This outstanding segment of "Man with a Camera" not only showcases several different attributes of Charles Bronson in the lead role but benefits from a highly original screenplay by David P. Harmon, full of satisfying twists, turns and complexities.
It falls in the genre of suspense generated by a man trapped underground, with miners racing against the clock to rescue him. This premise makes for sure-fire drama, sometimes even reaching classic status as in Billy Wilder's amazing film noir "Ace in the Hole" with Kirk Douglas.
Key elements here include: the victim is unknown, but Bronson believes it may be a missing person he's been assigned to find and photograph; that man is revealed to the viewer at the outset to be a con man who is working with his wife to collect a $250,000 insurance policy, his wife testifying that he's been lost at sea -Bronson hired by the insurance company to identify him as still alive; any rescue in the mine is extremely hazardous, especially a direct method that would endanger the lives of the rescue crew; the mine foreman in charge is colluding with the unscrupulous wife; the wife attempts to seduce Bronson to get him to give up on the project; the actual miners identify with the victim and are willing to take risks; and finally, Bronson volunteers to do the actual rescue himself.
This is all fascinating in cumulatively adding to what's riding on the operation, magnified by the great irony that if Bronson is right and the man turns out to be the fraudster he's hunting, then saving him will also land the guy in prison.
Chuck gets into a violent fight with thugs, bares his chest for a sexy (but tasteful) scene playing cat and mouse seduction with the wife, and is suitably heroic in saving the guy in the nick of time.