10 to Midnight
Encyclopedia
10 to Midnight is an action
-crime-thriller film 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.
s. It portrays the homicidal behavior of Warren Stacy (played by Gene Davis
), a young office equipment repairman who kills women after they reject his sexual advances. Two Los Angeles police detectives, Leo Kessler (played by Charles Bronson
) and Paul McAnn (played by Andrew Stevens
) are in the process of investigating his murders. Stacy avoids prosecution by constructing sound alibis and assaulting his victims while naked, thus minimizing evidence. Later, his partner refuses to go along when Kessler plants evidence in order to frame Stacy. Stacy then goes on another rampage, killing three women who are friends with Kessler's daughter. When he is caught, stark naked in the street, he states how he will say all the things that will "prove" that he is crazy: he hears voices telling him to do things, etc., and that one day, he will get out and kill Kessler and his entire family. Kessler tells him "No, you won't" and shoots him through the forehead.
and Ted Bundy
murders, 10 to Midnight uses a screenplay originally named Bloody Sunday. According to producer Pancho Kohner, Cannon Films chairman Menahem Golan
and Kohner named the film 10 to Midnight despite having no connection to the plot. Golan and Kohner had intended to film an adaptation of the R. Lance Hill novel The Evil That Men Do
, which fell through before an upcoming visit to the Cannes Film Festival
. Golan and Kohner agreed to market a different film with Charles Bronson as its star, using 10 to Midnight as its working title.
The music for 10 to Midnight was composed by Cannon Films mainstay Robert O. Ragland
and the film was recorded by cinematographer
Alan Greenberg. 10 to Midnight also features actor Robert F. Lyons and actress Kelly Preston
(listed as Kelly Palzis) in smaller roles.
Violent and with unseemly subject matter, 10 to Midnight drew scathing reviews from film critics, including a 'zero stars' rating from Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
. The film did receive positive feedback from others, such as Ebert's colleague Gene Siskel
of the Chicago Tribune
and was a financial success. The film has maintained a sizeable cult following through home video releases and heavily-edited broadcasts on television which displayed alternate scenes of Stacy and his victims in their underwear instead of being totally naked.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
-crime-thriller film directed by J. Lee Thompson
J. Lee Thompson
John Lee Thompson , better known as J. Lee Thompson, was an English film director, active in England and Hollywood.- Early years :...
from a screenplay originally written by William Roberts
William Roberts (screenwriter)
William Roberts was a screenwriter.His screenplays includeThe Mating Game ,The Magnificent Seven ,The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm ,The Bridge at Remagen ,Posse ....
. The film stars Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
in the lead role with a supporting cast that includes Lisa Eilbacher
Lisa Eilbacher
Lisa Eilbacher is an American television and motion picture actress.-Personal life:Eilbacher was born in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the daughter of an American oil company executive. She was raised in France...
, Andrew Stevens
Andrew Stevens
Andrew Stevens is an American executive, film producer, director and former actor.-Early life:Andrew Stevens was born Herman Andrew Stephens in Memphis, Tennessee...
, Gene Davis
Gene Davis (actor)
Eugene M. "Gene" Davis known for playing the psychotic killer Warren Stacy in the 1983 film 10 to Midnight with Charles Bronson; he also played a killer in another Bronson vehicle, 1988's Messenger of Death...
, Geoffrey Lewis, and Wilford Brimley
Wilford Brimley
Allen Wilford Brimley is an American actor. He has appeared in such films as The China Syndrome, Cocoon, The Thing and The Firm. He had a recurring role on the 1970s television series The Waltons...
. 10 to Midnight was released by City Films, a subsidiary of Cannon Films, to American cinemas on March 11, 1983.
Plot
10 to Midnight is a drama that mixes elements of police and slasher filmSlasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
s. It portrays the homicidal behavior of Warren Stacy (played by Gene Davis
Gene Davis (actor)
Eugene M. "Gene" Davis known for playing the psychotic killer Warren Stacy in the 1983 film 10 to Midnight with Charles Bronson; he also played a killer in another Bronson vehicle, 1988's Messenger of Death...
), a young office equipment repairman who kills women after they reject his sexual advances. Two Los Angeles police detectives, Leo Kessler (played by Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
) and Paul McAnn (played by Andrew Stevens
Andrew Stevens
Andrew Stevens is an American executive, film producer, director and former actor.-Early life:Andrew Stevens was born Herman Andrew Stephens in Memphis, Tennessee...
) are in the process of investigating his murders. Stacy avoids prosecution by constructing sound alibis and assaulting his victims while naked, thus minimizing evidence. Later, his partner refuses to go along when Kessler plants evidence in order to frame Stacy. Stacy then goes on another rampage, killing three women who are friends with Kessler's daughter. When he is caught, stark naked in the street, he states how he will say all the things that will "prove" that he is crazy: he hears voices telling him to do things, etc., and that one day, he will get out and kill Kessler and his entire family. Kessler tells him "No, you won't" and shoots him through the forehead.
Production
Modelled after the infamous Richard SpeckRichard Speck
Richard Franklin Speck was a mass murderer who systematically tortured, raped and murdered eight student nurses from South Chicago Community Hospital in Chicago, Illinois on July 14, 1966.- Monmouth, 1941–1950 :...
and Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy
Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy was an American serial killer, rapist, kidnapper, and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s, and possibly earlier...
murders, 10 to Midnight uses a screenplay originally named Bloody Sunday. According to producer Pancho Kohner, Cannon Films chairman Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan is an Israeli director and producer. He has produced movies for such stars as Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Charles Bronson, and was known for a period as a producer of comic book-style movies like Masters of the Universe, Superman IV:...
and Kohner named the film 10 to Midnight despite having no connection to the plot. Golan and Kohner had intended to film an adaptation of the R. Lance Hill novel The Evil That Men Do
The Evil That Men Do (film)
The Evil That Men Do is an action thriller film directed by J. Lee Thompson that stars Charles Bronson.The film was adapted by David Lee Henry and John Crowther from a novel by R. Lance Hill...
, which fell through before an upcoming visit to the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. Golan and Kohner agreed to market a different film with Charles Bronson as its star, using 10 to Midnight as its working title.
The music for 10 to Midnight was composed by Cannon Films mainstay Robert O. Ragland
Robert O. Ragland
Robert O. Ragland is an American film score composer.Ragland attended Northwestern University and also earned degrees at the Academy of Music in Vienna. He served as a music arranger for the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra in his early years.He turned to film music in 1968...
and the film was recorded by cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
Alan Greenberg. 10 to Midnight also features actor Robert F. Lyons and actress Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston is an American actress and former model.- Early years :Preston was born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center, and her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when Preston was three years old...
(listed as Kelly Palzis) in smaller roles.
Violent and with unseemly subject matter, 10 to Midnight drew scathing reviews from film critics, including a 'zero stars' rating from Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
. The film did receive positive feedback from others, such as Ebert's colleague Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show Siskel & Ebert At the Movies from 1975 until his death....
of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and was a financial success. The film has maintained a sizeable cult following through home video releases and heavily-edited broadcasts on television which displayed alternate scenes of Stacy and his victims in their underwear instead of being totally naked.