This movie essentially begins with a criminal mastermind by the name of "Abner Procane" (John Houseman) being blackmailed for $100,000 to recover his secret journals which detail all of his illegal activities. Desperately needing them back, he chooses a former criminal reporter known for his honesty and discretion named "Raymond St. Ives" (Charles Bronson) to act as his go-between. Unfortunately, with so much money on the line, other interested persons begin to get involved and things go downhill for everyone after that. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I really liked this film when it first came out and-other than showing its age here and there-it still remains one of my favorite Charles Bronson films to this day. Admittedly, the plot meanders quite a bit which can cause some confusion here and there. However, I enjoyed the chemistry between the John Houseman, Charles Bronson and Jacqueline Bisset (as "Janet Whistler") along with the way in which St. Ives kept one step ahead of everybody else-at least for the most part. That being said, I liked the in-depth plot and the good acting performances of all involved, and for those reasons I have rated film accordingly. Above average.
