Soleil rouge
From The Spaghetti Western Database
Soleil rouge (1971 / Director: Terence Young)
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Also known as
Red Sun (USA) | Sol rojo (Spain) | Sole rosso (Italy) | Rivalen unter roter Sonne (Germany) | Sol vermelho (Portugal) | Samuraje i kowboje (Poland) | Blodrod Sol (Swedish)
Cast and crew
Charles Bronson (Link Stuart), Toshiro Mifune (Kuroda Jubie), Alain Delon (Gauche/Gotch Kink), Ursula Andres (Cristina), Capucine (Pepita), Barta Barry (Paco), Guido Lollobrigida (as Lee Burton) (Mace), Anthony Dawson (Hyatt), Gianni Medici (as John Hamilton) (Miguel), George W. Lycan (Sheriff Stone), Luc Merenda (Chato), Satoshi Nakamoura (Japanese Ambassador), Julio Pena (Peppie), Monica Randall (Maria), Hiroshi Tanaka (Samurai), Jose Jaspe (train engineer), Ricrdo Palacios (Poco), Jose Nieto (Indian)
- Story: Laird Koenig
- Screenplay: Laird Koenig, Denne Bart Petitclerc, William Roberts, Lawrence Roman
- Cinematography: Henri Alekan [Technicolor]
- Music: Maurice Jarre
- Producer: Ted Richmond
Plot
The movie takes place in Arizona, around 1870. Link and Gotch are two ruthless robbers that attack along with their men at the train which carries the ambassador of Japan over to Washington. During the robbery, Gotch takes a very valuable gold sword, which is a gift from the emperor to the president of the U.S. and tries to kill Link, so that he can take all the money for himself. Now Kuroda (the only survivor of the samurais that escorted the ambassador) and Link must leave their differences aside and work together. They both want to find Gotch, but for different reasons: Kuroda wants to take back the sword, and Link wants the stolen money. All this must be done in seven days, or the samurai will kill Link and himself.
Review
In what was billed as "The First East-Meets-West Western," Toshiro Mifune plays Kuroda, a samurai warrior who accompanies a Japanese diplomat to the United States. The diplomat has brought with him a golden, jewel-encrusted sword to present as a token of good will to the president, but as they travel by train through the west, they're ambushed by a pair of outlaws, Gauche (Alain Delon) and Link (Charles Bronson). Gauche and Link steal the sword, but Link leans the hard way about his partner's trustworthiness when Gauche double-crosses him and makes off with the booty. Since both Kuroda and Link have a grudge against Gauche, they warily join forces to track him down and return the sword to its rightful owner. Along the way, they have to deal with cultural conflict, Indian attacks, and encounters with beautiful women (played by Capucine and Ursula Andress). Given its cast and theme, Red Sun was predictably enough a major box-office success in Europe and Japan, but it passed through with little notice in the United States.
