Coming from Cannon Films, Murphy’s Law (1986) marks the sixth collaboration between actor Charles Bronson and Director J. Lee Thompson. Even with certain drawbacks, Murphy’s Law is one of their better team ups.
The plot concerns crazed killer Joan Freeman (Carrie Snodgress) who sets Detective Jack Murphy (Charles Bronson) up for the murder of his ex-wife. Murphy ends up arrested and handcuffed to petty criminal Arabella McGee (Kathleen Wilhoite). Murphy has no choice but to go on the run to clear his name, taking along the handcuffed McGee for the ride.
As well as having to deal with the psychotic Freeman, Murphy is pursued by the cops and vengeful mob boss Frank Vincenzo (Richard Romanus), who sends an assortment of goons Murphy’s way.
As expected, Thompson handles the on screen drama and action well.
Working with cinematographer Alex Philips Jr, they give the film an overall professional look. Additionally he employed the skills of his son Peter Lee Thompson and Charles Simmons to edit the film. They keep the film moving at a relatively fast pace, with no time in between for you to think how silly it all is.
There is noticeably less action than previous Bronson vehicles but this could have more to do with Bronson being around 65 years old at the time of the film’s production. Saying this, he did take part in more action in their follow up movie, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987). Perhaps Bronson just wanted a change of pace.
The action that does take place is suitably well handled, especially the bullet strewn finale set within the famous Bradbury Building. Sci-Fi fans will no doubt recognise the building because of its use in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). While Murphy’s Law will never be remembered like that classic, the production still uses the location to its advantage.
Typical of Cannon pictures and much of Bronson’s 80’s output, Murphy’s Law features a good helping of sex and violence. Murphy’s Law still manages to be more light-hearted than the last few films he made with Thompson. Although the plot could be considered generic, there are some good character touches, with Bronson and Wilhoite getting a number of memorable one-liners.
There are enough variations in Bronson’s character to at least keep it interesting for him. Murphy’s struggles with alcoholism have almost ruined his career and he can’t get over the fact that his wife has left him and now works as a stripper. While the role doesn’t exactly stretch Bronson as an actor, it is nice that the script gives him more to play with than his typical fare.
Co-star Kathleen Wilhoite works well alongside Bronson, but the hint of a romantic relationship between the two towards the end of the film is ill advised due to the noticeable age difference between them.
Supposedly Wilhoite met with both J. Lee Thompson and producer Pancho Kohner before the film began production. This was so they could coach her in how to get along with Bronson. It would seem their advice worked, with them reportedly getting along great.
The role of Arabella could have turned out quite differently, with Rock singer Joan Jett almost being cast in the part. The producers eventually decided to go with Wilhoite, as it was thought Jett didn’t have the required acting experience.
Having the main villain be a woman also sets it apart from typical Bronson actioners. Carrie Snodgress acts increasingly more deranged as the film progresses and certainly puts Bronson through his paces. While the Oscar nominated actress certainly had better roles, she still gives it her all and is certainly better utilised here than she was in the likes of Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider (1985).
Richard Romanus is good value as crime boss Frank Vincenzo. While he is certainly guilty of chewing the scenery, this just adds to the overall fun.
The cast is rounded out with the likes of Robert F. Lyons and Hollywood tough gut Lawrence Tierney. Lyons had previously shared the screen with Bronson in Death Wish 2 (1982) and 10 to Midnight (1983). Lyons has always been an interesting performer and does what he can in his limited screen time.
The script was the work of writer Gail Morgan Hickman, who has mostly worked in television throughout his prolific career. As mentioned, his script has some nice touches that set it apart from your usual Bronson movie.
Par for the course, Murphy’s Law opened to the expected poor reviews, with it only really finding its audience amongst Bronson fans. The one thing a lot of critics did agree upon was the fact that the film was never boring.
Rating: 3.5/5
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