St. Ives (1976 film)



St. Ives is a 1976 American action film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Charles Bronson, John Houseman, Jacqueline Bisset, and Maximilian Schell.

The movie was the first of nine collaborations between Bronson and director J. Lee Thompson.

Plot summary
Abner Procane hires Raymond St. Ives, a crime reporter and ex-policeman, to return five ledgers stolen from his safe.

St. Ives becomes embroiled in the task and the deaths of those involved in the theft. The ledgers are eventually returned minus four pages, and St. Ives is drawn into robbery to try and right the situation.

Cast

 * Charles Bronson as Raymond St. Ives
 * John Houseman as Abner Procane
 * Jacqueline Bisset as Janet
 * Maximilian Schell as Dr. Constable
 * Harris Yulin as Oller
 * Dana Elcar as Blunt
 * Harry Guardino as Deal

Bronson and Thompson
This was the first of many collaborations for Charles Bronson and J. Lee Thompson. After this film, they worked on other action films, including a few that had very dark themes. They include: The White Buffalo, Caboblanco, 10 to Midnight, Murphy's Law, The Evil That Men Do, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, Messenger of Death and Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects.

According to The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Gangster Film, Ingmar Bergman, visited the set of the film and reported that Charles Bronson was "scandalously underestimated."

The movie is also notable for early big screen cameos by Jeff Goldblum (The Fly, Jurassic Park), and Robert Englund (of Freddie Kruger fame). Goldblum was reprising his role of the maniacal street punk he had first adopted in Death Wish.