J. Lee Thompson and Charles Bronson had a long running
partnership on screen. The duo ended up making nine pictures together over the
years with this being their sixth collaboration. The only other director to
work with Bronson this many times was Michael Winner with whom he made seven
pictures. MURPHY’S LAW was one of the last major theatrical films Bronson
released and thank goodness it’s a not a bad movie.
Bronson stars as LAPD detective Jack Murphy, one of those
tough cops who takes no guff and who gets the job done better than most.
Unfortunately he’s going through a rough spell, separated from his wife and
drinking more than he should. It’s even more uncomfortable for him knowing she
works in a strip club now.
Things go from bad to worse when a psychopath Murphy helped
put away is released from prison with revenge on her mind. Joan Freeman (Carrie
Snodgrass) has it in her mind to take out everyone involved in the case that
put her in prison ten years earlier. Her method of getting back at Murphy is to
kill his wife and frame him for the murder.
Murphy is arrested and when taken to the station handcuffed
to the foul mouthed girl who stole his car that he arrested earlier in the
film, Arabella McGee (Kathleen Wilhoite). Knowing that the odds are against him
he escapes taking McGee with him and set out to clear his name and find out who
the real killer is. This sets in motion a back and forth patter between the two
as they begin to respect one another the longer they’re together.
As the body count rises while Freeman continues down her
path of revenge against everyone involved, the clues eventually lead Murphy to
realize who’s behind it all. But no longer on the force he has to confront her
on his own terms now as well as provide the evidence to clear his name.
The use of opposites chained to one another has been a plot
device used before, most notably in THE DEFIANT ONES, and it works well here.
Both do a great job of fleshing out their characters though Wilhoite seems to
do more of that than Bronson who’s playing the type of role he’d become
accustomed to at the time. Their back and forth adds a touch of humor as well
as humanity to both characters.
The action is enough to keep fans of Bronson satisfied and
has enough story to make it a workable film. No doubt this is not award winning
material but it does show why Bronson was once the top money making film star
alive at one point. It gives fans exactly what they want from one of his movies
and provides enough escapism to keep everyone interested from start to finish.
Twilight Time is offering this film like they do all that
they release with the best looking presentation there is or has been. Extras
include an isolated score track, a commentary track featuring Wilhoite and film
historian Nick Redman and the original theatrical trailer. As with all Twilight
Time releases they are only making 3,000 copies so pick one up before they’re
gone if you’re a Bronson fan.
Click here to order.
No comments:
Post a Comment