Charles Bronson, star of action movies, westerns, and war films during the late 20th century, was synonymous with "tough" on and off-screen. Bronson's television and film appearances included numerous spaghetti Westerns, including Red Sun. Released in 1972, Red Sun was directed by Terrence Young (known for directing James Bond movies like Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Thunderball) and starred Ursula Andress (also in Dr. No), Alain Delon, and Toshirō Mifune alongside Bronson. It was based on a true story from the American frontier.
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When the Japanese ambassador is robbed en route to meet with the US president, bandit Link Stuart (played by Bronson) is double-crossed by his gang. Link ultimately teams up with samurai bodyguard Kuroda (Mifune) to retrieve the ceremonial sword the rest of the gang has made off with. Considered one of the earliest examples of Asian martial arts movies uniting with Western cowboy adventures, Red Sun offers action, drama, and a bit of levity. It is an underrated movie that showcases Bronson's talent and highlights cultural interactions with its outstanding cast -- and it's now streaming on Tubi.
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*Availability in US Release Date June 9, 1972 Director Terence Young Cast Charles Bronson , ursula andress , Toshiro Mifune , Alain Delon , Capucine , Barta Barri , Gudio Lollobrigida , Anthony Dawson Runtime 112 Minutes Main Genre Western Writers Laird Koenig , Denne Bart Petitclerc , William Roberts , Lawrence Roman , Gerald Devriès Expand ✕ Remove Ads The Best of What Spaghetti Westerns Had to Offer Close
Terrence Young was not the initial man in line to direct Red Sun. Similarly, Charles Bronson wasn't the one Young wanted to play Link Stuart in the movie. Young wanted Clint Eastwood for Red Sun, but didn't think Bronson, who he'd worked with on 1970's Cold Sweat, was right for the role.
Young and Bronson did team up, though, reuniting the British director and American actor. Ursula Andress, who played Christina, was Swiss-born, while Alain Delon was French. Toshirō Mifune was a well-established Japanese actor who'd appeared in Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, the movie upon which Bronson's The Magnificent Seven was based. Red Sun was filmed in Spain and was also financed by film companies in Spain, Italy, and France.
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Red Sun is considered the first "East Meets West" spaghetti Western. Ben Chambers from The Geek Show said this about what Red Sun accomplished:
"The inclusion of international film icons, Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon, and Ursula Andress really make the film feel like a special, memorable event. The cinematography and story are strong points too, enhancing the viewing experience."
The New York Times's Roger Greenspun agreed, but pointed out that "for all its international exoticism, it remains a very conventional Western." While Bronson is often considered the star of Red Sun, author Brian D'Ambrosio saw the movie as a Mifune vehicle. In Menacing Face Worth Millions: A Life of Charles Bronson, Ambrosio wrote that Mifune's "character dominates Bronson's character," although he did admit "Bronson's believability [as well as] Mifune's swordsmanship" were two of the strengths of Red Sun.
✕ Remove Ads A Universal Tale of Honor, Friendship, and Survival Close
When Link Stuart (Charles Bronson) and Gauche (Alain Delon), his co-leader of a bandit gang, rob a train carrying a Japanese ambassador, his samurai bodyguards, and a gold-handled sword, they get more than they bargained for. Gauche backstabs Link, leaving him for dead, and promises to kill one of the bodyguards, Kuroda (Toshirō Mifune).
The ambassador tells Kuroda to retrieve the sword and, after he heals from his wounds, Link joins him in pursuing Gauche and the rest of the gang. Link and Kuroda bond throughout their adventures, taking on common enemies in their quest. They meet up with Cristina (Ursula Andress), Gauche's lover, and ironically find themselves fighting against Comanches with Gauche and his men in what Greenspun identified as "the best sequence" in the movie.
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Link, Kuroda, Cristina, and Gauche are the only remaining survivors of the shootout, at which point Gauche turns his gun on Kuroda. He fatally wounds Kuroda, but believes he's safe since he knows where the remaining money from the heist is hidden. Link decides to keep his promise to Kuroda to return the sword to the ambassador. In the end, honor is more important than any amount of money and Link kills Gauche instead.
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Red Sun Helped Increase Charles Bronson's Visibility on the International Stage Close ✕ Remove Ads
Red Sun was met with mixed reviews. Described as "humorous" with an "affectionate treatment of the uneasy truce between Bronson and Mifune that develops into friendship" by the Los Angeles Times's Kevin Thomas, it was also called lacking in "whimsical flair" and over-run with "prosaic gore" by Tony Zaza.
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Bronson, on the other hand, increased his popularity in Japan and on the international scene. It was not lost on Bronson how his career progressed, "I made my breakthrough in movies shot in Europe that the Japanese thought were American movies and that the Americans thought were foreign."
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This phenomenon continued when he won the Golden Globe's Henrietta Award for "World Film Favorite - Male" with Sean Connery in 1972 and, soon after, took his most memorable role in Death Wish. With more and more opportunities to work in the US, Bronson officially established himself as a box office force and the embodiment of intimidating manliness.
Bronson's legacy goes beyond his on-screen persona. Red Sun set the scene for additional "East Meets West" movies that combined spaghetti Westerns and Asian martial arts tropes, actors, and motifs. Films like Stranger and the Gunfighter, Kung Fu Brothers in the Wild West, and The White, the Yellow and the Black, were all released in 1973 and 1974. Stream on Tubi.
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