Review of 10 to Midnight

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.