‘You go in that courtroom and forget what’s legal and do what’s right…’
How many cop cliches can you fit into one film? An old grizzled detective who doesn’t play by the rules? Check. That same cop’s beautiful estranged daughter? Check. His rookie partner? Of course. The killer here is very by the book too. Dirty phonecalls. Attractive but awkward. We’ve seen it all played out so many times before. And yet it’s still tough to resist…
In 10 to Midnight, the grizzled cop is played by Charles Bronson (natch), his daughter by Lisa Eibacher (delivering the only natural performance in the film), the rookie by Andrew Stevens and the killer by Gene Davis. The only shred of originality here is this is not just a buddy cop movie but also nominally a slasher. That being said, there is no whodunit element, we know who the killer is from the first scene.
Despite being riddled with cliches, 10 to Midnight does manage to spring a few surprises in the plot and it also provides a fascinating snapshot into the scuzzy side of LA at the turn of the 80s (it was mostly filmed on location). Bronson is wooden as ever but he’s always a compelling screen presence and director J. Lee Thompson (a regular Bronson collaborator) plays with the convention of LA noir and traditional slasher tropes to create something that is always competent and often innovative in terms of lighting and editing. He also doesn’t shy away from the violence associated with the video nasties of the era.
10 to Midnight never threatens to break any new ground but as a popcorn thriller, it succeeds in its brief to entertain. And the ending is great.
