10 to Midnight
10 to Midnight is a 1983 American crime-horror-thriller film[3] directed by J. Lee Thompson from a screenplay originally written by William Roberts. The film stars Charles Bronson in the lead role with a supporting cast that includes Lisa Eilbacher, Andrew Stevens, Gene Davis, Geoffrey Lewis, and Wilford Brimley. 10 to Midnight was released by City Films, a subsidiary of Cannon Films, to American cinemas on March 11, 1983.
| 10 to Midnight | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
| Produced by | Pancho Kohner Lance Hool |
| Written by | William Roberts J. Lee Thompson |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Robert O. Ragland |
| Cinematography | Adam Greenberg |
| Edited by | Peter Lee Thompson |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Cannon Films[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4,520,000 (US) |
| Box office | $7,175,592 (US)[2] |
Plot
Warren Stacey (Gene Davis) is a young office equipment repairman who kills women after they reject his sexual advances. His attempts at flirting are always seen as "creepy" by women, resulting in frequent rejections.[4] His first victim is Betty (June Gilbert), an office worker of his acquaintance. He tracks her down to a wooded area, and observes her having sex with her boyfriend. He ambushes the couple, kills the boyfriend and then gives chase to the naked woman. He catches her and stabs her to death.[4]
Two Los Angeles police detectives, Leo Kessler (Charles Bronson) and Paul McAnn (Andrew Stevens), investigate his murders. Kessler is a seasoned veteran of the force, while McAnn is considerably younger.[4] Stacey avoids prosecution by constructing sound alibis and assaulting his victims while naked except for a pair of latex gloves to hide fingerprints, thus minimizing evidence.
Laurie Kessler (Lisa Eilbacher) is the only daughter of Leo and an acquaintance to some of the victims. A student nurse herself, she becomes a target for the killer.[4] McAnn refuses to go along when Kessler plants evidence in order to frame the suspect. Stacey goes on another rampage, killing three nursing students who are friends with Kessler's daughter.
He is eventually caught, stark naked in the street. Stacey boasts how he will say all the things that will "prove" that he is crazy: he hears voices ordering him to do things, etc., so that one day, he will be back on the street and Kessler, as well as the "whole fucking world," will hear from him again. Kessler replies, "No, we won't." He then shoots Stacey once in the forehead, executing him and leaving all other considerations aside. Kessler stands over the body, surrounded by police.
Cast
- Charles Bronson as Leo Kessler, a tough LAPD detective who pursues Stacey.
- Lisa Eilbacher as Laurie Kessler, Leo's daughter.
- Andrew Stevens as Paul McAnn, Leo's partner and best friend.
- Gene Davis as Warren Stacey, a young psychopathic serial killer and office equipment repairman that rapes and murders young women after they reject him.
- Geoffrey Lewis as Dave Dante, Stacey's lawyer
- Wilford Brimley as Capt. Malone, the police captain who commands over Kessler and McAnn.
- Robert F. Lyons as Nathan Zager
- Bert Williams as Mr. Johnston
- Ola Ray as Ola
- Kelly Preston as Doreen
- Cosie Costa as Dudley
- Jeana Tomasina as Karen
- June Gilbert as Betty
- Sam Chew Jr. as Minister
- Larry Caruso as Fingerprint Detective (Uncredited)
- Anne Lockhart as Murder Victim (Uncredited)
Analysis
The killer of the film is motivated by sexual frustration.[4] The character is intentionally portrayed as a "creep" and is often called one in the film. The intent was to portray the character in a way that the audience will feel no sympathy for him. The type of villain an audience wants to see go down.[4]
The film features strong violence as well as much "gratuitous nudity". It combines the two by having victims killed while naked or partially undressed.[4]
Production
Development
Producer Pancho Kohner had made a number of films with Charles Bronson and J. Lee Thompson. They purchased the film rights to the novel The Evil That Men Do (1978) by R. Lance Hill. Cannon Films chairman Menahem Golan wanted to market Bronson's next film project and the adaptation of the novel was going to be that project. But Kohner estimated the rights to the novel and the cost of the screenplay to be worth $200,000 dollars. Menahem refused to pay and the deal fell through.[5]
However, Menahem still offered to market Bronson's next film project, just not based on that novel. He and Kohner had already arranged a visit to the Cannes Film Festival to promote The Evil That Men Do. He asked Kohner to come up with a new project and fresh title, and 10 to Midnight was the result of his brainstorm. At the Festival they promoted the project to potential buyers, as a film featuring action, danger, and revenge. But at this point, they really had no script for the suggested film. Back in Los Angeles, they went in search of a story of the film. A colleague of Kohner's, Lance Hool, suggested using the screenplay Bloody Sunday by William Roberts. They simply attached the already chosen title to that screenplay.[5] (The Evil That Men Do later ended up being financed by ITC Entertainment.)
The name of killer Warren for Warren Stacy was based on Hollywood star Warren Beatty.
Actor Gene Davis, who played Warren, said that director J. Lee Thompson pretty much left him alone to form his character, but told him "We don't want the role to be sympathetic..." presumably so as to make the ending have more impact.[6]
Shooting
The music for 10 to Midnight was composed by Cannon Films mainstay Robert O. Ragland and the film was recorded by cinematographer Adam Greenberg. The film also features actor Robert F. Lyons and actress Kelly Preston (listed as Kelly Palzis) in smaller roles.
Reception
Heavy on violence, nudity, vulgar language and sexual situations, 10 to Midnight drew scathing reviews from film critics, including a "zero stars" rating from Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times who wrote, "I admired [Bronson's] strong, simple talent once. What is he doing in a garbage disposal like this?"[7]
The film did receive positive feedback from others, such as Ebert's colleague Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune and was a moderate financial success.[8]
The film has maintained a sizeable cult following through home video releases and cable TV showings. The film was often heavily edited for television broadcasts which displayed alternate scenes of Stacy and his victims in their underwear instead of being totally naked.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 40% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 5.33/10.[9] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 12 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "Overwhelming Dislike".[10]
References
Citations
- "10 to Midnight - Company credits". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
- 10 to Midnight at Box Office Mojo
- https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_most_fcked_up_underrated_80s_slasher_horror_movie_10_to_midnight
- Knight (2008), p. 49-51
- Talbot (2006), p. 76-77
- Talbot, Paul (2016). Bronson's Loose Again! On the Set with Charles Bronson. Bear Manor Media. p. 202. ISBN 9-781593-938970.
- Ebert, Roger (15 March 1983). "From Ten to Midnight Movie Review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
- CANNON'S BOX-OFFICE RESPECT SANDRA SALMANS, Special to the New York Times. 26 Apr 1983: D.1.
- "10 to Midnight (1983)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- "10 to Midnight (1983) reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
Sources
- Knight, Ken (2008). "10 to Midnight". The Midnight Show: Late Night Cable-TV "guy flicks" of the 80s. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1467861038.
- Talbot, Paul (2006). "Death Wish 4:The Crackdown: This Time It's War!". Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse. ISBN 978-0595379828.