Rating: 
Summary: An atypical western...
Review: A tale of mystery and suspense in a western setting is rather uncommon, making Breakheart Pass an unusual film. It is based on the novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean, who also wrote the screenplay. The story is centered on an army troop train on its way to Fort Humbolt, where there is apparently a medical emergency. The train is loaded with medical supplies and relief troops to replace those suffering from an epidemic. The cast is headed by Charles Bronson, as John Deakin an accused killer, and fugitive from the law. Also on board are the arresting marshal (Ben Johnson), the army troop commander (Ed Lauter), a trainman (Charles Durning), and a governor (Richard Crenna) and his mistress (Jill Ireland aka Mrs. Bronson). While at a train stop, Deakin is arrested, and put on board the train for transport to the stockade at Humbolt. Already strange things have begun to happen, as two soldiers have disappeared. With an urgent mission to complete, the train must get under way. Trouble and misfortune begin to mount. A passenger is found dead, and then a train worker has a fatal fall. Next a whole carload of soldiers suffers a catastrophe. The survivors push on towards the fort, but find themselves with no way to communicate, as their telegraph set is mysteriously missing. What is happening, and who is behind it? Deakin investigates to try get to the bottom of the dark and deadly plot. Outlaws, Indians, guns and gold all figure into the mix. Deakin takes command of the train as it heads for a showdown in Breakheart Pass. Breakheart Pass was written when MacLean's best works were already behind him. While it doesn't rank as one of his best books, it does make pretty good material for the big screen. The film is not outstanding, either as a western or as an action-adventure. It does however offer a different slant on the standard western story, and is presented in an easily accessible way. MacLean's script is handled capably by the large distinguished cast, under the direction of TV veteran Tom Gries. Charles Bronson's performance is very solid, and he competently carries the film. A couple of ex-athletes are also part of the train crew. Former boxer Archie Moore, plays the cook and gives Bronson all he can handle in a battle on the roof of the train. And former California and Viking QB Joe Kapp plays a train steward working for more than just tips. Jerry Goldsmith's rousing theme music starts the movie, and then his score continues to effectively add to the enjoyment of the film. The transfer to DVD is good, but in certain scenes the poor quality of the original material shows. The DVD edition provides both widescreen and fullscreen versions, but no other extras except a tattered copy of the original trailer for the film.
Rating:
Summary: An atypical western...
Review: A tale of mystery and suspense in a western setting is rather uncommon, making Breakheart Pass an unusual film. It is based on the novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean, who also wrote the screenplay. The story is centered on an army troop train on its way to Fort Humbolt, where there is apparently a medical emergency. The train is loaded with medical supplies and relief troops to replace those suffering from an epidemic. The cast is headed by Charles Bronson, as John Deakin an accused killer, and fugitive from the law. Also on board are the arresting marshal (Ben Johnson), the army troop commander (Ed Lauter), a trainman (Charles Durning), and a governor (Richard Crenna) and his mistress (Jill Ireland aka Mrs. Bronson). While at a train stop, Deakin is arrested, and put on board the train for transport to the stockade at Humbolt. Already strange things have begun to happen, as two soldiers have disappeared. With an urgent mission to complete, the train must get under way. Trouble and misfortune begin to mount. A passenger is found dead, and then a train worker has a fatal fall. Next a whole carload of soldiers suffers a catastrophe. The survivors push on towards the fort, but find themselves with no way to communicate, as their telegraph set is mysteriously missing. What is happening, and who is behind it? Deakin investigates to try get to the bottom of the dark and deadly plot. Outlaws, Indians, guns and gold all figure into the mix. Deakin takes command of the train as it heads for a showdown in Breakheart Pass. Breakheart Pass was written when MacLean's best works were already behind him. While it doesn't rank as one of his best books, it does make pretty good material for the big screen. The film is not outstanding, either as a western or as an action-adventure. It does however offer a different slant on the standard western story, and is presented in an easily accessible way. MacLean's script is handled capably by the large distinguished cast, under the direction of TV veteran Tom Gries. Charles Bronson's performance is very solid, and he competently carries the film. A couple of ex-athletes are also part of the train crew. Former boxer Archie Moore, plays the cook and gives Bronson all he can handle in a battle on the roof of the train. And former California and Viking QB Joe Kapp plays a train steward working for more than just tips. Jerry Goldsmith's rousing theme music starts the movie, and then his score continues to effectively add to the enjoyment of the film. The transfer to DVD is good, but in certain scenes the poor quality of the original material shows. The DVD edition provides both widescreen and fullscreen versions, but no other extras except a tattered copy of the original trailer for the film.
Rating: 
Summary: A train worth catching
Review: Anyone who's ever had to slog through his soul-destroying ITC or Cannon-years output will find it hard to imagine that there was ever a time when Charles Bronson was a half-decent actor who not only made films that were actually released in theaters, but good ones at that. Breakheart Pass is probably the best of the last burst of quality output in the actor's oeuvre that also saw Hard Times (aka The Streetfighter) and the whimsical From Noon Til Three; for that matter, the last good Alistair MacLean screen outing before what seems like an eternity of formulaic made-for-TV efforts with C-list casts. The plot has all the MacLean staples - sabotage, secret identities, wolves in sheep's clothing and a plot where no-one and nothing is what they appear to be. The only novelty is the location, a train rushing through the old West to bring medical supplies to a cholera-infected fort through strikingly snowbound mountain countryside beautifully captured through cinematographer Lucien Ballard's lens. But the fact that so much of the film is simply one of the author's beloved WW2 plots with outlaws and Indians instead of Nazis doesn't matter: it's the telling that counts, and with a tight script and strong direction from Tom Gries that is equally adept at the mystery (more a 'what the heck's going on?' than 'who's behind it all?') as action (most notably a good rooftop punch-up and a spectacular wreck) it's never a dull ride. Bronson, still making an effort in those days, comes over well, while the strong supporting cast (including John Ford and Sam Peckinpah regular Ben Johnson, as well as Richard Crenna, Charles Durning and Ed Lauter) add a pleasing layer of professionalism and credibility. Even Jill Ireland, never the most interesting of leading ladies, acquits herself well here. Everyone here has done better work (check out Gries' extraordinarily affecting Will Penny or Ballard's work on The Wild Bunch), and it's not a life-changing experience, but that's not the point. This is an audience picture that sets out to entertain you for an hour-and-a-half, and succeeds admirably. And Jerry Goldsmith's terrific and exhilaratingly exciting score - his best in the genre - is the icing on the cake.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good action/adventue movie.
Review: Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Ben Johnson, Ed Beck, and other good actors star in this movie about murder and mystery on a train heading into the wilderness where no one trusts anyone else and people end up being murdered, while the train is really carrying guns and explosives instead of medical suppilies. Alistar McClain's work as a screenplay writer was done very well on film and makes many of today's high budget car chase films look hollow.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Action Flick
Review: I first watched this film in the late 70s on television and found it to be an very watchable action flick. Whenever I spotted this movie while surfing cable, I would stop and watch it to it's conclusion. In short, it is about a military train transporting medical supplies to a fort. While stopped for fueling, a criminal (Bronson) is captured and taken aboard the train as a federal prisoner until he can be tried. As might be expected, the train's mission and Bronson's true intentions are not what they appear to be. The pace of the movie is quick and entertaining. The DVD's only extra is the original movie trailer which has undergone no touchup. The video quality of the movie is what I would call a very good VHS transfer. The same can be said of the sound. Considering the purchase price, I guess you could not expect the best transfer to DVD. Even with those deficiencies, I am glad I purchased the movie. It is a very good action movie that continues to entertain.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Action Flick
Review: I first watched this film in the late 70s on television and found it to be an very watchable action flick. Whenever I spotted this movie while surfing cable, I would stop and watch it to it's conclusion. In short, it is about a military train transporting medical supplies to a fort. While stopped for fueling, a criminal (Bronson) is captured and taken aboard the train as a federal prisoner until he can be tried. As might be expected, the train's mission and Bronson's true intentions are not what they appear to be. The pace of the movie is quick and entertaining. The DVD's only extra is the original movie trailer which has undergone no touchup. The video quality of the movie is what I would call a very good VHS transfer. The same can be said of the sound. Considering the purchase price, I guess you could not expect the best transfer to DVD. Even with those deficiencies, I am glad I purchased the movie. It is a very good action movie that continues to entertain.
Rating:
Summary: MacLean takes a shot at a western
Review: Novelist Alistair MacLean, whose normal area of expertise is World War II thrillers such as "Where Eagles Dare" and "The Guns of Navarone", took a break from his wartime suspense novels to write an American western.
Here Charles Bronson plays a mysterious man held captive on board a train rolling through the bleak winter wilderness towards Breakheart Pass. Accused of a crime, all is not as it seems for Bronson's character Deacon, is he really a criminal or an undercover agent? With gun runners, government agents, deceitful officials and Indians, this action thriller really thrills and one could do worse than watch this on a rainy afternoon.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Western!
Review: This is a great western with lots of action and it has
Charles Bronson who is a western legend(Magnificent Seven,
Chato's Land, Vera Cruz, etc). A must for Western collections!
Rating:
Summary: Offbeat Alistair MacLean Action Western
Review: Trust no one and believe only half of what you see. At least that's what the trailer said. This is an odd little action film that takes place aboard a train full of mysterious characters that traverses snow covered landscapes (beautifully photographed by Lucien Ballard) and leaves bodies along the way. Charles Bronson plays the stoic John Deakin a secret service agent who tries to uncover the plot hidden aboard the train to Breakheart Pass. Once again director Tom Gries delivers a good action Western. The good cast includes Ben Johnson, Richard Crenna, Jill Ireland, Charles Durning and Ed Lauter. However I thought the real star of this film was Jerry Goldsmith's score. The powerful theme he composed for this movie advances the plot like a runaway steam engine.
Rating:
Summary: Good for a rental on a rainy afternoon!!
Review: Well, what do you get when you take one-third standard Western movie, one-third standard Charles Bronson action and a third of the usual twisted plot from Alistair MacLean, full of sabotage and secret agents ?
"Breakheart Pass", that's what!!
Made while Bronson was still a major draw at the box office with his action flicks, this is a Western with a twist, featuring Bronson as a mysterious petty criminal put on a train carrying a cargo of what appears to be medicines for a frontier fort in the grip of a diphtheria epidemic.
And oh yes, there are the obligatory Red Indians and some very nasty baddies.
But since this is based on a book by Alistair MacLean (who also wrote the screenplay), nothing is what it seems.
What you do get is a ripping good adventure yarn and some pretty hairy action scenes on the train. Western veteran Tom Gries provides good direction and keeps things moving at such a fast pace that you miss most of the gaping holes in MacLean's script.
The beautiful snow-bound locales and shots of the train gliding through valleys and over gorges add to the package, and another plus is the stellar cast featuring character actors like Charles Durning, Ed Lauter (one of the most under-rated stars of the 1970s, in my humble opinion), Richard Crenna and Ben Johnson.
The film borrows liberally from Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" as people keep mysteriously disappearing or getting killed on the train, before it builds up to a nice big shoot out.
The print used for the DVD (which is anamorphic) is pretty good and free of noticeable blemishes while sound comes in the form of a plain vanilla two-channel mono track that is surprisingly good, showing up the strengths of Jerry Goldsmith's score.
Overall, this one's not a keeper, but it's definitely good for a rental on a rainy afternoon.
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