The Charles Bronson portraying an ageing hit man convinced to come out of retirement to complete one last assignment that only he is capable of pulling off. Hmm, admittedly, this doesn't really sound as the most innovative action-movie synopsis ever and exactly how many times did Bronson depict the same old unconquerable character? But still, any avid fan of 80's action cinema is likely to track this baby down, because A) Charlie's the man and B) his collaborations with director J. Lee Thompson practically always resulted in violent and excessively sadistic action vehicles. Remember "10 to Midnight" and "Messenger of Death"? Well, the violence featuring in "The Evil that Men Do" is even more gratuitous and explicit, including extended sequences of people getting tortured and mutilated for sheer kicks and Bronson himself aiming his shotgun at his opponents' faces just for the sake of making the carnage messier. Hit man Holland leaves his tropical retirement island to assassinate a sadistic professional torturer who, of course, secretly works for the government of an oppressed South American nation. The doctor's character is clearly inspired by Dr. Josef Mengele; the Nazi surgeon infamous for performing experiments upon concentration camp inmates. Holland goes after Dr. Molloch accompanied by a fake (nagging) wife and child, and quickly notices that the doctor is surrounded by a whole army of security guards and government paid henchmen. "The Evil That Men Do" is far from the best Charlie Bronson action flick, but it nevertheless contains a handful of effectively repulsive moments among which the uncanny albeit derivative climax sequence and a few remarkable performances. Bronson is his good old self here, but he receives impressive support from Joseph Maher as the evil-personified doctor. Before seeing this film, I only knew Maher from playing one of the jolly old dudes in the 90's comedy "I.Q" and I assure it's quite a shock to now see him as one of the most relentless and malignant villains of 80's cinema. Yup, it's an overall mediocre and very forgettable movie worthy of the bad reviews it receives, but it's also occasionally exciting and good for a few thrills.
Review of The Evil That Men Do
