The Evil That Men Do Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

The Evil That Men Do Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 25, 2026

Before his career was completely swallowed by an association with Cannon Films and the easy paychecks they provided, Charles Bronson managed to make a few movies with other production entities during his career descent in the 1980s. 1984’s “The Evil That Men Do” is one of the features, reteaming Bronson with director J. Lee Thompson, a frequent collaborator, previously guiding the star through endeavors such as “St. Ives” and “10 to Midnight.” They don’t stray far from their formula, putting screenwriters John M. Crowther and R. Lance Hill to work adapting Hill’s 1978 book, which concerns an ex-assassin brought out of retirement to deal with a South American threat. “The Evil That Men Do” is basic Bronson, focusing on the actor’s steeliness and his fondness for characters involved in vigilante work. And that’s what you get with the picture, which isn’t sharply made or deeply considered, going the B-movie route with material that works well with Bronson’s natural acting limitations and wonderful screen presence.

Holland (Charles Bronson) lives a peaceful life in the Cayman Islands, enjoying the sun and the sand, making friends with a fish called Quasimodo. Interrupting this routine is Hector (Jose Ferrer), who arrives with a mission for a man who once made a living through killing, sharing news of Clement (Joseph Maher), also known as “The Doctor,” who’s made a home in Guatemala with his sister, Claire (Antoinette Bower), continuing his work as an expert in torture tactics, teaching others the ways of inflicting pain on their enemies. Clement has killed journalist George during one of his recent gatherings, with the dead man a former friend to Holland. Exploring the evidence, Holland agrees to take Clement down for free, making his way to Guatemala with Rhiana (Theresa Saldana), George’s widow, and her daughter, Sarah (Nicole Thomas), posing as tourists to better understand Clement’s operation. Holland is a trained killer and master lip reader, using his skills to get closer to The Doctor, who’s surrounded by enforcers and protected by Paul (John Glover), an American ambassador who’s pulled into the problem when Clement’s goons can’t handle the wrath of Holland, who’s looking to permanently end the villain’s reign of terror.

“The Evil That Men Do” establishes Clement’s cold-blooded ways right at the start of the picture. He’s teaching a class of sorts on the ways of destroying bodies, and while he’s English, he might as well be German, with the material weirdly downplaying Nazi-like influences, keeping Clement refined and soulless in a slightly different manner. However, the character is still a butcher, and one who makes sure to use George for an electrocution demonstration, eliminating a journalist who’s been tracking The Doctor’s plans. As bad guys go, Clement is an odd one, as he poses no physical threat to Holland, who could easily thrash the guy. But he’s good at what he does, and he’s surrounded by a team of enforcers, with these men becoming Holland’s focus as he makes his way to Guatemala, posing as a happy-go-lucky tourist in town for a few days.

Rhiana is meant to add some emotional weight to “The Evil That Men Do.” She’s a widow and now a single mother trying to make sense of her husband’s brutal murder, demanding to join Holland to understand what’s going on with Clement. Mercifully, there’s no romantic subplot added to the picture, though some sunniness is found between Holland and Sarah, with the killer briefly becoming a sort of father figure to the girl, though the idea isn’t developed in full. After all, there are baddies to smack around, and the picture eventually gets around to exploring Holland’s ways of investigation, which takes the assassin to a cockfight, which is the social event of the week for the locals, including Clement and his sibling. “The Evil That Men Do” gets a little odd once Holland begins to target the hired guns, including Randolph (Raymond St. Jacques), a “communications expert” who quickly submits to the charms of the tourist after being tempted to enjoy a menage a trois with Rhiana. Disappointingly, Holland’s work on other enforcers isn’t as charmingly bizarre.

Thompson doesn’t invest in style, keeping things simple in “The Evil That Men Do,” besides an addiction to dolly shots. There’s not much he can do with the limited budget, but the helmer brings some crunchiness to the feature, keeping Bronson in cold stare mode as Holland uses his gifts with lip reading to acquire information. There’s also an amusing pickle for the character, who hides under a hotel bed to prepare to kidnap Claire, only to accidentally be present for a tryst between the target and her female lover. It’s a moment ripe for comedy, but Thompson doesn’t take the bait, determined to keep the endeavor as tense as possible.

Three versions of “The Evil That Men Do” are included on this release: the R-rated Cut (90:16), the Unrated Cut (90:16), and a TV Cut (96:21).

The Evil That Men Do Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation for "The Evil That Men Do" lists the three versions of the feature included on this release as "all in 1080p high definition." Not listed is the age of the source, which appears to be much older. It's a flatter look at the film, with baked-in filtering present. Limited fine detail survives, and grain has noisiness. Clarity is softer with close-ups, exploring the basics in skin particulars and fine hairs. Costuming is also fights for texture. Exteriors lack true distances, exploring the locations as the action heads into more rural areas. Interiors are restrained as well. Color isn't vivid, but hues are understood, working with the brightness of the setting, offering primaries on clothing choices and blue skies. Skin tones are passably natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Lighting has bloomy qualities at times, and a day-for-night sequence registers more purplish than black. The Unrated Cut briefly uses video footage inserts.

The Evil That Men Do Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides a basic understanding of "The Evil That Men Do." Dialogue exchanges remain intelligible, following accents and more heated acts of antagonism. Scoring delivers simple instrumentation with a slightly thinner presence, while dramatic moments are satisfactorily supported. Sound effects are blunt but appreciable.

The Evil That Men Do Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:08, SD) is included.

The Evil That Men Do Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Holland isn't a killing machine in "The Evil That Men Do," emerging as more of a spy who occasionally takes out enemies. Thompson moves to increase action in the feature's second half, putting Holland and Rhiana on the run, including a car chase where the assassin uses a shotgun to take out his pursuer. Bronson is Bronson in the movie, which works for this type of entertainment, and there's a workable level of ickiness with Clement, who's more of a presence in the offering, not a direct threat. "The Evil That Men Do" manages to work with the limited ideas it has, eventually making its way to a satisfying finale, offering an appropriate closer for a tale that's not really a guns-blazing affair, but something weirdly graphic with its antagonist, yet modest in execution.