Murphy's Law
Tags: comedy, neo noir, murder, cult, violence, humor, revenge

Plot synopsis:
Jack Murphy (Bronson), a hardened, antisocial LAPD detective, frequently escapes the harsh reality that his ex-wife (Angel Tompkins) has become a stripper and his career is going nowhere by drinking. His world is turned upside down, however, when he is framed by ex-convict Joan Freeman (Carrie Snodgress) for putting her in prison earlier in his career.
Freeman murders the detective's ex-wife and begins killing off his associates while framing him for the crimes. The same police force he works for places him under arrest with Arabella McGee (Kathleen Wilhoite), a foul-mouthed petty thief he locked away. Murphy escapes from jail while still handcuffed to McGee and they pursue the real killer. While in pursuit of Freeman, who has managed to kill all of those on her hit list save Murphy, Arabella is kidnapped by Freeman and taken to the building where she was first arrested by Murphy. Murphy calls for reinforcement and is met with skepticism. Murphy heads off to rescue Arabella, in the building he is stalked by Freeman who is armed with a crossbow. Meanwhile, Arabella is bound and gagged at the bottom of an elevator shaft. The cop following Murphy arrives and draws his gun on Murphy and reveals that he is dirty and working for a mob boss named Vincenzo, whose brother was killed by Murphy. Freeman quickly dispatches the cop with an arrow. Vincenzo tires of wait and he and his two body guard enter the building posing another threat to Murphy. Murphy easily dispatches the two body guards before goading Vincenzo to try and kill him himself. Vincenzo attacks Murphy but Murphy shoots him dead. Freeman sends the elevator down in an attempt to kill Arabella. Murphy saves her just in the nick of time. But Freeman fires an arrow into Arabella's back goading Murphy into a confrontation. She attacks Murphy with an axe and he knocks her over the railing of the staircase on the top floor. She manages to take hold of the axe which is wedged in the railing. She tries to get Murphy to help her. He stands and watches as she begins to slip. She yells at him to go to hell, he responds ladies first. With that she slips and falls to her death. Murphy is loaded into the back of an ambulance with a still alive Arabella, and they head off to the hospital.

Review: While still carrying its fair share of sex, violence, and overall bad taste, 'Murphy's Law' is a light-hearted film by comparison and makes neat changes to Bronson's on-screen persona.In a workmanlike script by Gail Morgan Hickman (of TV's 'The Equalizer'), Bronson reprises his earlier cop roles as Jack Murphy, a Los Angeles detective who is going to pieces after breaking up with his sex-starved wife.
Murphy is a heavy drinker who struggles to get out of bed in the morning; when he does manage to rise, he argues with other detectives on the force and nags his ex (Angel Topkins), who has begun stripping at a local nightclub.To fulfill Murphy's Law - "if anything can go wrong, it will" - the justice system has released Joan Freeman (Carrie Snodgress), a psychopath whom Murphy arrested for murder ten years before.
Sure enough, Murphy is collared for the death of his ex-wife and finds himself in lockup with Arabella McGee (Kathleen Wilhoite), a foul-mouthed young woman whom he just arrested for driving off with his car.
The bulk of 'Murphy's Law' follows Murphy and McGee in their search for the real killer, ticking off an already-livid mob boss (Richard Romanus) in the process.Like other Bronson films from the 80s, 'Murphy's Law' doesn't boast Oscar-worthy scriptwriting, acting, or technical work.
In what other 80s film does Bronson get arrested, bleed, pass out, have a concussion, make a friend, and even sit down for a sandwich?Bronson and Kathleen Wilhoite don't have "chemistry" per se, but to watch an odd friendship develop between Murphy and McGee is entertaining in itself.
Wilhoite sings the more pleasing end theme.Highly recommended for action fans and a must for Bronson collectors, 'Murphy's Law' is available on DVD from MGM Home Entertainment in dual widescreen and standard format with three-language subtitles.
Murphy's theatrical trailer is included as an extra, which looks shopworn and has Bronson saying "Don't -mess- with Jack Murphy." Fill in the blank yourself.After 'Murphy's Law,' Bronson and Thompson hit a dry spell with 'Death Wish 4' and 'Messenger of Death.' They ended their collaboration in 1989 with the engaging 'Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects,' Thompson's last film as a director.
I am a great fan of Charles Bronson, and this is indeed a great action film with plenty of violence in the same vein as the Death Wish series.
while he was still making movies for cannon films which is no longer in existence, bronson took the lead in this cop thriller from the early eighties.
he stars as jack murphy a worn and beaten down cop who has been framed for the murder of his wife who left him to become a stripper in a sleazy bar.
The almighty Bronson plays Jack Murphy, a detective whose motto is simple: "Don't *beep* with Jack Murphy." But of course, somebody does: a vindictive, psychotic woman named Joan Freeman (Carrie Snodgress), who goes about murdering people who Jack knows and framing him for the crimes.
However, Jack seizes upon an opportunity, breaking out of prison while handcuffed (shades of "The Defiant Ones") to a foul mouthed car thief, Arabella McGee (scene stealing Kathleen Wilhoite).With this team, you expect some pretty straightforward, and effectively sleazy, entertainment.
It is somewhat novel that our vengeance crazed villain is female, and Snodgress is just fine as the kind of psycho who's *well aware* that they're a psycho.Capped off by a finale that offers up some fairly good suspense, and a typically amusing Bronson quip.Wilhoite gets an "introducing" credit, although she'd actually made her film debut in "Private School" three years previous.
Bronson plays tough as nails detective/cop Jack Murphy who lost his wife and now has a big drinking problem.
You just don't see movies anymore where a major character says things like "I must have boogers for brains," or "eat it toe jam," let alone calls Bronson a "Snot Licking Donkey Fart" or a "Camel Crotch." We agonized over the seething sexual subtext throughout the film, wondering "would they or wouldn't they?" For maximum fun, appoint someone to yell "BRONSONED!!!!" whenever a heaping helping of snarling .44 Magnum super-justice appears imminent..
Veteran detective Jack Murphy is a highly wanted man, after being framed for the murder of his ex-wife, he escapes and sets off in pursuit of the real killer.
But Jack not only has the killer to occupy his mind, he also has the mob hoping to bring him down as well.Murphy's Law is a very enjoyable and tidy thriller, it finds Charles Bronson in a role that requires a cool veneer, that he delivers is something of a given to this particular viewer, but the unflustered nature of the character actually lifts this film above many of Bronson's other 80s efforts.
A running plot strand involving Murphy and Kathleen Wilhoite's youthful, and foul mouthed Arabella McGee, only hinders the film instead of enhancing it, tho the simmering sexual tension between the two does makes for an intriguing arc, and it definitely helps the film's finale deliver the goods with added impact.
By chance they both manage to escape and Murphy goes after the real killer, to only find out he's the one being preyed upon by the mafia and psychotic murderer.This tough guy image really works for Charles Bronson, and makes any standard revenge story compelling.
The scenes between Bronson and Kathleen Wilhoite are fun to watch (exactly HOW many words of insult does Wilhoite come up with in this movie?) and Carrie Snodgress is downright scary as a female psycho.
Murphy's Law was one of those movies which can be seen as one you just have to accept the fact that it is what it is.Hardnosed alcoholic LAPD Detective Jack Murphy (Charles Bronson) successfully had serial killer Joan Freeman (Carrie Snodgress, who was effectively good value as the villain) locked up behind bars years ago.
Still handcuffed to Arabella, Murphy breaks out of police custody and the two must work together to find the real killer.By no means is the movie tame with it's R18+ rating deserved for its violence and sexual content.
She plays a young car thief who gets mixed up with Bronson and comes close to spoiling the movie; thankfully there is still enough action going on that I'm willing to ignore her and call this a good film of its type.
It's a wise cracking sidekick with a series of the stupidest foul insults ever assembled--it's probably the most memorable element of this film--memorably bad.You'll kind of wish the writer of this film and the singer/actress playing the sidekick would never work again after this--however both went on from this dud to long careers--go figure.Carrie Snodgrass is actually pretty terrible as the psycho--and it takes a lot to make an actress as good as she come off as poorly as she does here.There are a number of murder and occasional action scenes all of them shot with little interest and a degree of sloppiness you usually don't find in a Thompson film.
Settling an old score, psycho killer (Snodgress), who's escaped from the looney bun, sets up Bronson good, only having him escape, handcuffed to a reluctant foul mouthed prisoner (the great versatile character actress, Kathleen Wilhoitte) where they escape in a helicopter off the top off the police building then crash into a barn, occupied by druggie bikers.
Charles Bronson retakes the partnership with Academy Award Nominee director J.Lee Thompson and does one of his most violent movies,here without the presence of his wife at the time,Jill Ireland.The film was calculated to please Bronson's fans.Here,he punches,shoots and even pilots a helicopter.Director J.Lee Thompson tells the story of Jack Murphy,a tough,implacable cop who is injustly accused of having killed his ex - wife,a striptease dancer.Arrested,he escapes,together with a woman thief who he has already arrested before.Despite the discussion and the fact that they simply hate each other,they soon realize that they will have to team up together,since they are being persecuted by a cold murderer,Joan Freeman(Carrie Snodgress,in a supreme interpretation),who has killed Jack's wife and incriminated him,and wants revenge against all the persons who sent her to prison a few years ago.The film has good action sequences,like the helicopter's scape and the final shooting in an abandoned hotel,in the end of the movie.But the merit of the movie belongs to Carrie Snodgress.She achieves an interpretation where she passes for the public the coldness and strength of her character,a murderer,in shocking and violent sequences,all of them courageously filmed and mastery directed,like the one where she literaly destroys the judge who put her in the prison.She seduces him,disguised,and takes him to his house.There,when they are in the bathtub,she holds him and keep him under the water,with a frightful calm and,despite his fighting for escape from her arms,he doesn't succeed.It's an unforgettable sequence.Actress already nominated for the Oscar(Diary of a Mad Housewife,1970),and winner of one Golden Globe,Carrie Snodgress has in the role of Joan Freeman a way to show the great and competent interpreter she is..
His wife and her slimy lover are murdered; Bronson is framed for the slaying and spends the rest of the picture eluding the cops whilst attempting to unveil the real killer, aided by a dirty-mouthed lady car thief.The action sequences in this one are generally sub-standard, and the performances are fairly lazy.
No sooner than he gets arrested, he meets up with foul mouth car thief Arabella McGee (Kathleen Wilhoite) who is literally chained to him as they try to stay out of jail long enough to find out who is behind all the killings.
In this movie, Bronson plays Jack Murphy, a boozy cop who gets set up, and cuffed to a potty mouth female convict(Kathleen Wilhoite).
Murphy's Law (1986) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Violent and foul-mouthed actioneer from Cannon has Charles Bronson playing a tough cop who is framed for the murder of his ex-wife and her new lover.
The real murderer (Carrie Snodgress) just happens to be a psycho he put away years earlier but Bronson must break out of jail (with sidekick Kathleen Wilhoite) and prove his innocence.
Chuck Bronson stars as Jack Murphy, a cop who is the suspect of the murder of his ex-wife turned stripper, seems that Bronson is being framed by a lunatic female serial killer (Played rather well by Carrie Snodgress) and she is making his life a personal hell, however Bronson best known for his Death Wish antics, brings vigilante justice to dispatch her as soon as possible.
This is already a weak Bronson film to begin with, as we have his character Murphy mostly just moping around the overly long beginning of the film, doing awkward stuff like making multiple stalker-ish visits to his stripper ex-wife and openly drinking on duty, even taking flask swigs in front of everyone around immediately after blowing a suspect away.He's an overly miserable character, which I understand is the point because his wacky comedy sidekick is supposed to balance it out, but Kathleen Wilhoite's character is just really annoying instead.
I really like Bronson's movies,the Stone face is great in action and is very bad with the crooks,now includes a new kind...
women...which was framed by one them,funny too when he notice that the partners cop who didn't like him looks like gays...today probably such things should be politically incorrect,but in 1986 was cool...the chemistry between Bronson and Wilhoite works a lot...anyway the movie is plenty watchable the trio Bronson/Thompson/Golan Globus was in great shape!!!
Murphy's Law is Charles Bronson's best cop movie like the others movies and Death Wish are hi's best movies.Charles Bronson was always my favorite actor in his movies are great,but Murphy's Law is his best movie he ever made like Death Wish movies are great.I love this movie it's great action movie.Aboot a oldest cop who was framed for murder his ex wive and her boyfriend he didn't do together with Arabella McGee (played by Kathleen Wilhoite) he 's on the run and he try to clear his name.Probably best action movie with Charles Bronson.Too bad the Charles died in 2003.I can say only one thing watch this movie,you are will not be bored all rent DVD..
"Murphy's Law" superficially looks like the umpteenth and routine Charles Bronson action vehicle, but pay a little more attention to the details and you'll reckon that the film is actually an atypical accomplishment in its kind.
Of course, nobody believes in Murphy's innocence when he gets framed for murdering his ex-wife and her new lover, a crime actually committed by a completely bonkers female psychopath whose motives remain unknown till very late into the film.
Charles Bronson plays Jack Murphy, a veteran police detective who is framed for his ex-wife's murder by a loony killer he helped put away years ago, but who is now out and looking for revenge.
Jack must go on the run handcuffed to a young car thief who hates him, but of course they must work together now to clear his name, since the killer is after them both...Awful film may well be Bronson's worst; utterly routine and predictable plot, uninspired direction(J.
Charles Bronson is Jack Murphy a hard drinking and an over the hill veteran detective who is mysteriously framed for the murder of his stripper ex-wife.
This time good 'ol Bronson is another old fed up cop who is teamed up with a mouthy young car theif & alot of violent action & funny things start to happen.
Another Charles Bronson Film from the 80's produced by Golan/Globus' Cannon Group - A Studio notorious throughout the 80s for making pretty trashy Films on a low budget starring Chuck Norris, Bronson or bigger stars out of work, so my expectations were very low....I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, I know it's not going to win any awards but for what is, it's pretty good.Bronson plays Det. Jack Murphy a Middle aged cop with relationship and drink problems whose stripper Ex-Wife and his various Friends are being bumped off by someone - The Police force thinks it's him and so he's arrested and stuck in jail with a young carjacker Arabella Mcgee (Kathleen Wilhoite) who tried to steal his car earlier on - So to clear his name and find out whose killing his buddies and why - he breaks out of Prison still handcuffed to the initially reluctant Arabella.The Script is neither here nor there in 'Cannon Films' although the Insults Aimed at Murphy from Arabella throughout border on ridiculous and are probably the oddest ever filmed.There's plenty of action and is directed well from the Director of 'Cape Fear' & 'Guns of Navarone' J.Lee Thompson, who made quite a few films with Bronson.All in All not great, but far better than you would expect.*** out of *****.
One of the more enjoyable Charles Bronson violence fest flicks I've always liked is Murphy's Law. If for no other reason than to enjoy the stream of original insults flowing from the mouth of Kathleen Wilhoite.Jack Murphy as played by Bronson is a hard luck cop, whose manner seems to make him just as many friends among the good guys as the bad.
First he arrests her and later when he's arrested for the murder of his ex-wife and her boyfriend, he escapes with foulmouthed Kathleen Wilhoite handcuffed to him.Among Murphy's other enemies are mafioso Robert Romanus and his family, a jealous fellow homicide cop James Luisi, and recently released killer Carrie Snodgrass.
With just this as a plot Murphy's Law might have been an efficient, violent and reasonably entertaining Bronson movie.
What I like about it is the gimmick -- the relationship between Murphy and a foul-mouthed young thief named Arabella McGee (played by Kathleen Wilhoit).
Murphy's Laws is about a cop Jack Murphy (Bronson) who's down on his luck, likes the bottle and wife just left him.
A psychopatic series killer(Carrie Snodgress) executes a criminal rampage(among others Laurence Tierney) and a police named Newman(Charles Bronson) is accused for killing .Also his ex-wife, a stripper(Angel Tompkins)is murdered and Newman is sent to the jail.He breaks out from the prison shackled to a thief adolescent girl named Arabella(Kathleen Wilhoite).Both early are coping with mutual hatred for different character and age as they run from the police although later they team up.They gather together escape prison handcuffed leading a chase that involves a helicopter and numerous shootouts.
Meanwhile he asks the help a friend police(Robert F Lyons)and the killer goes to murder a friend of him and the newspaper publishes: Escaped cop kills again.The film is an action packed formulaic tale of two escaped convicts,one tough and one rebel,foul mouthed young ,they flee from the authority and confront nasties mobsters(Richard Romanus).Here there isn't ¨Death Wish¨story but it's a plot utilized in previous films as ¨The Defiants:version 1958,1986;The Gauntlet;48 hours,and Fled¨all of which are quite better movies.The picture is produced by Cannon production,Menahen Golan,Yoran Globus, in their splendor time.
Murphy's Law. Life has been pretty tough on Jack Murphy(Charles Bronson), a cop whose ex-wife left him for the owner of a strip club(she dances there!)and has become a victim of a female psychopath(Carrie Snodgress), recently paroled after being put away by him for ten years after shooting her boyfriend.
The film is worth the time due to Bronson, but I recommend to watch any other cop thriller with good old Charles before watching this one.
In the beginning of the movie, tough cop Jack Murphy is desperately trying to convince his ex wife to come back to him and to quit her job as a stripper.
MURPHY'S LAW was one of the last major theatrical films Bronson released and thank goodness it's a not a bad movie.Bronson stars as LAPD detective Jack Murphy, one of those tough cops who takes no guff and who gets the job done better than most.
Her method of getting back at Murphy is to kill his wife and frame him for the murder.Murphy is arrested and when taken to the station handcuffed to the foul mouthed girl who stole his car that he arrested earlier in the film, Arabella McGee (Kathleen Wilhoite).