The Stone Killer (1973)

Pretty Good

Good concept, poorly executed.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Definitely not a thinking person's movie. The main plot element here asks the viewer to believe that a top Mafia Don (Martin Balsam) waited forty two years to exact revenge on the mob families that killed his forefathers, planning it on the anniversary date of the initial murders. So right there, this picture blows away the twenty five years a German agent spent infiltrating the British government to aid the Nazis in "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror". I like my movie protagonists to show discipline but this is just asking too much.And whoa, a police detective rams thorough a dozen flea market stalls and then sideswipes another dozen cars on the way to capture a rogue killer? Not only that, but Lou Torrey (Charles Bronson) barrels through the store front window of a mechanic's garage to boot! If the word 'ridiculous' doesn't cross your mind watching this, then you haven't reached your tolerance level for mindless entertainment yet.But then again, it's Charles Bronson in another one of his Seventies action flicks, and die hard fans will certainly get their fill of the craggy hero here. Personally, I like Bronson myself, so this is one of those guilty pleasures I indulge in every now and then. Even if you have to overlook things like the hood shot by Torrey from an upper story window, who then uses his legs to spring himself forward out the window. Dead guys aren't supposed to be able to do that.The kicker to all this is Martin Balsam in a Godfather styled role who has a fondness for repeating the phrase 'Cappo de tutti capi' a number of times. And since I brought it up, what's with the fellow mobster who seems to be channeling Brando's Don Corleone? That deserved a contract hit right there. You know, when all is said and done, one might have to take in this movie using the advice of Torrey's boss Guido Lorenz (David Sheiner), who at one point stated - "Some mornings I wake up and I wonder why".

No 3D, graphics effects gizmos for this one!!!!The best car vs motorcycle chase, in history. A helicopter chase. And a real, based-on-real-facts, story to boot. Charles Bronson. Murder and high speed chases. Big, fat cars of the 70's. And this thing is a 6.2? And that BS about Batman getting ****ed in the financial markets gets an 8?You know that's BS. So pick this one up. The Stone Killer. Short, straight to the point. And the real story is ever better. I'm sorry but I have to pay attention to this incredible movie. I'm sorry if there were any typos. Forget about writing. Just watch this movie, now.

"Death Wish" director Michael Winner knocked the bottom out of the tough guy cop movie genre when he cast Charles Bronson in this Sicilian mafia revenge caper. As steel-jawed Police Detective Lou Torrey, Bronson gets in trouble early when he shoots a kid with a gun. The mafia are staging an attack on their own kind. The car chase where Bronson leaps a car through a gas station is pretty cool. Winner never lets the pace lag in this exciting actioneer. Stuart Margolin has a great role as a commando leader who doesn't believe in luck. The mafia massacre is staged with finesse. Based on the novel A Complete State of Death.

I sought relaxing and undemanding action entertainment, I found …. Charlie Bronson! What's better after a hard and long working day than to sit down in a comfortable couch, switch off all still operational brain functions, and watch Charlie kill off some random street scum? During the 70's and 80's, Bronson mastered in depicting unorthodox coppers/relentless vigilantes in ultra-violent and gritty movies, and personally I love each and every single one of them, even though – admittedly – they're not the most sophisticated or even memorable form of art! In this same period, Charlie collaborated a number of times with director Michael Winner, who himself isn't exactly known for his subtlety and flair either, so a joint venture of these gentlemen is a guaranteed piece of uncompromising trash. "The Stone Killer" boosts a slightly more ambitious storyline – one based on a novel by John Gardner – but eventually it just remains a raw 'lone cop' thriller. After the umpteenth "shoot first, ask questions later" incident, lieutenant Lou Torrey gets transferred from gloomy New York to sunny California. There, during a banal prisoner's transport, he stumbles upon a convoluted crime network that brings him all the way back to New York. Torrey, thanks to the help of bizarre informants and dissident interrogation techniques, gradually uncovers the plot of a mafia war to end all mafia wars. Bronson's acting performance is more automatic pilot than ever, but Michael Winner serves numerous exciting car chases and vigorous shootouts, including a wildly out-of-control finale. Did I mention that the film is violent?!? This is early 70's at its best, full of racial slur, realistic dummies falling from the nineteenth floor and gay musicians getting run over by a Cadillac! Oh, and this movie proves that Charlie Bronson is the most efficient shooter ever! With him, each shot is a hit. Whether from inside a shaky helicopter or from an impossible angle on a staircase, it's always bullseye!