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Murphy's Law

Murphy's Law

Action · Thriller · Crime · 1986

A tough police detective escapes from custody after being framed and arrested for the murder of his ex-wife, and must now find the real killer and prove his innocence.

Movie details

Murphy's Law

“He's a cop, She's a thief, together they're running for their lives”

1986 Action · Thriller · Crime 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

A tough police detective escapes from custody after being framed and arrested for the murder of his ex-wife, and must now find the real killer and prove his innocence.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Murphy's Law?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Protector

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Action · 1985

Billy Wong is a New York City cop whose partner is gunned down during a robbery. Billy and his new partner, Danny Garoni, are working security at a fashion show when a wealthy man's daughter, Laura Shapiro, is kidnapped. The Federal authorities suspect that Laura's father is involved with Mr. Ko, a Hong Kong drug kingpin, so the NYC police commissioner sends the two cops to Hong Kong to investigate.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

J. Lee Thompson

Written by

Gail Morgan Hickman

Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson

Jack Murphy

Kathleen Wilhoite

Kathleen Wilhoite

Arabella McGee

Carrie Snodgress

Carrie Snodgress

Joan Freeman

Robert F. Lyons

Robert F. Lyons

Art Penney

Richard Romanus

Richard Romanus

Frank Vincenzo

Angel Tompkins

Angel Tompkins

Jan

Bill Henderson

Bill Henderson

Ben Wilcove

Court is in session

Put Murphy's Law on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.