An action film in Zermatt

The mountain village of Zermatt has already been used as a filming location for many films. This is also the case for the British action classic Love and Bullets from 1979, where the imposing mountains of Zermatt provided the setting for breathtaking chases. 

A cold winter’s day dawns in Zermatt as a gentle breeze blows through the narrow streets of the mountain village. The majestic Matterhorn rises proudly on the horizon. The scenery seems almost timeless, and one man trudges between the old barns. These first images unfold on the screen and open the film Love and Bullets which celebrated its German première in 1979. 

Here’s to life and death 

In the film, detective Charlie Congers of the Phoenix Police Department in Arizona is commissioned by the American government to kidnap the girlfriend of gangster Joe Bompasa, the idea being to get Jackie to disclose incriminating information and help put Joe in jail. The chase begins and it quickly becomes clear that she is hiding in Switzerland. 

Many parts of Charlie’s mission were filmed in and around Zermatt. In the action film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, the protagonists can be seen at the Stalden-Saas/Zermatt BVZ station and on a Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn train. On the run from Joe’s people, Charlie and Jackie even stop the Gornergrat Railway. The rivals then follow the train by helicopter. Film lovers will find out whether they manage to catch up with the escapees and how the story ends in the film Love and Bullets. 

Zermatt as a filming location 

The beauty of the Swiss Alps and the Gornergrat Railway have aroused the fascination of many filmmakers and will certainly continue to be shown in further productions in the future. 

Other films set in Zermatt can also be found in our Stories 11, 35, 37 and 49.

Gornergrat Bahn

125 years of fascination