Charles Bronson will never ditch the wooden Death Wish tag but, given the right material, he can deliver beautifully understated performances. In this tough drama, Bronson plays an honest union man running for office against the villainous incumbent Wilford Brimley, who uses every dirty trick in the book to hold on to his power. The star is ably supported by the likes of Ellen Burstyn, Hoyt Axton and a young Ellen Barkin, and the no-frills direction of The Long Good Friday's John MacKenzie is quietly effective. Look out, too, for a pre-stardom appearance by Keanu Reeves.

In 1969, an administrator runs against the corrupt president of the United Coal Miners Union, and becomes the target of a murder plot.