Breakheart Pass: Tom Gries’ film is not your typical Western; the plot, busy and implausible as it is, is much closer to an Agatha Christie murder mystery (which includes an extensive, varied and murky gallery of characters) than it is to an outdoors adventure. That’s not to say this is not an entertaining ride, well-built and paced. Charles Bronson is fine, leading the large cast playing the colorful and duplicitous characters; Ben Johnson and Richard Crenna are solid, as well. The film travels through a beautiful landscape, well-captured by cinematographer Lucien Ballard. The train, main set of the film, is well-decorated, and it’s a credit to the editing team of Byron ‘Buzz’ Brandt that its geography is always clearly understood. Fine musical score by Jerry Goldsmith.
