Murphy's Law (film)
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''Murphy's Law'' is a 1986 American
neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
directed by
J. Lee Thompson John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was a British film director, active in London and Hollywood, best known for award-winning films such as ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'', ''Ice Cold in Alex'' and ''The Guns of Navarone (film), Th ...
from a screenplay by
Gail Morgan Hickman Gail Morgan Hickman (born December 14, 1953) is an American producer and writer of film and television. His first major writing credit was for the ''Dirty Harry'' film '' The Enforcer'' (1976). His subsequent screenplay credits include ''The L ...
. It was released by
Cannon Films The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that invested ...
to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
on April 18, 1986. The film stars
Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...
and
Kathleen Wilhoite Kathleen Wilhoite (born June 29, 1964) is an American actress and musician. She made her feature film debut in ''Private School'' (1983) before having a leading role in '' Murphy's Law'' (1986), followed by supporting parts in '' Witchboard'' (a ...
in lead roles with a supporting cast that includes
Carrie Snodgress Caroline Louise Snodgress (October 27, 1945 – April 1, 2004) was an American actress. She is best remembered for her role in the film ''Diary of a Mad Housewife'' (1970), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award as w ...
, Robert F. Lyons, and
Richard Romanus Richard Romanus (born Richard Joseph Romanos; February 8, 1945) is an American actor. Among other roles, he has appeared in Martin Scorsese's ''Mean Streets'' and provided voices for Ralph Bakshi's animated films ''Wizards (film), Wizards'' and ' ...
. The film marks the sixth collaboration between Bronson and director J. Lee Thompson (following 1976's '' St. Ives'', 1977's ''
The White Buffalo ''The White Buffalo'' is a 1977 fantasy Western film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Charles Bronson, Kim Novak, Jack Warden, Slim Pickens and Will Sampson. Plot Wild Bill Hickok is haunted by his dreams of a giant white buffalo, so ...
'', 1980's ''
Caboblanco ''Caboblanco'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Charles Bronson, Dominique Sanda and Jason Robards. The film has often been described as a remake of ''Casablanca''. The movie marks the third collaboration bet ...
'', 1983's ''
10 to Midnight ''10 to Midnight'' is a 1983 American crime- horror-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 Eilb ...
'', and 1984's '' The Evil That Men Do'').


Plot

Jack Murphy (Bronson), a hardened, antisocial
alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...
LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
detective, frequently escapes the harsh reality that his ex-wife (
Angel Tompkins Angel Tompkins is an American actress. She appeared in several films and television shows, and is a Golden Globe nominee. Career Angel Tompkins was a model in the Chicago area before being discovered by Woody Allen, who sent her to Universal Pic ...
) has become a stripper and his career is going nowhere by drinking. His world is turned upside down, however, when he is framed by ex-convict Joan Freeman (
Carrie Snodgress Caroline Louise Snodgress (October 27, 1945 – April 1, 2004) was an American actress. She is best remembered for her role in the film ''Diary of a Mad Housewife'' (1970), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award as w ...
) for putting her in prison earlier in his career. Freeman murders the detective's ex-wife and her boyfriend and begins killing off his associates while framing him for the crimes. The same police force he works for places him under arrest with Arabella McGee (
Kathleen Wilhoite Kathleen Wilhoite (born June 29, 1964) is an American actress and musician. She made her feature film debut in ''Private School'' (1983) before having a leading role in '' Murphy's Law'' (1986), followed by supporting parts in '' Witchboard'' (a ...
), a foul-mouthed petty thief he locked away. Murphy escapes from jail while still handcuffed to McGee and they pursue the real killer. While in pursuit of Freeman, who has managed to kill all of those on her hit list save Murphy, Arabella is kidnapped by Freeman and taken to the building where she was first arrested by Murphy. Murphy calls for reinforcement and is met with skepticism. Murphy heads off to rescue Arabella, in the building he is stalked by Freeman who is armed with a crossbow. Meanwhile, Arabella is bound and gagged at the bottom of an elevator shaft. The cop following Murphy arrives and draws his gun on Murphy and reveals that he is working for a mob boss named Vincenzo, whose brother was killed by Murphy. Freeman quickly dispatches the cop with an arrow. Vincenzo tires of waiting and he and his two bodyguards enter the building, posing another threat to Murphy. Murphy easily dispatches the bodyguards before goading Vincenzo into trying to kill him. Vincenzo attacks Murphy but Murphy shoots him dead. Freeman sends the elevator down in an attempt to kill Arabella. Murphy saves her in the nick of time. But Freeman fires an arrow into Arabella's back, goading Murphy into a confrontation. She attacks Murphy with an axe and he knocks her over the railing of the staircase on the top floor. She manages to take hold of the axe which is wedged in the railing. She tries to get Murphy to help her. He stands and watches as she begins to slip. She yells at him to go to hell, he responds ladies first. With that she slips and falls to her death. Murphy is loaded into the back of an ambulance with a still alive Arabella, and they are taken to the hospital.


Cast


Production

The film was photographed by Alex Phillips Jr.


Music

''Murphy's Law'' includes music by Marc Donahue and Valentine McCallum.


Reception


Critical response

''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave a mixed review of ''Murphy's Law'', referring to the film as a "very violent urban crime meller, is tiresome but too filled with extreme incident to be boring." ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' described the film's plot as "flimsy" and noted that "it seems we're meant to be drawn into this nonexistent story. Yet there's nothing, not even the obligatory injustice done to Jack Murphy, that gives the movie even the pretense of emotional power or intrigue." Online film database
Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
gave the film one and a half stars out of five, describing it as an "often silly but fitfully amusing potboiler
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
is one of the better Charles Bronson vehicles from his 1980s era."


External sources

* ''Murphy's Law'' at th
MGM Movie Database
*


References


External links

* * * {{J. Lee Thompson 1986 films 1986 action thriller films American action thriller films American police detective films Films directed by J. Lee Thompson Films set in Los Angeles Golan-Globus films American neo-noir films Films with screenplays by Gail Morgan Hickman Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department 1980s English-language films 1980s American films