Director: Terence Young
Screenplay: Denne Bart Petitclerc, William Roberts, Lawrence Roman
Starring: Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon, Ursula Andress, Capucine, Barta Barri, Guido Lollobrigida
Country: France, Italy, Spain
Running time: 115 min
Year: 1971
BBFC Certificate: 15
The 1960s and 1970s saw a host of attempts at East meets West films – with huge Asian film stars appearing in movies made in the US and Europe alongside big Hollywood names. Hollywood and other production companies in the West were capitalising on the popularity of Japanese and Hong Kong cinema, in particular.
Some of the biggest hits include the Bruce Lee vehicle Enter the Dragon, which also featured the likes of John Saxon, and two James Bond movies, You Only Live Twice with Sean Connery as 007 and The Man With The Golden Gun with Roger Moore as the secret agent.
One of the most curious crossovers was a French, Spanish and Italian co-production – a Spaghetti Western based on a true story and infused with Japanese influences. The big Asian star was Toshiro Mifune, who appeared in 16 films directed by the peerless Akira Kurosawa, including Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Throne of Blood and The Hidden Fortress.
The film in question is Red Sun, which also has links to the James Bond series through its director and leading lady. Directed by Terence Young (director of three of the first four 007 films – Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Thunderball), Red Sun features a stellar cast, headlined by Charles Bronson, Mifune, cool French cinema icon Alain Delon, and Dr. No Bond girl Ursula Andress.
The film, billed as the first East meets West Western, is based on a true story from the American Wild West of 1870. It sees an outlaw called Link (Bronson) betrayed by his gang during a train robbery and forced by the Japanese Ambassador, who was travelling on the train, to help regain a priceless sword stolen by Link’s double-crossing partner Gauche (Delon).
Link sets off with the Ambassador’s bodyguard Kuroda (Mifune) to try to track down the sword, and along the way takes Gauche’s girlfriend (Andress) hostage. To add to the drama, they must recover the sword in seven days or Kuroda’s code of honour means he must die by his own sword.
There are numerous excellent set-pieces including Link and Gauche holding up a train that comes to a screeching halt due to sheep on the tracks before a gunfight breaks out, Gauche double-crossing Link, and an action-packed finale. The violence is quick and bloody. Young is at home with these thrilling action sequences, as he should be having helmed three Bond films.
The finale in particular is thrilling stuff – starting with a gunfight at a derelict monastery before moving to a cat-and-mouse chase and further battle in long grass (where the score is wonderfully dramatic) and closing out with the four headliners in a poignant scene.
Bronson and Mifune are excellent as the odd couple trying to track down the sword, mistrusting each other to start with but growing to respect one another as the film builds to its fantastic finale. Delon is his usual cool self, and quite duplicitous, and Andress is on great form too.
The music by Maurice Jarre is an excellent Spaghetti Western score, at times rousing or dramatic and at others very playful, like the best scores in the genre, and really adds to the feel and atmosphere of the film. The music for the final 20 minutes or so, in particular, is very good.
The landscapes are gorgeous; from the opening where a steam train carrying the Japanese ambassador arrives at an isolated station with snow-covered mountains behind it, to numerous panoramic vistas. There are plenty of breathtaking moments.
In closing, Red Sun is a fantastic, action-packed film, which features a wonderful odd couple duo, some strong performances, and a number of great set pieces, all set against some beautiful scenery and backed by a hummable score. It’s a late period Spaghetti Western and a very enjoyable and memorable one.
Film: 
Red Sun is released on 9th September 2024 by StudioCanal on their Cult Classics range. The transfer is top notch. It’s a fabulous 4K restoration, which makes the film look like it was made yesterday. Striking colours, no blemishes, and rich detail shine through, and the audio is also great.
EXTRAS:
On the set of Red Sun – Extract from Pour le cinéma
New Interview with Steven Okazaki
Original Trailer
The interview with American documentary filmmaker Okazaki is very good. Running for 20 minutes, Okazaki gives a good overview of what made Mifune special, including his collaborations with Akira Kurosawa. Also touched on is how Mifune had a great relationship with film crews, his professionalism in preparing for his lines and scenes, and how Red Sun is one of the last of the notable Spaghetti Westerns. Okazaki also references his first viewing of the film when it was released at the start of the 1970s. It’s the best extra on the disc.
On the set of Red Sun – Extract from Pour le cinéma runs for nine minutes and is in black and white. It starts with Young giving an overview of the plot, with on-location footage playing in the background, before interviews with stars Bronson, Mifune, Andress and Delon follow. There are some neat insights, particularly from Delon. A welcome addition.
Also included is the trailer, which runs for just over three minutes.
So, the disc is fairly light on the extras but the Okazaki interview is strong.
Red Sun is a very entertaining and enjoyable Spaghetti Western and StudioCanal’s release gives it an excellent audio/visual presentation, headlined by a stunning new 4K restoration. Extras are slim but the interview and archival piece contain some gems of information and insight.
Disc/Package:
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