it seems like there's way too much story here than is needed.The film has some terrific visuals and especially if you view the film in its original 2.35:1 ratio. The locations are certainly beautiful and adds a lot to the story. The performances really aren't that bad either. Robards is entertaining as always and I thought Rey was extremely good in the role of the police chief. I thought Sanda made for a good femme fetale as well. As for Bronson, this isn't his typical tough guy role. This character is a lot more of a "normal" person so to speak and I thought the actor did a fine job with it.CABO BLANCO also suffers from some weird issues in regards to content. There's really no profanity and the violence is never too graphic or brutal. These elements are certain PG worthy yet there is all sorts of nudity that pushes it pass the family friendly rating. I'm not sure why they added on the nudity but nothing else but oh well. In the end CABO BLANCO is neither good nor bad but just pointless.

mwmerkelbach „Caboblanco" is not a bad movie, but you can easily divide its strengths and weaknesses. Fernando Rey and Jason Robards are the strongest actors. They both deliver great performances as they usually do. Charles Bronson does a solid job too. I think that he is often underrated as an actor, because of the decent quality of most of his movies. J. Lee Thompson directs this one in classy old-school-manner that could have produced a far better movie in case the script would have been above average, which it is not. The cinematography, the photography and the choice of locations are truly first rate. And J. Lee Thompson had the spirit and the feel of a director. He was born to do, what he did.Most of the supporting actors are pretty cool as well. But Dominique Sanda was a miscast. Her wooden and strangely impersonal acting did confuse me from the very beginning. She seems to be completely lost in nearly every scene and any suggestions of mystery to her character are not convincing at all. The chemistry between her and Cliff (Charles Bronson) doesn't work out at all and that's a pity, because everything else and everybody else seem so carefully chosen.But the main point to criticize is the script. It delivers some nice ideas, but too many loose ends and open questions. Why do scuba divers let the submarine explode that obvious, though they must have known, that the wreck was not the one everybody's looking for? Why did they kill the fisherman, who was diving for oysters for centuries? How come that Cliff was perfectly placed to rescue him, when the British agent Lewis was trying to escape through the jungle? These plot holes do not fit to an excellent script, which only could lead to an excellent movie. It's a pity, because Caboblanco already got many fine ingredients: competent actors, a perfect score by Jerry Goldsmith, marvelous locations and a stunning cinematography! In the end it's only a decent action flick worth watching once for fans of Charles Bronson and/or J. Lee Thompson.It's interesting to realize that the theatrical version of "Caboblanco" shown in Argentina is 15 minutes (!) longer than the one we watch nowadays in the US or Europe on DVD. My whole impression of the movie might have been influenced by the fact that it was heavily cut, which seems to be possible as soon I think of those "plot holes" I already mentioned. I think it's necessary to get that uncut 102 minute print to be published as soon as possible.Last but not least: Do not forget to check out the perfect Bronson/Thompson collaboration "Murphy's Law" (1986), which is the most underrated B-movie of the decade.