The Evil That Men Do

In recent times I've been watching the collaborations between director J. Lee Thompson and actor Charles Bronson with pretty decent results. "The Evil that Men Do" was somewhat an interesting, and cynically effective little shocker. From the very beginning you realise this gritty b-grade fodder is looking to simply shock you with its sadistic subject of torture for political ground, and the hidden acceptance of it in the governments that makes Maher's pitiless character believe his actions of the trade to be far from evil. The material stays powerful, scathing and covered with moral questioning. It's always seems to be about retribution, and finding it in themselves to take that next step. Even when it isn't visually hard-hitting, the despairing oral context can get under your skin. Strictly the tone and style Thompson opts for is unpleasant, rough and ice-cold.

I was engrossed, but then the formula (but still packing an excessive sting) changed to a by-the-numbers revenge spin and an unconvincingly irate Theresa Saldana floods the screen. I just didn't buy her, and the chemistry with Bronson felt weak. Joseph Maher easy performance drips with a strangely subtle intensity of callousness that's purely evil. He's not some demanding, towering presence but those vile sadistic acts, and unflinching cruelty comes second nature for this character, that just listening to his softly spoken voice is very uneasy. Charles Bronson's calculated, stalwart and quite mystique turn is hard to switch off because he makes this character an all-out professional killer with a more humane view of things, and managing to keep his self-righteousness intact.

Thompson's raw, tactical direction utilises the low-budget, and working in its favour is the grimy, fade-out look from the authentically seedy urban consolidations to the sparse desert locations. A harrowing music score by Ken Thorne has a slight and edgy tinge, and Javier Ruvalcaba Cruz's tight, voyeuristic cinematography hit's the mark. When called upon the tension stays hard-boiled, and some scenes pack an abrasive bite as the meaningful violence is highly explicit and explosive. However it's not an all-out torture parade full of senseless snapshots. Antoinette Bower, Jose Ferrer and Max Ortiz offer strong support.

Rather a effortless manner by all, but certainly it does the daring job it sets out to do.

OMG lol this 1984 ultra gritty ultra violent ultra sleazy Bronson Thriller is Fantastic!!! This is Charles Bronson at his absolute best!!!

Yes this is just as good if not better than his excellent Death Wish films.

The Evil That Men Do is a really gritty & grimy vigilante Thriller & it's very well made for a low budget 80's exploitation flick, it's directed by the excellent J Lee Thompson who has made lots of Bronson films so he knows exactly how to use Bronson better than any other director!!!

Here Bronson plays Holland a retired Hitman/Assassin who lives a peaceful life now away from the evil cruel world on a beautiful secluded island somewhere tropical & as Holland says it's Magical.

Holland is pushed out of retirement when he is visited by a man who needs him & i won't go into all the plot or story as it's better not knowing everything but Holland comes out of his comfort zone & back into the violent world to hunt down & EXECUTE a very Evil torture expert called the Doctor who is used around the world by armies to really hurt people in the most evil & depraved ways.

Bronson done his best work with director J. LEE THOMPSON & whilst under contract with CANNON FILMS!!!

This is a very harsh, raw & very brutal Thriller & Bronson is Fantastic here!!!

Holland is a great & fascinating character & you want to know about him!!!

The violence is brutal & real looking very gritty & in your face,this movie really is an 80's underrated gem, the action is very cool & fast & violent & no one gets revenge better than Bronson!!!

The movie has that low rent grimy feel to it & a very dark atmosphere & creepy music almost like a Horror movie than a Thriller!!!

But yes this is Bronson at his brutal best & should sit nicely next to his best & most iconic movie DEATH WISH (1974). BRONSON is truly a legend & his movies are nearly all great & i think he actually got bettter as he got older just check out his excellent t.v movie work as he's done some excellent Thrillers: FAMILY OF COPS (1995).

A FAMILY OF COPS 2:BREACH OF FAITH (1997).

A FAMILY OF COPS 3 (1999).

DONATO & DAUGHTER (1993).

Charles Bronson plays Holland, a man who has retired from his 'professional killer' days and lives at a beautiful island home. Suddenly, Bronson's character is coerced into un-retiring upon hearing about various crimes committed by a sadistic Josef Mengele copycat-killer/torturer named Mulloch (J. Maher). By plotting his vengeance step-by-step, Bronson eliminates Mullochs inner circle in a cold, calculated fashion leading up to the inevitable confrontation at the end of the film. This film to me seems to follow the vigilante-Bronson thread pretty well, his character in this movie seems to reflect previous characters he portrayed in earlier efforts in his career (i.e. The Mechanic and Death Wish). Director J. Lee Thompson's pace throughout the film was enough to keep me interested, Maher's portrayal of the sadistic Mulloch was very eerie and uncomfortable at times, his methods/beliefs of and about torture are pretty gruesome, which greatly impacts how we as the viewer look at him during the film. This is definitely a good installment to the collaborations that J. Lee Thompson and Charles Bronson have had together in film, it isn't the best they've done together but it is well worth a watch if you are a fan of either Thompson's or Bronson's works.

The Evil That Men Do is at once typical and atypical Charles Bronson 1980s fare. On one hand, it contains the grind house trademarks of graphic violence and gratuitous sex that characterized most of Bronson's eighties output. At the same time, it touches on serious political themes that most of his other action films shied away from.

In particular, the film examines the torture being carried out by right wing Latin American regimes during that decade with tacit American support. Unlike most of the right wing vigilante films that Bronson appeared in, this film takes a subtle, if not particularly well explored left wing tack.

The film's violence will not disappoint action or gore fans. The opening torture sequence, reportedly heavily cut, is still quite gruesome. Furthermore, the villains meet some of the nastier deaths in action film history, particularly in the bloody climax. The Columbia / TriStar DVD release renders all this in a beautifully restored print, making it look like it was released yesterday, rather than 26 years ago.

However, one cannot help but wish their had been a more open examination of the political themes that underlie the film, particularly the American involvement in human rights abuses. The film itself begs for a remake, focusing on torture during the War on Terror.

I am surprised there is so much negative buzz around this film. I found it to be well acted and well done. I felt that the villain and his sister in the film were chillingly scary. Bronson acts as natural as can be and is more realistic and cool than today's action film stars. The film did have its quirks ( Was the daughter's voice dubbed in ?) But hearing the voice on the videos about the doctor, and the opening scene give you a chill. This film is no more violent than those of today, so I don't understand the criticism. The film has a good cast and keeps your attention, although I wish there was more of the Dr.'s sister in the film. Those of you that like action and vengeance should definitely check this one out.