cult film freak: CHARLES BRONSON WITH ALAIN DELON IN 'FAREWELL, FRIEND'

FAREWELL, FRIEND Year: 1968 Rating: ***

The title FAREWELL, FRIEND makes no sense yet are actual words spoken by one of two anti-buddy buddies who'd spent years in the Foreign Legion without knowing each other, but they get off the same boat with a load of expository dialogue that you best keep a scorecard to follow the shoddy pulp-inspired plot as, basically and ultimately, this odd couple... one a French medic, the other a crooked American... attempt to crack a big safe in a large, well-armed, multi-guarded building... And why the title's nonsensical is that Bronson's pimp character says things for no apparent reason, especially "Yeah!" whenever something happens that makes him feel like saying... "Yeah!"

But Alain Delon is the tough silent type, and this film's obvious lead, actually having hand-picked Bronson from admiring his zesty performance as MACHINE GUN KELLY eight-years earlier... What's ironic is Delon keeps Bronson from reaching equally ferocious heights by either a punch in the nose or a macho wrestling match, especially in a painfully overlong sequence where, during that epic second-act heist, both get locked inside a strongroom, close to death, followed by Bronson being beaten/interrogated and Delon beating-up the film's nice girl Brigitte Fossey while having initially fallen sap to sneaky double-crossing femme fatalle Olga Georges-Picot... Perhaps if FAREWELL, FRIEND was a dark comedy, and didn't take itself so seriously, it'd have a more even-keeled groove... And get this... Bronson wouldn't be the straight man!