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Before there were hot-shot police officers - predominately played by Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson - there was Charles Bronson, and before there was American Psycho, there was 10 to Midnight. Like the Lethal Weapon and Die Hard sagas, this film functions as an action movie with lots of tongue-and-cheek dialogue that is more genius than the explosions, though not nearly as ridiculous as an Andy Sedaris film, for example. Unlike your typical action flick, 10 to Midnight is double-layered. On one hand, you’ve got the story of a cop trying to get to the bottom of a case that has become a personal interest; and on the other, you have a serial killer who slays his beautiful female victims while naked, as in a slasher. Similar to American Psycho, it boasts a young and attractive egomaniac and leaves most of its suggestive elements in the form of phallic symbols, like knives and cigarettes.

Charles Bronson plays Leo Kessler, a cop who is easing up toward retirement and is appalled at the new supposed ideas of justice, where "the law" can now be used to protect people who are most likely guilty. His newest case surrounds a murderer who kills young girls and likes to harass his victims over the phone, using a Mexican accent and talking dirty in Spanish. The only lead they have is the first victim’s diary, which contains a detailed account of every man she ever dated or went to bed with. Among them is Warren Stacy (Gene Davis) whose description after a first date is simple: "What a creep."

Kessler narrows down all of his potential suspects to Stacy within a matter of days. They discover that he speaks some Spanish, has been to Mexico, and his love life is about as lively as a bar on Monday mornings. But Stacy is smart and covers his tracks. He always has an alibi and makes sure to be seen in public by others before sneaking away and slaughtering another victim. He kills in the nude and breaks into establishments with gloves on, leaving no DNA or prints for the police to go on. He attends the funeral of his first victim, who just so happens to be an old friend of Kessler’s daughter, Laurie (Lisa Eilbacher). While there she introduces herself to him and tries to understand why he looks so familiar. Meanwhile, Paul McAnn (Andrew Stevens) has been assigned to be Kessler's partner to get to the bottom of the case. While working with him McAnn realizes that there is a shaky relationship between Kessler and his daughter, which is aggravated by the fact that she has been contacted by the killer. With her as a marked target, McAnn offers up what protection he can give to Laurie, while of course falling hopelessly in love with her.

The death count rises and before long Kessler realizes that this is simply a case that he cannot win with the law. His daughter keeps getting harassed and it becomes apparent that she and her roommates are in danger. After interrogating Stacy as a suspect, Kessler also understands that Stacy's lawyer has the case in the bag and decides to plant evidence on him in order to protect his daughter. But the defense is aware that the evidence has been falsified and, before long, Kessler's career and good-standing, as well as his daughter’s life, are at risk once Stacy tries to seek revenge.

The criminal aspects of both the hero and the villain are what please me the most. Stacy is obviously the person who we are supposed to hate. There is no mystery to the fact that he is guilty because, unlike most slasher films, we see his face clearly while he is killing. But I like the way that Kessler’s bad-boy methods are a little more practical and desperate, like his conscience, for the most part. It reminds me of the simmering character in Straw Dogs who eventually boils over and takes control of the situation. It adds suspense when the good guy appears weary and helpless and then suddenly explodes when things get personal. We root for his criminal aspect because of the fact that we also know Stacy is guilty and cannot be punished by law. In a sense, you get to step out of yourself and take on someone else’s morals for a couple of hours, which makes all action films fun - if they can do it right. As stated before, this is a hilarious and somewhat simple movie about a cop who has gone over the edge and a killer who never knew there was an edge to fall off of in the first place. Highly recommended for those who like their action with a laugh and absolutely no sentimental qualities.