Breakheart Pass is a 1975 American Western film that stars Charles Bronson, Ben Johnson, Richard Crenna, and Jill Ireland. Based on the 1974 novel of the same title by Scottish author Alistair MacLean (1922–1987), it was filmed in north-central Idaho.
Plot
In the 1870s, residents of the garrison at the Fort Humboldt frontier outpost of the United States Army are reported to be suffering from a diphtheria epidemic. A special express train is heading up into the remote mountain ranges towards the fort filled with reinforcements and medical supplies. Also, civilian passengers are on the train in the rear luxurious private car – Nevada Governor Fairchild (Richard Crenna) and his fiancée Marica (Jill Ireland), the daughter of the fort's commander.
The train stops briefly in the small whistle stop settlement of Myrtle, where it takes on board local lawman United States Marshal Pearce (Ben Johnson) and his prisoner, John Deakin (Charles Bronson), a supposedly notorious outlaw who was identified by a picture in a newspaper advertisement offering a $2,000 (about $ today) reward. As the journey goes on through the beautiful snowy mountain scenery, though, several train passengers, including most of the train's soldier escort, are mysteriously killed or go missing. Deakin, who is actually an undercover U.S. Secret Service agent, uncovers en route that the "epidemic" at the outpost is actually a conspiracy between a group of killers led by the notorious outlaw Levi Calhoun (Robert Tessier), and a tribe of Native Americans in the United States under Chief White Hand (Eddie Little Sky). Instead of medical supplies, the train's boxcars are transporting a large secret shipment of weapons, rifles, ammunition, and dynamite stolen from U.S. arms manufacturers for sale to the Indians, in return for allowing Calhoun and his men to mine and smuggle gold from their lands. Most of the people on the train, including Governor Fairchild and Marshal Pearce, are Calhoun's partners in crime, and those innocents who discover the evidence for his sinister plot are eliminated. Eventually, Deakin narrows his list of possible uninvolved allies down to Marica and Army Major Claremont (Ed Lauter), who agrees to assist the agent in his efforts to prevent the arms delivery.
At snow-covered Breakheart Pass, all hell breaks loose the Native Americans attack the train to take the weapons they were promised, and Calhoun and his men ride out to the train to find out what is going on. Deakin and Major Claremont use dynamite to blow up and damage the track rails, grounding the train before it reaches the fort; and while Deakin runs interference, Claremont rushes ahead to Fort Humboldt to free the soldiers imprisoned by Calhoun's gang. A gunfight breaks out when the freed soldiers clash with the Native Americans and bandits at the train. Calhoun is killed by Gov. Fairchild when he threatens Marica, but the governor is then, in turn, cut down by Major Claremont. At the end of the battle, Deakin intercepts Marshal Pearce and shoots him when the corrupt lawman decides to go down fighting.
Cast
Charles Bronson as Agent John Deakin / John Murray
Ben Johnson as U.S. Marshal Pearce
Richard Crenna as Governor Richard Fairchild
Jill Ireland as Marica Scoville
Charles Durning as O'Brien
Ed Lauter as Major Claremont
Bill McKinney as Reverend Peabody
David Huddleston as Dr. Molyneux
Roy Jenson as Chris Banion
Rayford Barnes as Sergeant Bellew
Scott Newman as Rafferty
Robert Tessier as Levi Calhoun (voiced by Paul Frees (uncredited)) Joe Kapp as Henry, The Steward Archie Moore as Carlos, The Cook Sally Kirkland as Jane–Marie, First Prostitute Sally Kemp as Second Prostitute Eddie Little Sky as Chief White Hand Keith McConnell as Gabriel John Mitchum as Red Beard Read Morgan as Captain Oakland Robert Rothwell as Lieutenant Newell Casey Tibbs as Jackson Doug Atkins as Jebbo Eldon Burke as Ferguson (uncredited) Irv Faling as Colonel Scoville (uncredited) William Klein as Seamon Devlin (uncredited) Ron Ponozzo as Soldier (uncredited)
Production
Writing
Producers Elliott Kastner and Jerry Gershwin had filmed a number of Alistair MacLean novels previously, including Where Eagles Dare and When Eight Bells Toll.
Casting
Charles Bronson was paid $1 million plus 10% of the gross for his role.