12 to Midnight (2024) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Mark Savage
STARRING: Robert Bronzi, Tito Ortiz, Daniel Roebuck
RATED: UR/Region: O/1:78/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1 (BDr)
AVAILABLE FROM ITN
When you look like Charles Bronson, it’s probably only a matter of time before somebody puts you in a movie that sounds suspiciously like one of his old movies. Enter Robert Bronzi, the man who looks so much like Bronson that you half expect him to start complaining about punks getting out of line and demanding that somebody bring him his damn coffee. 12 to Midnight is essentially a spiritual cousin to Bronson’s 10 to Midnight, except somebody apparently decided that two extra hours of the clock weren’t enough and threw a superhuman serial killer into the mix. Because why settle for an ordinary psychopath when you can have one that apparently skipped the human limitations section of the owner’s manual?
Bronzi plays a detective whose life has gone completely off the rails following the murder of his wife. Forced to resign from the police force, he’s understandably having a rough time. But when a serial killer starts taunting him, he’s brought back into the fold to investigate. And because regular murderers are apparently too boring these days, this particular lunatic turns out to be superhuman. So now we’ve got a grieving detective, a seemingly unstoppable killer, and a whole lot of trouble. Somewhere, Charles Bronson is probably looking down wondering why nobody just gave him a bigger gun.
The biggest selling point here is obviously Bronzi himself. The resemblance to Bronson is downright ridiculous. Seriously, if you showed somebody a picture of him without context, they’d probably assume it was an unreleased Bronson movie discovered in a dusty VHS warehouse. He’s practically a walking, talking tribute to an era when action heroes could solve their problems with a scowl, a cigarette, and absolutely no interest in discussing their feelings.
The 10 to Midnight connection is hard to ignore, and the movie clearly wants to tap into that old-school exploitation-action atmosphere. Only this time, instead of just dealing with a particularly nasty serial killer, we’re apparently entering the realm of supernatural nonsense. It’s a bold choice. Why have a killer who is merely dangerous when you can have one who seems to have purchased the premium murder package with all the extra abilities included?
The premise has plenty of potential for some gloriously over-the-top action and horror, and Bronzi is certainly an entertaining presence for anyone who enjoys these kinds of throwback genre movies. It’s not exactly the sort of production that’s going to make you forget the classics, but honestly, that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to watch Charles Bronson’s unofficial Italian cousin deal with a killer who apparently has cheat codes enabled.
Final verdict: 12 to Midnight is a fun throwback to the days of gritty revenge thrillers, with a little supernatural insanity thrown in for good measure. Robert Bronzi continues making a career out of looking like Charles Bronson wandered off a movie set and accidentally entered the wrong decade. And really, I’m not complaining. Sometimes you just want an old-school tough guy, a psychotic killer, and enough ridiculousness to make you forget that modern action heroes spend half their movies explaining their emotional damage. Bronzi doesn’t need a therapy session. He needs a bigger gun and about ten minutes alone with the bad guy.
