Tales from the Crypt (TV Series) The Bribe (1994) User Reviews

The Bribe

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 12 May 2018]

Terry O'Quinn did a good job in this role, but anyone who has watched a show like this before could not exactly how it was going to play out.

And then once there was the big "twist" with him killing himself and her being alive, it went on for too long with the new couple bickering.

Not horrible, just nothing special or original.

Dark thriller themed tale from the crypt.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 13 August 2008]

Tales from the Crypt: The Bribe starts as new fire marshal Martin Zeller (Terry O'Quinn) threatens to close Los Angeles strip club 'The Naked Experience' & put it's owner Puck (Esai Morales) out of business. Puck offers Zeller a substantial monetary bribe but Zeller refuses. Back home & Zeller learns that his daughter Hailey (Kimberly Williams) is about to lose her place at college due to not being able to afford the fees. As a lowly fire marshal her dad can't afford the money either but suddenly the bribe offered by Puck becomes very attractive & he intends to use the $60,000 to pay for Hailey's schooling. However Zeller's conscience get the better of him & plots revenge but his plan goes tragically wrong...

All the sixes episode 6 from season 6 this Tales from the Crypt story was directed by Ramón Menéndez & is an alright way to pass just under thirty odd minutes but I must say The Bribe doesn't particularly feel like a Tales from the Crypt in the sense there are no noticeable supernatural, occult or horror themes present. The script by Scott Nimerfro is based on a story from the comic book 'Shock SuspenStories' which backs up my assessment that The Bribe is more of a dark thriller where by a series of coincidences the story turns out very bad for certain character's in a very terminal, worst case scenario sort of way. There's nothing wrong with that except that The Bribe just doesn't feel like a Tales from the Crypt episode, there's no horror, nothing supernatural, no monsters or creatures or special effects & just feels like a run of the mill thriller with a notably dark twist ending which to be fair does work quite well & ends things on a suitably downbeat tone but it's not horror, it's not Sci-Fi & it's not what I or the majority of viewers would consider good source material for a Tales from the Crypt episode. It's worth watching for sure but in regard to the rest of the series it's forgettable & doesn't really stand out in any way.

Not being particularly horror themed there's no special effects, there's no gory set-pieces or make-up or monsters or whatever. There's a dead body in a pool of splattered blood & a burn person but nothing else. There's a nice opening montage set in a strip club featuring some bare breasted ladies you might like if that sort of thing turns you on. There's a really stylish moment in The Bribe when Hailey goes into her room & talks to her dad Martin & the wall between her bedroom & the living room turns transparent so both Hailey & martin are seen in the same shot despite being in different rooms next to each other. Veteran film & telly actor Terry O'Quinn stars while Hollywood star Benicio Del Toro has a fairly small role despite near top billing. The funny opening & closing Cryptkeeper sequences features him dressed as 'Uncle Sam' campaigning for office!

The Bribe is alright for what it is & is well worth a watch if you can catch it on telly for free but it doesn't really feel like a Tales from the Crypt episode & the lack of any horror or supernatural elements doesn't endear it to me at all.

Your daughter was a willing participant..You can't change her into something that she's not!

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 28 April 2013]

**SPOILERS*** There's noting at all supernatural about this "Tales from the Crypt" episode. It's just another tales of what goes around comes around with a double twist ending that's sure to shock you like it did fire inspector Martin Zeller, Terry O'Quinn, who sadly enough wasn't around to see it; He voluntary left the scene before the episode ended. If Zeller stayed around a little longer he would have found out that his plan in fact worked to perfection.

It's when Zeller got a number of nude photos of his daughter Hiley, Kimberly Williams Paisley, from her boss strip club owner Puck,Esai Morales, that he went into action in shutting his strip club down. It's when Zeller came home and found that Hiley broke up with her rich collage boyfriend Ron, Ron Carlson, that things went from bad to worse for him. With Ron's blue nose parents in danger of cutting off his inheritance if he married Hiley because she or better yet her father can't keep up her $2,500.00 a month collage tuition he decided to do the unthinkable: He gets the idea from former fire inspector Nick Cola, Hal Williams, to consider taking a bribe from Puck to keep his strip club from being shut down.

It's then that the straight laced and take no money under the table Zeller decided to take a bribe, a cool $60,000.00, from Puck in order to pay his daughter's collage tuition. But as we soon found out Zeller had other plans in mind for Puck that were far worse then just taking his money. He planned to double cross him but that double cross on Zeller's part in the end backfired on him with deadly results.

***SPOILERS*** You in fact did see it coming in what Zeller planned to do to Puck and what the outcome would be but the twist or double twist ending came totally unexpectedly. It just showed that Zeller by jumping the gun before all the evidence was in screwed himself big time far more then he could have ever have screwed Puck. In what should have been a happy ending for Zeller turned out to be his funeral.

Cool thriller episode

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 22 August 2012]

Newly appointed fire marshal Inspector Martin Zeller (an excellent performance by the always reliable Terry O'Quinn) aims to shut down the strip club that his daughter Hilery (a solid and appealing portrayal by the pretty Kimberly Williams) works as a dancer at. However, Zeller finds out that Hilery isn't getting a scholarship for college, so he takes a bribe from sleazy club owner Puck (a nicely slimy turn by Esai Morales) to pay for her tuition. Nonetheless, Zeller still decides to follow through on his plan to close down the club. Director Ramon Menendez, working from a darkly compelling script by Scott Nimerfro, relates the engrossingly sordid story at a steady pace, maintains a serious gritty tone throughout, and delivers a real snazzy double twist ending that's both surprising and suitably ironic. The sound acting by the able cast keeps it humming: O'Quinn excels in the lead, Morales positively oozes in his role, plus there's praiseworthy work from Bernicio Del Toro as Puck's smarmy partner Bill, Hal Williams as Zeller's bitter pal Nick Ciola, and Max Grodenchik as deranged arsonist Bic. Busty blonde porn starlet Kylie Ireland struts her sizzling hot stuff in an uncredited bit part as a stripper. Levie Issacks' garish cinematography provides a funky glittery look. Kudos are also in order for Pray for Rain's spare moody score. A neat change-of-pace non-horror episode.

While not easy to get it the first time, still good

[bellino-angelo2014 · 8/10 · 10 July 2021]

Fire Marshal Inspector Martin Zeller goes to a strip club with the intention of shutting it down because his daughter Hilary works there as a dancer. However Zeller discovers that Hilary works there because she hasn't a scolarship for college, so he takes a bribe from club owner Puck to pay for her scolarship. Nonetheless, Zeller gradually will continue his plan to close the club down, while Hilary has already one planned escape...

I had a problem with the ending and I had to re-watch it, but despite this it still is a good episode. Esai Morales (who will be in the next MISSION IMPOSSIBLE movies) gives a great sleazy turn as Puck and Benicio del Toro is good as his business partner. A neat non horror episode.