Customer Reviews

Rider on the Rain [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie is Bronson at his finest. It is full of suspense romance, and intrigue. The only drawback I can find on this movie is it is not yet available on DVD form.

I saw this film on its run in US theaters in 1970. Not unlike a Hitchcock film, the tension is built on character development. Bronson still a bit before he reached superstar popularity, in an understated, superb performance. But for me, his co-star, Marlene Jobert, really heats up the screen, with a complex, multi-layered portrayal, in this sophisticated tale of rape, survival, romance. Clement's direction deserves recognition: the rich hues, the weather blend with continually fluctuating moods on a rather intimate level to tell the story. Good show.

I am sort of a Bronson fan I suppose and, in my opinion, this film,along with Hard Times, From Noon Till Three, Honor Among Thieves, and Red Sun, is one of his very best. I own two biographies of Bronson and he is quoted as stating that this film and Red Sun are probably his personal favorites. Rider on the Rain(1969) was really the first film where Bronson was the only starring male. His huge fame in France began with Honor Among Thieves(1968) but he co-starred with Alain Delon in that film. In Rider on the Rain, Bronson's acting shows quite a broad range and is literally fun to watch. I often wonder how he would have done with a comedy role. With the right director and the right script, Bronson was actually capable of acting with a humorous twinkle in his eye. In Rider on the Rain, Bronson gets to show confidence, anger, sympathy, affection, violence, determination, and a curious fearlessness. His female co-star, Marlene Jobert, is a wonderful mix of helplessness and strength and adds tremendously to the films overall success. Of course, the directing and the dialogue also add greatly but in this particular film, without Bronson's presence, the film would have, in my opinion, failed thoroughly. If you are a Bronson fan, and even if you are not, I heartily recommend this one!

I really enjoyed these older Bronson movies where he is not playing strictly an action role. He is fanstastic in this very good French movie.

I saw this movie years ago, and am glad it is still available on video. It's remarkable for many reasons: a superb musical score by Francis Lai (he wrote the music for "A Man and a Woman," and this film's score has the same emotional tone); Charles Bronson's wonderful portrayal of a complex character; top-notch acting all around; a well-concieved plot with enough twists to keep you wondering; and a lush, handsome presentation.
It does all this without being overly arty or self-conscious. It's a movie that's very easy to watch, and very easy to like.

This is not a guy movie or a femminist movie.
This is the the story of a young fiance and daughter who is not able to ask for help when she is attacked and thinks she has to handle things herself. Charles Bronson is the Detective who comes, after the fact, and figures out what happened. He ends up protecting her. The story has a different twist at the end, and is a wonderful portrayal of small town girl in over her head and
rescued by the big city, hard as nails, honorable cop. Must have for Charles Bronson fans.