Review: Firepower

After her scientist husband is rubbed out, Adele (Sophia Loren) attempts to exact revenge on the reclusive billionaire criminal (also her husband’s employer) supposedly behind the hit. The FBI also want to track down this Karl Stegner fellow, and agent Frank Hull (Vincent Gardenia) has an idea: He contacts the rather shadowy Sal Hyman (Eli Wallach) for help. Hyman gets in touch with a former hit man/mercenary named Fannon (James Coburn), believing Fannon to be the right man for this assignment and sends Fannon off to Antigua where this Mr. Stegner supposedly operates in seclusion. Fannon has a right-hand man named Catlett (O.J. Simpson) to help him out, as well as a twin brother named Eddie (also Coburn) to use as a cover on missions. George Grizzard and Anthony Franciosa turn up as the slimy Gelhorn and mysterious Dr. Felix, respectively. Billy Barty (!) plays a Curacao casino owner named Dominic Carbone, whilst former pugilist Jake LaMotta plays a hired thug.

 

Although I’m not sure I could faithfully follow every single plot detail of this 1979 revenge-thriller, I can certainly attest to never being bored by it. Directed by the infamous Michael Winner (“Death Wish”, “Lawman”, “Chato’s Land”, “The Mechanic”) and equipped with a script by Gerald Wilson (“Lawman” and the dreadful “The Stone Killer”, also for Winner), it’s an entertainingly silly film with a cast full of familiar names and faces. Some of them get more to do than others, with Victor Mature only getting a mere walk-on at the end (and looking truly absurd), but if you’re a Sophia Loren fan and/or a James Coburn fan, you’ll likely want to see this rather underrated effort.

 

Although I don’t think the filmmakers get anywhere near enough mileage out of the dual role aspect, James Coburn is nonetheless perfectly Coburn-esque. It’s funny, Winner initially intended to have Charles Bronson in the part, but it’s rumoured that he pulled out when his wife Jill Ireland was refused a part in it. However, to me this character is all Coburn, albeit a slightly older Coburn than the one who graced us with his suave hippie-ish presence in the likes of “In Like Flint”, “The President’s Analyst”, and the very underrated “Duffy”. This is James Coburn in between his heyday and his latter-day John Huston ‘grand old bastard’ villain phase of his career, and just before the arthritis issues would start to cause him severe grief. I don’t know if the character was re-written to suit Coburn, but if it wasn’t, I really don’t think Bronson would’ve been anywhere near as good in the role. I certainly don’t think he would’ve gelled as well with Sophia Loren as Coburn did (and indeed, rumour has it Loren refused to work with Bronson and vice versa). Coburn is his usual suave, charismatic, but tough self, kinda like Derek Flint some 15 years on. You certainly can’t tell he was anyone’s last minute replacement, let alone Charles Bronson’s. Apparently director Winner found Coburn an extremely boring human being, and Coburn found Winner to be a dictator on set. Co-star Dominic Chianese seems to be of a similar view to Coburn, recalling that Winner screamed at almost everybody on set. Being that Coburn was into Eastern spirituality/philosophy and martial arts, and Winner…uh, directed “Death Wish” and “Death Wish II”, I don’t think it would be much of a surprise that the two wouldn’t have been great chums or anything. However, I imagine Winner’s disposition on set was probably the main issue. Sophia Loren is as she always is, and if you’re a fan, you’ll enjoy what she does here. She receives top billing and works quite well opposite Coburn I think. The supporting cast is pretty terrific, even if one would’ve liked more scenes with Eli Wallach, Vincent Gardenia, and especially Billy Barty, who steal their every brief moment. Yes, the diminutive, enduring Barty is here as a casino owner named Dominic Carbone. I don’t think Barty seems like the Dominic Carbone type nor a casino owner, but I’m pretty sure one and all are aware of that. We also get a pre-“Naked Gun”, pre-murder suspect O.J. Simpson here as Coburn’s right-hand man, and it’s one of his better on screen roles. Although Anthony Franciosa isn’t in the film much, he and slimy prick George Grizzard make for fairly solid bad guys here. Look out for “Raging Bull” himself Jake LaMotta as a henchman. Trust me, you don’t need to know what he looks like, you’ll figure it out immediately. He has the unmistakable face of a boxer. The music score by Gato Barbieri (the infamous “Last Tango in Paris”) is exciting, and there’s lots of nifty little twists and turns in the plot. Yes, the twin thing could’ve been used more throughout, but the very idea of it is nonetheless still clever. Although it’s not very explicit, it’s typical Winner stuff in terms of the frequent violence. There’s plenty of explosions and people being shot.

 

If you’ve ever wanted to see O.J. Simpson slam Jake LaMotta’s face into a car door, this is your movie. In all seriousness, as silly as this film is, it’s quite diverting and entertaining if you’re in the right mood. It doesn’t always make total sense, but Coburn is ideal, Loren is Loren, and the supporting cast is pretty bizarre and eclectic. One of director Winner’s best films, along with “Lawman” and “The Mechanic”, it’s not flawless but with Winner you take what you can get. I actually enjoyed this supposed flop, I think it’s somewhat underrated.

 

Rating: B-