10 to Midnight

Summary

“Anybody does something like this… his knife is gonna be his penis.”

Shout!Factory continues to add satisfying titles from the Eighties with their recent release of the cop procedural 10 to Midnight. Directed by J. Lee Thompson, and starring Charles Bronson, Andrew Stevens, and Gene Davis, 10 to Midnight is one of the sleaziest and most over-the-top thrillers from the Eighties. This film was a big star vehicle for the low-budget film production group Cannon Films. The film had a little over a three million dollar budget and one third of that was used to pay Bronson. The film was released to scathing reviews but over the years has developed a cult following. Its popularity has led to the film being released twice on Blu-ray (previously on the Twilight Time label.) As a lover of Bronson’s film work, I watched the film recently to see what all the fuss was about.

In the film, Charles Bronson is a no-nonsense cop named Leo Kessler. As the film begins, speedo wearing psychopath Warren Stacy (Gene Davis) goes to the movie theater. He carries a blade with him. At the theater he makes a pass at two girls. Warren makes sure to use his name while creeping them out. His alibi created, he goes to the bathroom and sneaks out of the theater. This allows him to kill a girl who had shunned him and her boyfriend. For some reason, he kills in the nude, only wearing surgical gloves. Captain Malone (Wilford Brimley) assigns Leo the case along with a rookie cop partner, Paul McAnn (Andrew Stevens.) When Leo realizes that the murdered girl was one of his daughter Laurie’s friends, the case becomes personal for him. Soon Leo is pushed face to face with the psychopathic Warren and a justice system that seems to favor violent criminals. Meanwhile, Warren begins to target Leo’s daughter.

This is a crazy movie. A-grade enjoyable sleaze for sure. When you read the line about Warren killing in the nude, I think it should be apparent whether or not this film will be appealing or not. For myself, I can’t help but be drawn to these B-movies from the Eighties. The film, until its finale, features prominent nudity but is not as violent or grotesque as the film was made out to be. The finale of the film definitely features some on-screen violence that was pretty extreme but it is thankfully not a film that focuses on gore effects. Basically, this is just a really over the top B-movie.

The script by William Roberts is just plain crazy. Watching the film is like watching cop movie cliche after cliche happen without the slightest hint of irony whatsoever. For myself, this is unintentional hilarity at its absolute best. People are at their funniest when they say ridiculous things with a completely straight face. Bronson discussing how the weapon is a substitute for the manhood of the killer is classic. The fact that Bronson gets upset about every legal protection that suspects have also made me laugh. His talk is just so reminiscent of the hard on crime rhetoric of the Reagan era that it will make modern audiences laugh. Bronson fans should love every line he says in the film.

Some of the overacting is pretty epic and not just a little hilarious. Gene Davis gives a great ham-fisted performance as Warren. His freak out when Bronson tells him that there is blood on his clothes stands out as highlight in the film. Also, it must have taken a ton of commitment to act essentially in the nude for 75% of your performance. The film features a great role for Geoffrey Lewis as a scumbag lawyer. Lewis is an actor that I always enjoyed in bit roles (including Double Impact) but he sadly passed away a few years ago. Andrew Stevens is enjoyable in the rookie cop role. Lisa Eilbacher is perfectly cast as the tough and spunky Laurie. She is a good fit for Leo’s daughter. The film also features a cameo by Kelly Preston who I think was one of the most beautiful women from the films of the Eighties.

10 to Midnight is a cult film that is likely to turn off as many people as it will attract. It is fun to think that this crazy ass movie was directed by the same man who directed the classic film Cape Fear. The compositions by Robert O. Ragland are a perfect fit for the film and give a great pulsing rhythm to the proceedings.

Overall – this is a real cult oddity. I can understand why critics at the time thought that this movie was just atrocious. For myself, I thought this movie was a blast. Oh yeah – I almost forgot to mention that the title of the film literally holds no significance to the film whatsoever. It was just a title that was arbitrarily chosen so that they could get the project green lit. How great is that?

Video

Presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio with an MPEG-4 AVC Encoded image, the 1080p presentation looks nice. The new 4K scan is not going to magically make 10 to Midnight a beautifully shot film. There is some noticeable grain, but that is to be expected given the time frame and because a good amount of the movie takes place at night. The film’s visuals pop during the climactic finale, but for the most part it is a muted affair and occasionally the film is a little blurry. Fans will appreciate the uptick in quality but it won’t be demo material for anybody.

Audio

The audio presentation on 10 to Midnight sounds pretty great. From the opening riffs of the film, the score by Robert O. Ragland sets a great tone for the film. It is a fun and ribald score. The DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo track is pretty good and at times gets pretty loud. Dialogue is clear and the score comes through perfectly. Fans will be happy with it.

Supplements:

• Commentary – writer/historian Paul Talbot gives a spirited and enjoyable history of the film in this brand new commentary.
• Commentary – producer Pancho Kohner, casting director John Crowther, and film historian David Del Valle discuss the film at length. Del Valle worked for Cannon Films and has made a career as a leading film historian. His commentary tracks are always fairly hilarious while being insightful. This is the same great track that was featured on the Twilight Time release.
• “Producing Bronson” – producer Lance Hool reminisces on his time working on the film, how it was developed, and his long standing friendship with Charles Bronson before he passed away. Hool is almost brought to tears as he talks about what a kind man Bronson was. I enjoyed this piece.
• “Remembering Bronson” – actor Robert F. Lyons discusses working on the film. His brief role as a policeman could easily be overlooked but his discussion of Gene Davis’s commitment to the nudity in the film is hilarious.
• “Knife and Death” – actress Jeana Tomasina briefly discusses her small role in the film as prey to the killer. 
• “Charlie’s Partner” – Andrew Stevens gives a warm remembrance of his time working on 10 to Midnight with Bronson and how he managed to engage Bronson by playing it cool. Like others, Bronson is remembered as an absolute gentleman and devoted family man. Stevens went on to an incredibly successful career as a film producer that specialized in the erotic thrillers that were so dominant in the early Nineties.
• Image Gallery
• Radio Spots
• Theatrical Trailer 

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4/5

10 to Midnight is definitely not going to please every crowd. The film is probably too over the top and exploitative for some viewers. Personally, I couldn’t resist the film as a campy and cliche riddled oddity. It helps that I love Charles Bronson. While it is hard to give this film a high recommendation due to its objectionable nature, I definitely had fun watching it. With a strong looking transfer from a new 4K scan, and some great supplements, fans will want to seriously consider purchasing this collector’s edition immediately. It will be a harder sale for fans of the film that already own the Twilight Time release which had strong technical merits also. Recommended!