60 - The Evil That Men Do (1984)
This is one messed up movie. Charles Bronson's films from the 1980's were never known to be classy but rarely do they delve into the type of brutality on display in The Evil That Men Do. You have to give Bronson credit for straying from his typical racially-charged films of the 80's (The Death Wish series and Kinjite specifically) but what this film lacks in racism it certainly makes up for with deplorable elements.
Surprisingly this is the only movie starring Charles Bronson from the 1980's that was not produced by The Cannon Group. It was actually one of his most successful at the box office during his run with the Cannon Group and they sorely passed on the opportunity to produce this film (the complete story is told on the podcast).
The movie is about Charles Bronson coming out of retirement as a hit man to take out a brutal South American doctor that is performing experiments and torturing the locals. What sounds like an interesting premise is quickly squandered in favor of "Bronson Family Vacation" where we see him and his adopted family travel around South America and attend the local Saturday night cock fights.
The problem with this film is that it lacks direction. It was clearly built on a few great moments and the rest of the scenes seemed designed to get us from point A to point B and leave nothing much to the imagination. Instead of subtext, character development, or subplots, we get dolphin friends, dick grabbing, and flat dialogue. It's as crazy as it sounds.
It's not surprising that this movie was one of Bronson's most successful during the 1980's and yet nobody seems to remember it; it's not a complete film. Sure, there are scenes that you will never forget as long as you live, but this movie pales in comparison to films like Death Wish 3, Death Wish 4, and Kinjite as far as Bronson action films are concerned.
Despite all this criticism I would give the film a slight recommend if you're interested in seeing some of the more brutal moments in Bronson's filmography. You certainly see him do things you never thought he would: such as propose a threesome with another man, grab a man by the genitals, sneak under a bed while a lesbian encounter is going on above him, and hang a man with a fire hose. If you read all that and can't understand why this film would be bad, just watch for yourself. It's a lifeless husk waiting for the charisma of Paul Kersey to resurrect it.
