By Stephen Pytak 

     What did Charles Bronson ever see in Jill Ireland?
     You'll get a pretty good idea if you pick up the special 
edition DVD of "Violent City."
     Here, Bronson is a mercenary who strives to be 
independent. But he's faced with an underworld filled with a 
pack of jackal bastards (namely crime boss Telly Savalas) 
who want him to join their "family."
     On top of that, he falls in love with a gorgeous nymph 
(Ireland), who's a product of the Love Generation and in the 
underworld she's everybody's play toy.
     Their love affair, a subplot which holds the movie 
together, turns sour. They say all is fair in love and war and 
with that in mind, Bronson settles all scores in the end with 
a high-powered rifle.
     The best parts of the movie are three very artistic action 
scenes. 
     Right off the bat there's a car chase in St. Thomas in the 
Virgin Islands, which is very reminiscent of "Bullitt (1968)." 
The climax of this scene blows the shit out of the stuff 
Bronson did in the "Death Wish" films. It's stuff like this 
which made him an action star.
     Later Bronson takes a rifle to a racetrack and in the end 
Bronson takes aim at a couple in an elevator in New Orleans. 
The film runs silent, except for the sound of the bullets 
cracking the window. Amazing. Hitchcock would have been 
proud. 
     But let's not forget about Jill Ireland.
     This DVD is definitely a tribute to Ireland and her beauty. 
I didn't know she did nude scenes in movies. Well, in this 
package, you get three. Thank you Anchor Bay.
     The game relationship between her and Bronson is 
sometimes tense, sometimes friendly, sometimes brutal. But 
it's always fun to watch.
     The film is also accented with a few memorable lines.
     "Why is it whenever I'm with you I always end up in the 
middle of blood and violence?" she asks.
     "The whole city is full of blood and violence," he says. 
"You only see it when you're with me."
     Classic.