Murphy's Law

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.

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.

I revisited this for the first time in several years, and I really enjoyed it. It's got a stronger and different Charles Bronson performance in it as he plays a cop who's one of several targets on an insane woman's hit list as she seeks vengeance after getting out of jail. In addition to the good Bronson performance, I thought the female killer (Carrie Snodgress) was a welcome addition and was a fairly formidable villainess. The big problem in the film is the repetitive and childish "potty-mouth" name calling by the annoying Kathleen Wilhoite; it's not funny especially after a couple dozen times, nor are the names especially creative. She plays a young car thief who gets mixed up with Bronson and comes close to spoiling the movie; thankfully there is still enough action going on that I'm willing to ignore her and call this a good film of its type. *** out of ****

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

I found this Charles Bronson/J. Lee Thompson film combo to be not so bad after all. Bronson plays tough as nails detective/cop Jack Murphy who lost his wife and now has a big drinking problem. Along the way through his travels he runs into a very mouthy young lady who eventually becomes friendly with him. The action is all there along with some rare Bronson dark-humor as well. It seems as though somebody is getting revenge on Bronson and his cronies for an unfortunate incident that had happened years prior. Very well done movie, I thought at times it was a little cheesy (I keep forgetting that this flick was from 1986). Not bad at all. Definitely a rating or two (or three) higher than Director Thompson and Bronsons next film combo 'Death Wish 4 : The Crackdown'. It is worth a viewing. 7 out of 10 stars will definitely do.