St. Ives (1976)

An ex-crime reporter (Charles Bronson) is hired by a sinister millionaire (John Houseman) to recover some stolen journals. What seems like a simple job as an intermediary soon turns deadly as the bodies start piling up. Based on the novel THE PROCANE CHRONICLE by Oliver Bleeck and directed by J. Lee Thompson (GUNS OF NAVARONE). A homage to THE MALTESE FALCON with Houseman channeling Sydney Greenstreet, Jacqueline Bisset as the requisite not to be trusted femme fatale, even Elisha Cook Jr. shows up! It's entertaining enough and it's nice to see Bronson in something other than as a revenge crazed killing machine. There's lots of killing here but not by Bronson. Still, it's average at best and derivative at worst. With Maximilian Schell, Harry Guardino, Jeff Goldblum, Harris Yulin, Dana Elcar, Michael Lerner and Robert Englund.