10 to Midnight may not be top-quality Charles Bronson though story wise, the writing, even my personal qualms of a detective doing what he does, is far stronger than Death Wish.
10 to Midnight
— Collector’s Edition —
(1983)
Genre(s): Drama, Crime
Shout Factory | R – 102 min. – $39.93 | January 22, 2019
Date Published: 01/10/2019 | Author: The Movieman
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Shout Factory provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3.25/5 |
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Note: This review does contain some MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS, so reader beware. Plot Synopsis: Imagine a movie where Paul Kersey from Death Wish got a badge. You would get 10 to Midnight, a movie starring Charles Bronson as police detective Leo Kessler who is hunting down a serial murderer, stabbing several women while in the buff. However, the killer, Warren Stacy (GENE DAVIS), is elusive and when no evidence exists to put him away, Kessler does all he can, including planting evidence no less, to take him down, especially when Stacy sets his sights on Kessler’s daughter (LISA EILBACHER).
Review: Generally, I enjoy Charles Bronson’s movies. No, he’s not some amazing actor or anything but he brought a certain gravitas to any of his roles from his violence vigilante in the aforementioned Kersey character in the Death Wish franchise to his part in the Western ensemble, The Magnificent Seven and the war-drama, X-15. Here, I did like him but when Kessler actually plants the blood evidence, it was a bit hard to emphasize with the character, even though yes Stacy was indeed the killer. And then we get to the finale, gun drawn on the Stacy and, having been (rightfully) fired, performs vigilante justice… then credits role leaving out the part Kessler likely would’ve been arrested and charged at the very least for second degree murder. In any case, the supporting cast was pretty decent. Andrew Stevens was good as Bronson’s rookie and morally-centered partner while Lisa Eilbacher (was the female lead in Beverly Hills Cop) was a lot of fun, playing well off of both Stevens and Bronson.
10 to Midnight is hardly perfect and as crime-dramas go, is probably most notable for being fairly violent with some graphic nudity thrown in. It was helmed by J. Lee Thompson (Happy Birthday to Me) and through his career, worked with Bronson a total of nine times (including Death Wish 4 and his final film, Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects). Despite my issues with the Kessler character on moral grounds, there was a decent amount of entertainment in this brutal 1980s-era crime-drama, if only to see Bronson’s intensity facing off against Gene Davis’s utterly crazy and admittedly brave performance. If you haven’t seen this movie before, and are a fan of Bronson, this is well worth checking out. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.25/5 |
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This release from Shout’s Scream Factory line includes a matted slip cover and the interior cover is reversible revealing the film’s original poster artwork. All of the features that were on the (sold out) Twilight Time release are available here as well. Audio Commentaries:
These are pretty tracks with the first, new to this release, giving a more historical perspective about Bronson and the themes presented in the movie while the second, which I believe was recorded for the Twilight Time release, gives more of a first-hand account with Del Valle serving well as a moderating but also expanding on the history of the project. Interviews:
All of these new interviews are pretty good, offering glimpses at the production behind the movie with Hool giving a more nuanced look on the financial side while the actors provide their on-set stories, like working with Charles Bronson. Rounding things out is the Theatrical Trailer (2:14; HD), a few Radio Spots (1:39; HD) and an Image Gallery (6:56; HD). |
VIDEO – 4.75/5 |
| Shout Factory releases 10 to Midnight on Blu-ray, making this the second release on the format following the Twilight Time release (which has since sold out). The movie is presented in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and a new 1080p high-definition transfer, which according to the back cover came via a 4K scan of the original camera negative. I can’t speak to how this compares to the TT transfer, but what we get here looks absolutely amazing. Detail is sharp throughout and the natural film grain and noise is intact giving as good of the theatrical presentation as possible. Skin tones appear natural looking and outside a few (very) minor scratches and dust marks, this is fairly clean. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| Included on this release is likely the same audio track from the TT version. The DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track sounds rather good. Dialogue levels come through with good clarity and even the thrill-scenes with the blood-curdling screams and some gunfire had a moderate amount of depth to them. Nothing outstanding but as it goes for a movie 30+ years old, doesn’t sound at all half bad. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Overall, 10 to Midnight may not be top-quality Charles Bronson though story wise, the writing, even my personal qualms of a detective doing what he does, is far stronger than Death Wish, and the film does showcase some decent performances including Bronson himself. This Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Shout Factory offers up excellent video and above average audio transfers and a good selection of bonus features. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.