The Evil That Men Do (1984)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

R. Lance Hill (novel)
David Lee Henry (writer) ...

Release Date:

14 September 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

In the execution of justice there is no executioner like BRONSON

Plot:

A professional killer comes out ot retirement to investigate and avenge the brutal murder of an old friend.

Plot Keywords:

South America | Bounty Hunter | Death | Torture | Assassination

Cast

Charles Bronson	...	Holland / Bart Smith
Theresa Saldana	...	Rhiana Hidalgo / Nancy
Joseph Maher	...	Dr. Clement Molloch
José Ferrer	...	Dr. Hector Lomelin
René Enríquez	...	Max Ortiz, Holland's contact in Nicaragua
John Glover	...	Paul Briggs, U.S. Embassy
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Randolph, Molloch's Bodyguard
Antoinette Bower	...	Claire, Molloch's Sister
Enrique Lucero	...	Colonel Victor Aristos
Jorge Luke	...	Cillero, Molloch's Chauffeur
Mischa Hausserman	...	Karl Haussman
Roger Cudney	...	Cannell, Hitman Hired by Briggs
Constanza Hool	...	Isabel Lomelin, Dr. Lomelin's Wife
Joe Seneca	...	Santiago
Jorge Zepeda	...	Victim

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Mexico | USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2002) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1984) | West Germany:16 (nf) (cut version) | West Germany:18 (nf) (original rating) | France:-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Norway:(Banned) (1984-2003) (cinema release) | Norway:16 (video premiere) (1985) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

Capricorn

Trivia:

This is the only film that Charles Bronson didn't do for the Cannon Group since he begin there.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the opal mine, Holland/Smith cocks his gun twice without firing a round in between.

Quotes:

Holland: He knows we're here.
Rhiana Hidalgo: How could you tell?
Holland: He didn't ask.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

Brutal Bronson Fun

One of the most widely hated films with the great late Charles Bronson, "The Evil That Men Do" of 1984 is the nastiest most brutal, and in my opinion one of his better collaborations with director J. Lee Thompson. I haven't seen "The White Buffalo" yet, but their other collaborations include the decent "10 To Midnight", the mediocre "Murphy's Law" and the god-awful "Death Wish 4". Even though far from flawless, "The Evil That Men Do" is another highly entertaining Bronson flick, with a super-tough Bronson, non-stop action and extreme brutality - can one ask for more? Bronson plays Holland, a professional assassin who has retired to a tropic paradise on the Cayman Islands. When an old friend, an oppositional journalist in a South American dictatorship is tortured to death by the English torture specialist 'The Doctor' Clement Molloch (Jospeh Maher), Holland decides to come out of retirement to avenge his friend and free Latin America of its most despicable torturer, The Doctor, who travels from one dictatorship to another in order to fulfill his evil deeds...

Bronson is great and super-tough as always and Joseph Maher makes a particularly evil bad guy. Bronson has had better roles playing a professional assassin - Sergio Sollima's great "Citta Violenta" is just one example. But he nevertheless kicks ass as Holland in this movie, even if it is far away from being one of the masterpieces he has starred in. The only character that annoyed the hell out of me was that of Teresa Saldana, who plays the wife of the friend Holland is out to avenge. On the one hand she wants Bronson to avenge her husband and put an end to the Doctor's evil deeds, but on the other hand she keeps complaining when people get hurt. The violence is omnipresent and bloody, the film begins with a torture scene that is more than a bit nasty. People keep complaining about the lack of character development and plot, and about the violence. I wonder what people some people expect from a mid 80s action flick with Bronson that runs 87 minutes. Citizen Kane? Charles Bronson is one of my favorite actors, and director J. Lee Thompson was doubtlessly talented, which great films like "Cape Fear" (1962) prove. I admit that their collaborations were not exactly masterpieces, but most of them, such as this one, are pure, violent fun made strictly for entertainment purposes. And that is exactly what "The Evil That Men Do" provides: Pure, violent entertainment! Enjoy!