User reviews

... Could a tag-line possibly sound more Bronson-like? J. Lee Thompsons "10 To Midnight" of 1983 starring the great late Charley, is a decent cop flick, not nearly one of the most memorable Bronson flicks, but still a pretty suspenseful little thriller that will highly entertain all my fellow fans of everybody's favorite no-nonsense ass-kicker.

Warren Stacy (Gene Davis) is a psychopathic serial killer who gets his kicks by running around naked and stabbing his victims to death. He does not randomly select his victims, but kills, because he wants to get back at the women who have rebuffed his advances. Leo Kessler (Charles Bronson) is a tough and experienced cop, who doesn't hesitate to use unorthodox methods to get justice done. When Kessler investigates the murders he has to find out that the latest victim was a close friend of his daughter's (Lisa Eilbacher). Accompanied by his rookie colleague Paul McAnn (Andrew Stevens), Kessler soon finds out who the murderer is. Warren Stacy is quite smart, however, and never leaves any evidence. Things quickly get personal between Kessler and Stacy, and you know Charley B. - he's probably not the guy you wanna mess with.

"10 To Midnight" differs from the majority of other Cop vs. Serial Killer thrillers, since the viewer knows from the very beginning who the killer is. The movie focuses on the strife between Bronson and the serial killer, and builds up suspense by focusing on the serial killer and his possible victims. Since Bronson has to use illegal methods in order to get justice done ("Forget What's Legal... Do What's Right!") the film is, of course, politically incorrect as hell; But isn't that exactly what we love about Charlie Bronson? The man takes the law in his own hands and doesn't mind the bad guys getting hurt - If you don't like it, stop whining. Bronson is great as always and Gene Davis delivers a great performance as the serial killer, very wooden and therefore very creepy. Lisa Eilbacher, who play's Bronson's daughter, is very cute, and Geoffrey Lewis is great as the killer's sleazy lawyer. Some folks complain about poor editing in this movie, I don't really see why. One of the things I didn't like was the fact that the killer was rather one dimensional. "10 To Midnight" may lack depth, but it is a suspenseful film, certainly no masterpiece, but nonetheless a decent thriller that Bronson fans should like. I recommend to watch this, and to have a beer doing so.

Part of my deep dive into sleazy 80s crime films ahead of the release of Ti West's MAXXXINE. This film, VICE SQUAD, and BODY DOUBLE were the films that immediately popped into my head as influences on MAXXXINE. While I would say that BODY DOUBLE and VICE SQUAD are far superior films to this one, the purely exploitative nature of 10 TO MIDNIGHT is nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable. I don't have much to add outside of my review from the last time I watched this film (below), though I did up my rating by half a star and I realized that the killer is an incel before there was such a thing, so if you're in the mood for some 80s sleaze, this is a good place to start.

10-20-17 Corny but wonderfully lurid Charles Bronson vehicle 10 to Midnight (1983) ***

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 plot-wise boils down to Dirty Harry vs. Ted Bundy. Bronson is a cop who plays by his own set of rules and is partnered with straight-laced Andrew Stevens. Both are on the trail of serial killer Gene Davis, who gets naked before he kills his female victims, but he's not getting naked for kinky reasons. He does it so as not to leave behind any evidence. Given that set-up, you can imagine this is a pretty lurid and kinky crime picture, which includes one scene where Bronson interrogates 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, though 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.

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.

10 to Midnight (1983) was another one of old stone face's exploitation films that he seemed to crank out every other month during the 80's. The two Chucks (Norris and Bronson) seemingly released a film like every other week. That's what we need, bi-weekly cheesy action whitesploitation movies. Well Charlie was up to the task in this one and Cannon was ready to foot the bill.

A sexual confused serial killer is stalking co-eds. The killer has Charlie stumped. Along with a new partner, he stalks the streets looking for Mr. Goodbar er... the mad manic maniac!! Old Chuck seems to be on the right trail but the law that he's sworn to upheld swing both ways.

Pure sleaze. If you're looking for a good movie look elsewhere, this is grade z Charles Bronson. Slumming for a paycheck whilst losing any creditability he had as a serious actor. But their are folks who actually dig Mr. Emotion earning his pay acting in terrible films. I happen to be one of those. I can't tell by his "acting" but Mr. Bronson seems to dig his new role in Hollywood.

For fans only.

Compared with the ridiculously shoddy "Death Wish" sequels, most of Charles Bronson's 1980s collaborations with J. Lee Thompson are masterpieces. In fact, even with the high ratio of bad actors and technical shortcomings, films like "Evil That Men Do" and this one, "10 to Midnight," kick modern hardboilers right in the balls.

In any case, I've read some comments by folks who don't understand the title "10 to Midnight." Here's what it means: the killer's alibi is that he was seen at a theater watching a movie that ran between 10 pm and midnight, the same time the murder took place. 10 to Midnight--get it? Oddly enough, even the marketing department of the movie's original distributor, Cannon, didn't get the title. Hence the tag line, "A Cop, a Killer, a Deadline." There's no deadline in the film.

Here's where I think the confusion lies: During this period, director Thompson convinced Canon heads Golan and Globus, and Bronson's producer, Pancho Kohner, to hire his son, Peter Lee Thompson, to edit his films. While most of the younger Thompson's editing was pretty good visually, he was a bit sloppy when it came to points of continuity. For instance, in "Evil" a character passes Bronson a photo of the villain, The Doctor, mentioning him by name. But we can plainly see that the photo is not of the Doctor at all. In "Murphy's Law" we see an over the shoulder shot of a gangster laid out on a sofa, stark naked, being administered to by a hooker. When we see him face-on in the reverse shot he is wearing a robe. The scene continues to bop back and forth--robe, no robe, robe, no robe, etc.

So Thompson the younger didn't really get that whole "reality" concept.

Anyway, back to "10." I'm sure that J. Lee shot footage establishing a very specific reference to the timeframe of the first murder. And I'm just as sure that his son just didn't think it was all that important to keep in. After all, it wasn't a naked woman being stabbed to death--it was only the title of the movie.

Serial killers ... mostly weirdos aren't they? At least in movies. That doesn't mean that they are easy to get. Quite the opposite - even if the viewer and maybe the characters involved do know who the culprit is. Those in the movie may only be guessing (right), but as viewers we know for sure who does it in this case. We watch with our own eyes ... despicable acts of murder, quite vividly taking place. And a lot of nudity thrown in for good measure.

If you have issues with these things (for whatever reason, I'm not judging), you probably shouldn't watch this movie. And yes while some who watch it may call it entertaining, in the end it is a movie. With a questionable moral compass and an even more in your face ending ... not for the faint of hearted that's for sure!

The first hint that this is going to be a bloody actioner with occasional exposed skin is the fact that it was produced by Golan and Globus. The second hint is that is stars Charles Bronson. If you are into 80s action flicks, this will be one you'll want to see.

Casting Gene Davis as the serial killer was genius. He is perfect. I did also enjoy that June Gilbert gave us the full show in her short movie career. Cynthia Reams also gave us a full show in her only movie.

Lisa Eilbacher (Beverly Hills Cop, An Officer and a Gentleman) plays Bronson's daughter. I've enjoyed her in every movie I've seen her in, and this was no exception.

With Wilford Brimley and Geoffrey Lewis, this was classic Bronson. An enjoyable flick.

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.

From the director who brought us The Guns of Navarone and Cape Fear in the 60's, comes this interesting and suspenseful cop thriller. Charles Bronson plays a veteran cop who's with a young idealist cop is after a very smart and dangerous killer who likes to slice pretty and innocent chicks. The most interesting aspect of the film is that we know from the beginning who the killer is and for the rest of the film it's a mind game between Bronson and the killer who knows very well how to manipulate the system. This is definitely not to the squeamish one's because this is fairly a brutal film but from the intelligent kind. I'm familiar with Bronson's works and this is surely his best from the 80's. Anyone who looks for some highly entertaining film shouldn't miss it. Never mind the user's ratings because it's one of those underrated gems.

Recommended

It's easy to forget that in the 80s, action movies were every bit as violent as horror films and 10 to Midnight is pretty harsh. It feels like they're attempting to make both a Friday the 13th and a Death Wish movie AT THE SAME TIME!

Charles Bronson plays a tough cop dedicated to his job. He stumbles onto a serial sex killer and obsessively hunts him down only to have the system fail him leading to a truly shocking bloodbath at the finale.

10 to Midnight is Cannon film, thus it's over-the-top with lots of sex and violence. It's also through and through a Bronson film so there's a lot of tough guy grandstanding and complaints about a broken legal system that values the rights of the accused over those of the victim.

The positives of this movie are that it has a truly solid cast. Bronson actually seems to care about his performance (not always the case in his later films), the villain is creepy and frightening (he likes to attack his lady victims while he is totally nude), and the kills are intensely effective.

The negatives are that the movie is just a little too slow. There are too many cop movie cliches and I didn't care at all about Bronson's partner. Honestly, I feel that this movie would have worked much better as a straight forward giallo film.

This is a cop movie that occasionally turns into a slasher film which leaves a movie that can't find a consistent tone. Fans of slashers and cop flicks are both likely to be put off by the movie but it is unique enough that I get why it has a cult following. It's an above average latter day Bronson film and probably at least worth a look for fans that don't mind a little (or a lot!) of bloodshed.

10 to Midnight is one of Charles Bronson's lesser efforts from the eighties. Essentially he takes his death wish character and gives him a badge. Problem is that when you're in law enforcement you are bound by certain parameters that the courts have laid out.

Bronson's problem is that he's too close with this case. A close friend of his daughter Cindy Eilbacher is murdered and Bronson's determined to get his man no matter what. That includes some rather clumsy planting of evidence that doesn't sit too well with Bronson's rookie partner Andrew Stevens.

My two big problems are that if planting evidence was the way to go here, I would think Bronson being the veteran cop he is would have done a better and undetectable job. He gets caught so easily.

But even worse is the over the top performance by the perpetrator Gene Davis. This guy strips to the birthday suit before going out to do his evil deeds, actually walks around buck naked in the street. And nobody of course notices anything.

I will say this Davis certainly wasn't bad to look at and that's a distraction to be sure. Still the whole idea is just plain ridiculous.

This is a fine group of talented players who get defeated by one preposterous story.

This time Bronson is a police officer -helped by his rookie colleague (Andrew Stevens)- who are on the trail of a young man who is murdering young girls . Then the psychotic killer stalks his daughter (Lisa Eilbacher) and Dad's gonna stop him at any cost .. Back in town... with a vengeance! Bronson ...is in town. A cop... A killer... A deadline! Forget what's legal. Do what's right . . .BRONSON is back on the streets! .BRONSON...is in town.

Bronson is back on the streets in an intriguing and suspenseful action movie with the usual elements, adding some really nasty scenes . Vigilante Bronson is on the prowl in this new outing containing suspense , noisy action-packed , twisted intrigue and lots of violence. Here Charles Bronson as a LAPD detective meets the Slasher , in which the old Death Wish himself goes up against a heinous series murderer in Friday the 13th style . This is a creepy , scary and frightening film with a peculiar type killer who causes really astonishing murders . It's all rather disgusting , disagreeable , violent and unsettling . Being adequately rated R for nudity , sex , profanity and violence . Charles Bronson with his usual stoic acting displays his ordinary tics and landmarks , though he looks some bored and tired , at times . He's well accompanied by Lisa Eilbacher as his beautiful daughter , Andrew Stevens as an upright , honorable Police sub-inspector and Gene Davis giving an extremely hateful and nefarious role as psychopathic , ominous criminal . Along with a good support cast , such as : Geoffrey Lewis , Wilford Brimley , Robert F. Lyons , and brief aapearances from Ola Ray of Thriller video , and the recently deceased Kelly Preston who married John Travolta.

The motion picture was professionally directed by J. Lee Thomson , though it has some disappointing scenes , failures , flaws and gaps . He previously had a nice track record in the English cinema from 1950 until 1961 , directing good Western ( McKenna's gold , White Buffalo) and all king genres as Sci-Fi (Conquest and Battle of planet of apes), terror (Reincarnation of Peter Proud, Eye of the devil), adventures (Flame over India ,Kings of the sun, Taras Bulba , Tiger Bay) and Warlike ( Guns of Navarone, Von Braun , Chairman , The passage). His two biggest successes turned out to be ¨Guns of Navarone¨and ¨Cape Fear¨. Thereafter , the filmmaker's career subsided in a morass of slickly realized but middling films. He moved into the field of international spectaculars , at which point his filmmaking seemed to lose its individuality . J. Lee Thomson working from the 50s in England, finished his career making Chuck Norris (Firewalker) and Charles Bronson vehicles (Caboblanco, Evil that men do, Messenger of death, Death Wish 4 : Crackdown, Caboblanco, St Ives). Rating : 6/10, acceptable and passable , it will appeal to Charlrs Bronson fans.

I first saw this on a vhs which i used to own in the mid 90s. Revisited it recently. This fim has solid blood n nudity to satisfy slasher fans. If Bronson n Thompson's names weren't associated with this film, it would hav been jus a cheesy typical 80s slasher flick. Some of Bronson n Thompson's collaborations were amazing action flicks but this aint. This one is a straight slasher where the killer is shown from the beginning and there is no mystery in that, but his methods of killing are whats interesting. Of course it has some police procedural stuff since Bronson is involved. Gene Davis as the killer is noteworthy. The ending chase scene is a one big lol.

A serial killer on the loose in Los Angeles murdered a couple having sex in the back of a van. Detective Leo Kessler, along with his young new clean-cut partner Paul McCann investigate the murders, to stumble onto the girls diary, which leads them to a very suspicious suspect Warren Stacey. The girl actually worked with Warren, and seemed to be creep out by him. Kessler starts to realise that they have their man, but there's no real evidence to connect him. However Kessler fabricates evidence, but when it's found out. Warren is released, and Kessler is sacked, but Kessler makes it his own business to catch him when his daughter gets caught up in it.

This creaky, low-budget Charles Bronson and J. Lee Thompson item from the 80's is probably my favourite (just ahead of "Murphy's Law (1986)" of their collaborations with Cannon productions. By the way the title itself is quite useless. At this time of his career Bronson was set-up to walk the all-familiar vigilante character, which started of in his semi-classic "Death Wish (1974)". Actually William Roberts' compact, harsh screenplay has plenty in common with the brilliant Clint Eastwood masterpiece "Dirty Harry (1971). Both shared their right-wing frustration of the flimsy excuse they call the justice system, where the main protagonist (a cynical cop in both) takes the law into their own hands. The themes are incidental, but because of its leering callousness and sordidly crude mindset amongst the political matter, it comes off looking more like a basic, routine crime/slasher/exploitation hybrid that lacks character. When it's trying for that cynical exploration on the rights of the criminal, it does feel half-baked as it doesn't seem to go out on an emotional bang and it was achieved much better in William Friedkin's captivating "Rampage (1987)".

What Thompson's slick, razor-sharp direction has done is created an airtight and highly authentic atmosphere. Along the way he stages some intense, and quite jarring attack and voyeuristic scenes, which are plain nasty and has the killer going around in the buff. Thrusting in is a scorchingly draining, if at times experimental sounding music score by Robert O. Ragland. The editing by Peter Lee-Thompson is ably done, and everything about it is well paced. Photographer Adam Greenberg accordingly shapes it. Charles Bronson might be the headliner, but it's an extremely effective and dynamic performance by Gene Davis. He brought the right temperament to his unsettlingly homemade, calculating character whose emotions played out like a unstable twitch. Bronson does what he does best, and here it's no exception with his comfortable turn of total conviction and yes, liveliness when things get drastic. Andrew Stevens and the lovely Lisa Eilbacher are fine support. Also there are amusing small roles for Kelly Preston and Geoffrey Lewis (a real favourite of mine) as a slimy defence lawyer.

"10 to Midnight" can be spotty and outlandish in its intentions, and turn off people due to its malevolent nature, but what we get is a solid offering in b-grade territory.

"Leo Kessler" (Charles Bronson) is a Los Angeles detective who has had more than his share of drama in his life due to a stubborn daughter by the name of "Laurie Kessler" (Lisa Eilbacher) who doesn't understand or appreciate the demands the job places on him. To make things even more stressful for him is the fact that he was recently given a new partner named "Paul McAnn" (Andrew Stevens) who is much younger and has a different approach to the job than he does. That said, things become extremely tense when a serial killer begins stalking young women and his daughter becomes one of the people on his list. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this could have been a good movie if some of the scenes hadn't been so unrealistic on the one hand and so predictable on the other. The ending was especially absurd. Even so, the presence of Lisa Eilbacher and, to a limited extent, Kelly Preston (as "Doreen") added a bit of nice scenery. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for me to rate this any higher than I have. Slightly below average.

But I do. For all practical purposes this is a bad movie. The best way that I can describe the overall tone is a cross between an early episode of the the TV show Hunter and one of the original Friday The 13th movies. It's a slasher flick with a 70's style rogue cop thrown in the mix.

The acting is fairly poor. Bronson plays the same type of character he played in most of his popular movies. There are some familiar faces from the era (Robert F. Lyons and Geoffrey Lewis). Andrew Stevens does a pretty good job playing Bronson's partner. Gene Davis is somewhat difficult to watch as the killer, Warren Stacy. Half the time it sounds as though he is reading his lines from a cue card.

The plot is a simple enough story about a deranged killer who runs through the city naked killing women who have scorned his advances in the past. Bronson plays Leo Kessler, a cop ready to do anything, legal or not, to bring Stacy in.

There really isn't much more to say about this movie. I've said it in several other reviews on this site and I will say it again. A movies primary function is to entertain. That being said I am always entertained when watching this movie. I tend to rate movies differently than other people do. Not every movie is an Oscar contender. Hell, most movies aren't. As much as I enjoy viewing masters like De Niro and Scorsese at work I thoroughly enjoy watching "B" grade trash like this (albeit for totally different reasons). What can I say? Sometimes I enjoy a big fat juicy steak grilled to perfection while other times I enjoy a McDonald's hamburger. 10 To Midnight satisfies the later desire.

I remember seeing this movie when I was a child. I won't into the plot or very bad sub plots but, I will say that almost all of the acting in this violent movie is so truly terrible, that words fail me. The killer is played by Gene Davis and, his acting is badly done that I actually laughed at several of his scenes.

I no idea why they cast Gene Davis. Surely there were more talented actors around. There's little if any doubt that he got the part simply by being the brother of Brad (who I also thought was a terrible actor).

I'm actually feel embarrassment for Bronson while watching the movie. It's not unbelievable that a person of his age could be a detective as, many other reviews have said. To me, it's more depressing watching Bronson start to decline in the quality of work he was doing at that time.

This movie would best be enjoyed with a group of friends enjoying some alcoholic beverages... Many of them.

A very solid movie! Charles Bronson is absolutely great in this film. The fact that the killer was a handsome guy really emphasized that he was a sociopath and all around creep (smart character development). Lisa Eilbacher is damn cute! A good psychological action/thriller!

I do not understand why people consider this a "cheesy?" movie or a "rip-off" of Death Wish.

Leo Kessler is a hardened cop. Paul Kersey was an architect who took on the role of vigilante after a life changing event. The two characters really aren't that similar at all.

I wonder what Lisa Eilbacher is up to nowadays.

When Andrew Stevens is the most interesting character and best actor you know something is wrong. The title of this routine cop movie is totally senseless and hasn't any significance to this cheep thriller. By the 80's Bronson was losing his edge. He was looking old and puffy. Gene Davis is the pretty boy psycho-killer on the loose. Davis' acting is so over the top that you can't really take him seriously. He just comes off as a regular preppy dude who acts crazy and annoying. He's rather small in stature and doesn't have any menacing feature except for his icy neurotic visage that seems plastered on his face throughout the picture.

He's a serial killer who has a fetish about killing his victims while being completely nude himself. Okay, we understand he's disturbed and creepy. But that's about as far as this tale takes his character. He acts so creepy from the beginning of the picture as it establishes him as a loner that his character has nowhere to grow. That is why I fell asleep halfway through this tawdry flick. The problem here is that this is a Bronson film. And in all Bronson films we know he will most likely be the victor over the villain. So the killer here seems too vulnerable and ineffective to be a worthy adversary. He may be able to shuffle his way out of legal authority to a degree, but he is hardly elusive in his stalking method by running around naked without anyone really noticing him carrying a knife.

This movie also has some really bad acting, especially from the pretty babes who were cast only for their hot bodies. Bronson himself seems bored and jaded by this and does not elicit enough of his individual appeal to make this interesting. Andrew Stevens does the best job in the movie by playing the rookie detective under Bronson's supervision. The party scenes look so lame and contrived that they are worth laughing at. Do people in their 20's and 30's dance around in a small apartment non-stop wearing t-shirts? If a few were grooving to the tunes that would look more natural, but everyone in the pad?

Watch this only if you have nothing better to do and you are in the mood to scoff at the bad 1980's acting, clothing and film direction.