Murphys Gesetz

All right folks, we all know the late Mister Bronson wasn't a good "actor" in the traditional sense. When you went to see his films, you didn't go to see him do Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams, you went to see him blow scum away and he always delivered. I think he had a higher body count then Clint Eastwood. Murphy's Law is probably the closest thing he ever did to a comedy. He and Kathleen Wilhoite made a good team as a foul mouthed street girl and a drunken framed for murder cop on the run. Wilhoite has to set some kind of a record in this film for the most swear words (the most imaginative swear words). Bronson is stony faced as usual but that was just him. I like the scene where he plays Russian Roulette on that one mobster (he literally catches him with his pants down). Jack Murphy is a burnt out drunk but you still feel for him. The only thing I couldn't figure out is why he didn't show them that bump on the back of his head after those guys killed his ex wife and tried to make it look like he did it? Lapse of logic there. The jail break and helicopter scene are the best part of the film as is the final shootout. Carrie Snodgrass is wonderful as the female psychopath and I love this exchange she has with Bronson (You go to hell!...Ladies first!). Bronson was never really able to have another hit as big as Death Wish (who could top that?). However this film is worth a look, after all in how many films does the hero throw his groceries at the bad guys and get kneed in the cojones by the heroine? Look for 1940s gangster star Lawrence Tierney in a cameo.

Veteran detective Jack Murphy is a highly wanted man, after being framed for the murder of his ex-wife, he escapes and sets off in pursuit of the real killer. But Jack not only has the killer to occupy his mind, he also has the mob hoping to bring him down as well.

Murphy's Law is a very enjoyable and tidy thriller, it finds Charles Bronson in a role that requires a cool veneer, that he delivers is something of a given to this particular viewer, but the unflustered nature of the character actually lifts this film above many of Bronson's other 80s efforts.

The plot is simple, and some of the dialogue comes heavy with a slice of cheese, but the set pieces stand up, and here we have a female villain worthy of the title. Carrie Snodgress is the lady in question, and although underused because of Murphy's other plot strands, she puts gusto and menace into the role of the vengeful Joan Freeman.

A running plot strand involving Murphy and Kathleen Wilhoite's youthful and foul mouthed Arabella McGee, only hinders the film instead of enhancing it, though the simmering sexual tension between the two does make for an intriguing arc - and it definitely helps the film's finale deliver the goods with added impact.

Perhaps I'm being over biased towards Bronson? But I honestly believe that this film is seriously undervalued on internet sites, so enjoy the cool leading man and take in a great female villain - even if she is sadly under written. 7/10

while he was still making movies for cannon films which is no longer in existence, bronson took the lead in this cop thriller from the early eighties. he stars as jack murphy a worn and beaten down cop who has been framed for the murder of his wife who left him to become a stripper in a sleazy bar. while on the run from the mob as well, and trying to clear his name, he is handcuffed to a mouthy petty thief named arabella mcgee. considering it is kathleen whilhoite's first starring role in a feature (she plays arabella) she turned in a great and funny performance. she has a mouth like a trucker but has some very creative and imaginative ways of telling people off who displease her ie. snot-licking donkey fart among other things. while she is more than half of bronson's age the writers were trying to build some kind of weird sexual tension between the two and it clearly wasn't working. it came off more creepy and awkward than anything else. while bronson's later movies won't win any awards it will keep you entertained.

Mostly routine, but agreeably trashy goodness from the Charles Bronson-J. Lee Thompson- Cannon Group-1980s assembly line. The almighty Bronson plays Jack Murphy, a detective whose motto is simple: "Don't *beep* with Jack Murphy." But of course, somebody does: a vindictive, psychotic woman named Joan Freeman (Carrie Snodgress), who goes about murdering people who Jack knows and framing him for the crimes. However, Jack seizes upon an opportunity, breaking out of prison while handcuffed (shades of "The Defiant Ones") to a foul mouthed car thief, Arabella McGee (scene stealing Kathleen Wilhoite).

With this team, you expect some pretty straightforward, and effectively sleazy, entertainment. It's fairly violent as well as exploitative (ever delectable Angel Tompkins, as Jacks' ex-wife Jan, plays a stripper and shows off some of the goods). Gail Morgan Hickmans' story is diverting, throwing in a subplot involving a mobster named Frank Vincenzo (Richard Romanus) and creating a reasonable body count.

What gives this otherwise formulaic scenario a shot in the arm is the give and take between Bronson and the sexy, husky voiced Wilhoite. She's constantly firing off insults at him. While they were much more profane in the original script, Wilhoites' one-liners are still ridiculously funny. And you can see that Bronson is having some fun with this premise. It's not often that he had a full blown sidekick in one of his vehicles.

Other familiar faces that turn up include Robert F. Lyons, Bill Henderson, James Luisi, Janet MacLachlan, and Lawrence Tierney. It is somewhat novel that our vengeance crazed villain is female, and Snodgress is just fine as the kind of psycho who's *well aware* that they're a psycho.

Capped off by a finale that offers up some fairly good suspense, and a typically amusing Bronson quip.

Wilhoite gets an "introducing" credit, although she'd actually made her film debut in "Private School" three years previous. She also belts out the theme song over the end credits.

Seven out of 10.

I am a great fan of Charles Bronson, and this is indeed a great action film with plenty of violence in the same vein as the Death Wish series. You are not bored for one minute, as there's always so much going on. And I just love Bronson's way of dealing with tricky situations. The only thing that frightened me was the lady villain. Her face, her dialogues, her look were really FRIGHTENING. They certainly found the actress for the job. No doubt they wouldn't make films like that today since we are now living under the yoke of political correctness ! All the more reason to buy the dvd to get a breath of fresh air and personal liberty !