Michael_Elliott
Love and Bullets (1979)** (out of 4) Charlie Congers (Charles Bronson), an Arizona cop, is sent to Switzerland by the government to try and track down the girlfriend (Jill Ireland) of an infamous gangster (Rod Steiger). The cops only goal is to bring her back but soon the gangster puts a hit out on her life.LOVE AND BULLETS is a pretty flat, boring and lifeless picture, which is somewhat shocking when you consider that it was meant to be a major blockbuster. All sorts of money was spent on the production but very little excitement actually made it to the screen, which is too bad for Bronson fans as the actor turns in a decent performance and the setting is certainly great enough to where something more should have came from it.There are all sorts of problems with this movie but we'll start with the fact that it just has an overall cheap and tired look. There are quite a few action scenes throughout the running time but they're just downright boring for the most part and I'd argue that there's no energy to be found in any of them. What's worse is the fact that there's clearly meant to be some suspense as the cop and woman barely get away from the hit men but that never happens. The lack of suspense is a major letdown.Of course, it doesn't help that you really don't like the annoying woman. Ireland is given the task of playing an idiot with a Southern accent and I think it's fair to say that this is probably the worst performance she ever gave. The accent is just all wrong and comes off more annoying than anything else. Steiger really isn't any better as he's rather hammy and the sometimes stuttering has zero effect. Henry Silva and Strother Martin are always fun to see. As for Bronson, I thought he was good here in that typical Bronson kind of performance.LOVE AND BULLETS isn't the disaster some people make it out to be but there's no question that it falls well short of the actor's best movies.
Wizard-8
Charles Bronson was probably convinced to do "Love and Bullets" because it gave him an opportunity to work alongside his wife Jill Ireland, something he tried to do whenever he could. But the end results did him no favors. While the title promises to show another side of Bronson apart from his tough guy status, there is actually very little "love" in the movie - his character and his wife's character actually don't fall in love until the last twenty minutes, and barely any "love" is shown. They hardly ever have an in-depth conversation! Elsewhere, Bronson doesn't seem very enthusiastic, Ireland gives her character a squeaky voice that is downright annoying, Rod Steiger gives a hammy performance as the mob boss, and Henry Silva not only has hardly any screen time, his character disappears before the end to a fate unknown. The script needed more work, since there is not only very little action, important linking footage seem to be missing here and there like with the first meeting of the two leads. About the only saving grace the movie has is some nice Swiss scenery, but that only helps a little.
bkoganbing
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bronson co-star in Love and Bullets. He as a cop and she as a protected witness. She needed a lot of protection.It's an average Bronson action/adventure saga, but with the unusual twist that Jill Ireland actually comes off much better than her husband does. I did enjoy her saucy portrayal of mobster Rod Steiger's moll. It's a combination of Judy Holliday's Billie Dawn and Tammy Faye Bakker. I'll tell you this Tammy Faye must have been the makeup consultant for Jill on this film.Rod Steiger has an interesting part as a gangster with a stutter. He's persuaded by his associates to do in the woman he loves because they're all afraid she'll rat them out. Broderick Crawford's solution was to finally propose marriage to Holliday in Born Yesterday. Jill might actually have done it.Instead she's chosen for a rub out and Bronson is the Phoenix City detective who travels to Switzerland to get her back and into protective custody. He's a by the book cop, until the end when he evolves into his Death Wish character.Love and Bullets said to say can't really make its mind up whether it's a straight action/adventure or satire of same. Indecision costs it many points from reviewers, but Bronson fans should like it.
PLRD
True, this is an "B" level action, adventure, crime film, but it has some genuinely (and surely intentionally) hilarious moments. Rod Steiger chews up the scenery and Jill Ireland has some great opportunities too. The net effect is -- not the slickest film by far, but a very entertaining one.
AD
