“The Evil That Men Do” (1984) starring Charles Bronson / Z-View

The Evil That Men Do (1984)

Director: J. Lee Thompson

Screenplay: John M. Crowther, David Lee Henry based on THE EVIL THAT MEN DO by R. Lance Hill

Stars: Charles Bronson, Theresa Saldana, Joseph Maher, José Ferrer, René Enríquez, John Glover, Enrique Lucero, Roger Cudney, Joe Seneca, Conrad Hool and Raymond St. Jacques.

Tagline: Most criminals answer to the law. The world’s most savage executioner must answer to Bronson.

The Plot…

Holland (Bronson) is a retired hitman living a peaceful life on a remote beach.  When an old friend asks Holland to kill a sadistic torturer known as the Doctor, Holland initially refuses. After seeing video evidence of the number of people the Doctor has killed and maimed, Holland decides to come out of retirement for one more hit.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Jill Ireland (Bronson’s wife and co-star in many of his films) was originally slated to play the role that went to Theresa Saldana.  Ireland lobbied for Saldana to get the part.  Theresa Saldana had survived a brutal stabbing by a stalker and was looking to get back into feature films.

The Evil That Men Do is based on a book written by R. Lance Hill.  Hill also received credit as screenwriter on the film, but chose to use the penname David Lee Henry.

This is the 5th of 9th films that starred Charles Bronson and was directed by J. Lee Thompson. The films in order are: The White Buffalo (1977), St. Ives (1976), Cabo Blanco (1980), 10 to Midnight (1983), Murphy’s Law (1986), Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987), Messenger of Death (1988) and Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989).

The Evil That Men Do (1984) rates 2 of 5 stars.