Review of Murphy's Law (1986) by Charles S — 15 Jul 2008

There are several things notable about this 1986 J. Lee Thompson-directed effort (Thompson directed a seemingly endless list of Bronson-headlined revenge/action films). The best one is the way the title is used ("Murphy's Law - don't fuck with Jack Murphy"), but we also get some Bronson staples - a hot blonde wife at least 20 years too young for him, the death of said wife (which puts the revenge plot in motion, as it so often does), and lots of decent grue.

However, this flick also gives us some new variations on the formula. Bronson's wife is a stripper (!) who has left him - he repeatedly visits her club to torture himself with the fact that he can no longer caress her bodacious bod. The other cops in his department frequent the same club, which makes for some awkward moments in the squadroom the next morning. Anyway, the wife looks to be a well-preserved 40, but if there's one thing I've learned from watching HBO documentaries about strippers, it's that they aren't still working when they're 40, especially not in swanky joints like the one depicted in the film. So, the film sort of takes a hit in the realism department there. On the other hand, when Bronson tries to get her to stop stripping (by telling her she looks like a whore, which is a technique I have never tried when trying to reconcile after an argument).