ThiefHott Too much of everything

Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

GazerRise Fantastic!

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

a_chinn Roger Ebert called the film "a scummy little sewer of a movie" and that will either prompt you to stay away or will do the exact polar opposite. I love the cheap 80s Golan/Globus Cannon films and this one is probably their best Bronson vehicle, which is plot-wise boils down to being Dirty Harry versus Ted Bundy. Bronson is a cop who plays by his own rules and is partnered with straight laced Andrew Stevens. Both are on the trail of serial killer Gene Davis, who gets naked before he killing his female victims, but he's not getting naked for kinky reasons. He does it so as not to leave behind any evidence (these were the days before DNA evidence). Given that set-up, you can imaging this is a pretty lurid and kinky of crime picture, which includes one scene where Bronson interrogating Davis pulls out a sex toy confiscated from his apartment and states, "You know what this is for, Warren? It's for JACKING OFF!" Yes, this is that kind of a movie. Bronson's character is so tough he doesn't even know what quiche is:Laurie Kessler: That's some lunch, Dad. Coleslaw and quiche?Leo Kessler: (looking down at his food grimly) I hate quiche.Canteen Cashier: Then why did you get it?Leo Kessler: I thought it was pie!Director J. Lee Thompson delivers nasty villains, righteous heroes, and an ending that blew my mind when I watched this on TV as a kid, though today it's pretty corny (even tough I still dug it). Overall, this isn't in the same league as "Mr. Majestic" or "The Mechanic," but it is better than most of Bronson's 1980s and 90s output.

FlashCallahan Paul McAnn teams up with Detective Leo Kessler to investigate the murder of Betty Johnson and her boyfriend, by a naked killer in a park. Kessler recognises the victim, as they lived in the same neighbourhood many years ago. The killer, Warren Stacey, goes to the funeral and overhears Betty's father telling Kessler that his daughter had a diary. He breaks in Betty's apartment and kills her roommate trying to find the diary. But Karen had already delivered the journal to Kessler, who is sure that Warren is the killer and her plants evidence in his apartment.Now Warren is stalking his daughter to revenge against her father....In the eighties, The Cannon group made some really good films, the kind you would watch on a Friday night with your dad. And Bronson was the king of Cannon movies.This has to be one of his best, because its not just straightforward action, in fact, Thompson pulls a double whammy, cashing in on the Death Wish movies, and cashing in on the slasher movies of the early eighties.Other than that, its Bronson being Bronson, staring at people from bridges and nosing through people's bathrooms.The rest of the support are good, particularly Elibacher as his daughter. But unfortunately he same cannot be said for the guy who played Stacey. I'm sure he thought his motivation was 'robots' because he moves like one, and seems to think that he should approach his victims in the slowest way possible.But he's my only gripe, its a brilliant thriller, and it must have threw audiences back in 1983, as its so ungeneric, compared to other cop thrillers around his time.Its obviously influenced by Bundy, but if you like Bronson and Cannon, this is for you.

PeterMitchell-506-564364 This was better than a lot of Charlie's tripe, I found, and I'm talking mainly in the years that followed. I loved how the story and situations worked. Handsome psycho (Gene Davis who very much resembled his more famous brother, Brad, especially in his voice) who loves film, karate, and sex toys, has a lot of problems with women, and strikes out a lot, as seen at the start when coming onto two girls at the movies, one finding him cute, the better looking and stuck up one, finding him repulsive. Oh us guys have it hard. Well he finally vents, taking it to the next level, murder. His first victim, is the daughter of a friend, Charlie knows, so you know Charlie is gonna live to his promise of "I swear to you and I find him", and it isn't too long before he does, after the scum bug shows up at the funeral, and a mentioning of the girl's diary comes up, so our sickie must get to that diary before Charlie does. But Charlie beats him, not by getting there sooner, either. The diary is what leads Charlie to Davis, as the late victim, jotted down some stuff, regarding Davis, like how he was harassing her and she rejected his advances. After Charlie comes across the second murder scene, Davis is brought on, where a war, one that's very personal, between Bronson as Davis begins. Davis starts playing games, threatening Bronson's daughter, a nurse, with obscene phone calls, shaking her up. Bronson's younger partner, (Andrew Stevens-Flamingo Road) ends up babysitting Bronson's daughter at her hospital campus. Later on where tougher measures are necessary, Charlie plants blood prints on Davis's clothing, and he's taken in. This really makes Davis mad, so when he gets off, where Bronson's forced to confess his little stunt to the jury, and he's suspended, you know what's gonna ensue. Bronson even asked Stevens to perjur himself on the stand, where he was pushed into a tight corner, as earlier, Davis's smarmy lawyer had a word with Stevens who believes wholily his client was framed. But again, Bronson starts up his little bag of tricks, by tacking all these smutty photos on a wall at Davis's place of business, where all the other workmates are girls, who all hate him too. This sets him off again, where more victims on the campus follow, Davis always killing when in the nude. We know who he's really after, so it's a race against time for Bronson, as the midnight hour nears, where we have an applauding ending, ala Seven style. Bronson is Bronson, Andrew Stevens, scenery, while Lisa Eilbacher who went onto star in bigger films, is quite good as Bronson's resentful daughter. Davis was great though as the troubled psycho, we truly got a sense of his no win character, where a lot of guys out there, luck out with women. His monologue at the end to Bronson, chilling. Hey, I'd be chafed if some girl knocked my bucket of popcorn out of the way. For Bronson fans, make this one your next rental at the DVD store.

Scott LeBrun "10 to Midnight" is an agreeably sleazy thriller from the redoubtable team of actor Charles Bronson and director J. Lee Thompson. Bronson is in superb ass kicking form as detective Leo Kessler, on the trail of depraved creep Warren Stacey (Gene Davis), who gets back at the women who spurn his advances by brutally murdering them - in the nude, no less. Leo and partner Paul McAnn (Andrew Stevens) eventually are able to get Warren into a courtroom, but only because Leo had falsified evidence against Warren, since the killer had been able to provide an alibi for a particular crime. A disgusted Leo, having lost his job due to his actions, starts harassing Warren until Warren strikes back by targeting Leo's feisty daughter Laurie (Lisa Eilbacher), a student nurse.Provided one likes their "cop vs. killer" movies to be on the trashy side, this does prove to be good fun, delivering sordid thrills for a well paced 103 minutes, with a fair amount of both female and male skin displayed, and a slasher movie styled approach to its bloody killings. It's mean-spirited, yet humorous at times: it's such a hoot to see Bronson find a certain possession of Warren's and then grill him about it later. He's enjoyable to watch, as is a supporting cast full of strong actors. Good looking guys Stevens and Davis fare well as the initially annoying partner and the kinky psycho, especially Davis, whose character's predilection for adopting a ridiculous Mexican accent will call to mind Nicholas Worth's equally outrageous work as the killer in "Don't Answer the Phone!". Geoffrey Lewis shines as Warren's slick lawyer, and Wilford Brimley has a typically commanding presence as Leo's superior, while Robert Lyons plays the district attorney. Eilbacher is gorgeous and appealing, and the array of hot ladies in the cast include a young Kelly Preston (billed as Kelly Palzis) and Playboy Playmates Ola Ray and Jeana Tomasina. The climactic set piece, reminiscent of the real life massacre committed by Richard Speck in the 1960's, is some seriously nasty stuff, and the final foot chase is a true corker, with the movie ending on a perfect note as Bronson delivers a one liner while dispensing his own brand of justice.Featuring an effective music score by Robert O. Ragland, "10 to Midnight" is great gritty entertainment that moves along nicely with nary a dull moment and began the Bronson-Thompson-Cannon Group series in high style.Eight out of 10.