Acensbart
Excellent but underrated film
FirstWitch
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Derry Herrera
Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
utgard14
Cannon greatness starring Chuck Bronson and directed by Bronson's frequent collaborator J. Lee Thompson. Bronson plays a grizzled detective out to nab a psycho that killed a woman for rejecting him. The problem is the killer covered his tracks well so Bronson has to resort to less-than-legal means of getting him. When this backfires, Bronson's own daughter becomes the psycho's next target.One of Charles Bronson's best movies from the '80s. As with most of his output that decade, it's sleazy and violent but it's also undeniably fun in a cheesy sort of way. Bronson gives his usual one-note performance. If you've seen his Death Wish movies, you know what to expect here and whether you'll like it or not. Gene Davis makes for a memorable pervert psycho. He also appears naked quite a bit, as do many other people (women and men). Lots of T&A in this one. Lisa Eilbacher is Bronson's pretty daughter and does well. Andrew Stevens holds up his end as the young detective who can't condone Bronson's methods. The rest of the cast includes Geoffrey Lewis, Wilford Brimley, Ola Ray, and a young Kelly Preston. The lady playing Davis' boss takes the honors for worst performance. Her "Betty's dead!" scene should be taught in acting schools.It's a fun movie if you're not the type who takes everything seriously and gets easily offended. The cheesy elements will please many, as will the voyeuristic stuff. Bronson takes it all very seriously which makes it all the more enjoyable when he's spouting lines like "You know what this is for, Warren? It's for jacking off!" This is a great '80s thriller with a lot of things going for it, including a terrific ending.
Rainey Dawn
"10 to Midnight" is my favorite Bronson film - next to "Death Wish". I often think of how this movie scared me when it came out - I was 11 years old at the time. Why did "10 to Midnight" horrify me so much? I was just starting to "look a boys" at 11 years old (coming-of-age era) and thought about being hurt or worse by the person I may date one day.This movie is very thrilling and may frighten women more than men to watch due to the nature of the film. Although the scenario in the movie has been rehashed several times over each of this type has it's on uniqueness about it - and "10 to Midnight" is no exception.If you like crime-thrillers and have not seen this movie - try it one night you may like it! 8/10
AaronCapenBanner
Charles Bronson(Leo Kessler) & Andrew Stevens(Paul McAnn) play a veteran and rookie detectives on the L.A. police force who are hunting a vicious psychopath who has been murdering innocent women with a knife. The case hits close to home for Leo, who then decides to take the law into his own hands after the suspect they arrested is released, despite the knowledge of both men that he is guilty. So convinced that the killer will not be convicted, Leo plants evidence on the suspect, which of course is discovered by the defense team, leading to a dismissal of charges(and Leo's termination) that put them on a collision course of more killings.Bronson seems to be playing a less responsible cross between "Dirty Harry" and his "Death Wish" character(Paul Kersey), but those two men never falsified evidence, which clearly crosses the line, leading to a morally muddled film that is also quite unpleasant and routine, though I admit it does have a memorable ending...the only successful thing about this film.
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.
