Sunday, December 12, 2021

10 TO MIDNIGHT (1983)

Director: J. Lee Thompson

Writers: William Roberts, J. Lee Thompson (uncredited)

Producer: Lance Hool, Poncho Kohner

Cast: Charles Bronson, Andrew Stevens, Gene Davis, Lisa Eilbacher, Wilford Brimley, Geoffrey Lewis, Robert F. Lyons, June Gilbert, Jeana Keough (as Jeana Tomasina), Paul McCallum, Katrina Parish, Shawn Schepps, Bert Williams, Sydna Scott, Ola Ray, Iva Lane, Kelley Preston, Cynthia Reams, Cosie Costa, Barbara Pilavin, Beau Billingslea, James Keane, Carmen Filpi, Jeane Manson, Patti Tippo, Kyle Edward Cranston, Lynette Harrison, Jerome Thor, Breck Costin, Deran Sarafian, Neal Fleming, Daniel Ades, Shay Duffin, John Garwood, Beth Reinglas, Monica Ekblad 

In Los Angeles, Warren Stacy (Gene Davis) is a young, handsome loner that works in an office repairing typewriters. He stalks and kills a co-worker (June Gilbert) that rejected him. This victim was the daughter of friends to Homicide Detective Leo Kessler (Charles Bronson). The case becomes very personal to Kessler, who is increasingly frustrated with the legal restrictions that hamper his investigation.

The Flashback Fanatic movie review

In the '80s, the Cannon Group churned out plenty of exploitation flicks in various genres. One of their biggest stars was Charles Bronson. He was always featured in violent crime thrillers that capitalized on the Bronson movie reputation he established as vigilante Paul Kersey in 1974’s Death Wish. 10 to Midnight again has a Bronson character dealing with the frustration of a legal system not able to deliver the certain justice that he desires. This time around, Bronson’s Homicide Detective Leo Kessler is part of that system. 


This crime thriller was probably influenced by the popularity of the early '80s slasher horror films, but this is not just a body count movie. The villain here is a serial killer whose identity we know all along, and it is this familiarity we have with his methods that holds our interest. We see Warren Stacy’s careful preparation to establish his alibi before he sets out on his deadly mission early in the story. Then our interest is maintained wondering how long he can get away with murder when Detective Leo Kessler almost immediately zeroes in on Warren Stacy as the main suspect. I guess Warren leaving porno mags and one weird-ass sex toy in his bathroom must be a dead giveaway.

Some snooty critics think that Bronson was just coasting along on his performances in this and many other films he starred in at this point in his career. I think he is just right in 10 to Midnight. Of course, he is CHARLES BRONSON. That gives him an immediate authority that he does not have to strain to achieve with his audience. Some guys just got it and that is certainly the case with Bronson. His character of Detective Leo Kessler is certainly sympathetic. He is dedicated to getting his man for all the right reasons, and we know that he should succeed if justice is to be served. The conundrum here is how far should he go to nail Warren Stacy? We have witnessed Stacy committing his crimes but Kessler has not. Kessler may have great instincts deciding that Stacy is the perpetrator he is after, but there is not much real evidence to back up his assumption. 

Gene Davis makes for a very offbeat villain as Warren Stacy. He is well-mannered, poised, fit, and clean cut. When being interrogated he seems almost childish as he tries to excuse his boyhood transgressions. Unfortunately, he has the inappropriate habits of streaking, stalking, and stabbing. Warren Stacy’s murderous rituals are his sexual outlets. 

Andrew Stevens, as Kessler’s rookie detective partner Paul McAnn, gains our sympathy as much as Bronson. After some initial friction, McAnn works well with Kessler and openly admires him. Yet young McAnn is still a by-the-book cop and has some doubts about the conduct of his older and bitter partner. This becomes the central issue of the whole film and gives the audience something to ponder after the end credits roll. His concerns are further complicated by his budding relationship with Kessler’s daughter Laurie.

As Laurie, Lisa Eilbacher is the terse chip-off-the-old-block daughter of Leo Kessler. Even though she resents her father’s career-before-family past, she shares his directness and somewhat confrontational humor. Her character helps to humanize our impression of Bronson’s Kessler and gives him greater urgency to stop the killer. 

My favorite performance is by Geoffrey Lewis as Defense Attorney Dave Dante. I love the way he coaches Warren Stacy before their court appearance. He represents the sleazy side of the court system that fills Kessler with so much bitterness. However, Dante also forces Kessler’s partner McAnn (and the movie audience) to contemplate the burden of proof that is necessary for a fair, if imperfect, legal system to function. 

This was the fourth of nine films that director J. Lee Thompson made starring Charles Bronson. The director of the acclaimed The Guns of Navarone (1961) and the intense and controversial Cape Fear (1962) was not getting much respect for his work in the '80s, but the old pro’s talent made his genre films efficient, slick, and entertaining productions. 

10 to Midnight has gained a cult reputation over the years. It straddles the line between horror and police procedural. It is further distinguished by the sexualized violence of its killer. Almost everything Warren Stacy does is his compensation for failing to have normal relationships with women: obscene phone calls are how he courts his victims, he showers and primps as if he is getting ready for a date before he sets out to do his stalking, he is nude when he consummates his conquest by penetration with a knife, the “rubbers” he wears are not for pregnancy prevention but are rubber gloves that prevent identification of him from fingerprints.

Many critics condemned 10 to Midnight in its day. It has the lurid elements of sex and violence that make any exploitation film a target for those wanting to blame the movies for society’s ills. Critics may have also had a real problem with the story’s conclusion. This movie’s climax is even more thought provoking today. While it is surprising and dramatically satisfying, it also leaves us wondering what we really want to happen next.

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