{"id":12463,"date":"2015-10-17T15:14:10","date_gmt":"2015-10-17T19:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=12463"},"modified":"2017-01-21T02:36:06","modified_gmt":"2017-01-21T07:36:06","slug":"br-10-to-midnight-1983","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=12463","title":{"rendered":"BR: 10 to Midnight (1983)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/i><\/span>\"10ToMidnight_BR\"<\/a>Film<\/strong>: Very Good<\/p>\n

Transfer<\/strong>: \u00a0Excellent<\/p>\n

Extras<\/strong>: Very Good<\/p>\n

Label:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Twilight Time<\/p>\n

Region:<\/strong>\u00a0All<\/p>\n

Released:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0September 8, 2015<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong>\u00a0 Action \/ Crime \/ Cannon<\/p>\n

Synopsis:<\/strong>\u00a0In this revenge \/ serial killer hybrid, a detective tracks down a limp yet sadistic serial killer before the cop’s daughter becomes the next bloody victim.<\/p>\n

Special Features:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Audio commentary with film historian David Del Valle, producer Pancho Kohner, and casting director John Crowther \/ Isolated stereo Music and partial mono Music & Effects track \/ 3 Radio Spots \/ Theatrical Trailer \/ 8-page colour booklet with liner notes by film historian Julie Kirgo \/ Limited to 3000 copies \/ Available exclusively from Screen Archives Entertainment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Review:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mashing up two source materials to create a hybrid film isn\u2019t a new concept \u2013 Stirling Silliphant morphed a pair of novels to create The Towering Inferno<\/strong> (1974), the writers of the disaster film satire Die Hard<\/strong> (1988) accomplished the same feat with particular finesse, and its later sequel Die Hard with a Vengeance<\/strong> (1995) took an unrelated terrorist novel and upgraded it to fit the franchise \u2013 so Cannon Films\u2019 production of 10 to Midnight<\/strong> (1983) similarly fits the build of fitting various elements to suit the tough guy persona of Charles Bronson.<\/p>\n

Critically derided (but with affection) as the silver screen\u2019s most \u2018stone-faced\u2019 actor, Bronson had just complete Death Wish II<\/strong> (1982) for Cannon, the exploitation studio that would prove to be his chief employer for many of his subsequent feature films, as well as veteran director J. Lee Thompson, whose own career had started to slowly wind down after reaching a creative apex with The Guns of Navarone<\/strong> (1961) and Cape Fear<\/strong> (1962).<\/p>\n

Thompson was actually a replacement director for 10 to Midnight<\/strong>, after the production\u2019s first choice was dismissed, and one presumes his selection stems from an existing collaborative relationship with Bronson, having directed the actor in St. Ives <\/strong>(1976), The White Buffalo<\/strong> (1977), and Caboblanco<\/strong> (1980).<\/p>\n

With a background in diverse genres and a director who seemingly pre-edited films in his head, Thompson was well-suited for the thriller genre, with several genre classics already under his belt: the taut sociopath thriller Cape Fear<\/strong>, the eerie drama The Reincarnation of Peter Proud<\/strong> (1975), and the CanCon slasher classique<\/em> Happy Birthday to Me<\/a><\/strong> (1981).<\/p>\n

Perhaps due to Cannon\u2019s house style of fast cutting and keeping scenes moving with minimal dialogue, 10 to Midnight<\/strong> is a vast improvement over Birthday<\/strong>, a lumbering thriller that drags in spite of featuring some outrageous kills, but in Midnight<\/strong> there\u2019s also William Roberts\u2019 script which, like it or not, does the job with a certain aplomb in assembling and balancing a variety of mean-spirited genres into one slick commercial product.<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s production backstory had Roberts taking an unproduced slasher film script titled \u201cBloody Sunday\u201d and melding it with elements redolent of the first Death Wish<\/strong> (1974).<\/p>\n

In Roberts script, Death Wish<\/strong>‘s vengeful daddy Paul Kersey becomes Leo Kessler, a hardline detective investigating a series of brutal killings that ultimately puts his daughter Laurie (Lisa Eilbacher) in danger when serial killer Warren Stacy (Gene Davis, brother of Brad Davis) sets his libidinous knife in her direction. Kessler abuses his power and goes rogue, pushing Stacy into overdrive and essentially causing a horrific massacre at Laurie\u2019s dorm before the finale pits ex-cop against Stacy in a finale that\u2019s evocative of the taunting \/ face-bashing relationship between Dirty Harry and scumbag rapist \/ killer Scorpio.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing especially new in 10 to Midnight<\/strong> \u2013 the kills are mean but not graphic on screen (Thompson relies of facial expressions rather than gore) \u2013 but it has a certain sleazy allure, much like John Frankenheimer\u2019s equally sadistic 52 Pick-Up<\/strong> (1986), also produced & released by Cannon.<\/p>\n

Novel aspects have killer Stacy conducting his murders completely in the nude to avoid being stained with his victims\u2019 body fluids and viscera, and using a knife as a proxy phallus (an aspect central to Claude Chabrol\u2019s Le Boucher<\/a><\/strong>), and very specific elements taken from fairly recent (and highly publicized) crime cases.<\/p>\n

Like iconic serial killer\u00a0Ted Bundy<\/a>, Stacy drives a VW bug to cruise to and from his victims’ homes and sexual rendezvous, and the massacre in a nurse dormitory is redolent of Richard Speck<\/a>, the monster who killed almost every student during a long and bloody night.<\/p>\n

Over the years, the film\u2019s evolved into a cult favourite, perhaps because all the right elements (cast, director, writer, classic L.A. locations, and its ties to true crime cases) clicked in spite of the film being thoroughly poo-pooed by critics during its original release; one can see it being instantly derided, and yet it\u2019s slickness and m\u00e9lange of action, anger, blood, and nudity made it a natural international hit.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the cast which is especially unique. Bronson\u2019s fine, delivering a limited dramatic performance for a rarely content character, and Eilbacher is fine as the pretty heroine \/ potential love interest for Kessler\u2019s partner Paul McAnn, but as the latter, Andrew Stevens has perhaps the best dialogue and delivers a deeper character than the tormented son he portrayed in Brian De Palma\u2019s The Fury<\/a><\/strong> (1978). Stevens never had great range, but the actor seemed to enjoy having the most verbose yet eloquent lines, delivering wry statements which Bronson hacks apart with short burst or a scowl.<\/p>\n

Small roles are filled by veteran character actor Geoffrey Lewis (always fun as a sleazy defense lawyer), Wilford Brimley as a (what else?) gruff police captain, and doomed dorm-mates played by Kelly Preston in her first feature film, and Ola Ray, best known as Michael Jackson\u2019s terrified girlfriend in the \u201cThriller\u201d music video.<\/p>\n

Robert O. Ragland\u2019s score fits the film as an eighties thriller, but like many scores of the era, there\u2019s a disconnect between the thumping synthetic action cues and some elegant orchestral tracks. Twilight Time\u2019s striking Blu-ray features a hybrid isolated score track, featuring music from the stereo soundtrack album and previously unreleased cues from a surviving mono music & effects track to create a complete score. As frustrating as Ragland\u2019s music may be, it\u2019s a pity Cannon didn\u2019t feel the need to bankroll a stereo mix for the film, as those boomphing synth hits would\u2019ve added greatly to the film\u2019s sleaze factor.<\/p>\n

The real gem on this release is the commentary track, which functions (like the film) as a detailed chapter in the history of Cannon Films, as well as an addendum to Mark Hartley\u2019s superb documentary Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films <\/strong><\/a>(2014). Moderator \/ film historian \/ reviewer \/ former Cannon story editor David Del Valle has producer Pancho Kohner and casting director John Crowther discussing both the making of the film and the environment of a classic Bronson-Cannon production. Fans of the studio will find their discussion of great value, and fun<\/em>, as the trio share an affection for the studio, its product, and especially Menachem Golan, the colourful director-producer who was hands-on with many of Cannon\u2019s productions.<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s final films were produced \/ distributed by Cannon, including The Ambassador<\/strong> (1984), the atrocious King Solomon\u2019s Mines <\/strong>(1985), and highly unfunny Firewalker<\/strong> (1986), plus another slew of Bronson thrillers: The Evil That Men Do<\/strong> (1984), Murphy\u2019s Law<\/a><\/strong> (1986), Avenging Angels<\/strong> (1988), and his unlikely career swan song, Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects<\/strong> (1989).<\/p>\n

Bronson would finish his career with roles in both TV movies and franchise productions, with Death Wish V: The Face of Death<\/strong> (1994) being his last feature film, and the TV movie trilogy Family of Cops<\/strong> (1995-1999).<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2015 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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External References:<\/strong>
\nEditor’s Blog<\/a> — IMDB \u00a0<\/a>— \u00a0Soundtrack Album<\/a>\u00a0— Composer Filmography<\/a>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nVendor Search Links:<\/strong>
\nAmazon.ca<\/a>\"\" \"\" —\u00a0<\/span> Amazon.com<\/a>\"\" \"\" —\u00a0<\/span> Amazon.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Critically derided (but with affection) as the silver screen\u2019s most \u2018stone-faced\u2019 actor, Bronson had just complete Death Wish II (1982) for Cannon, the exploitation studio that would prove to be his chief employer for many of his subsequent feature films, as well as veteran director J. Lee Thompson…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[4011,800,2201,4009,4010,4012],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-3f1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12463"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12463"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15212,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12463\/revisions\/15212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}