Directed by the late Michael Winner, Death Wish is an action movie loosely based on the novel of the same name by Brian Garfield. Originally released in 1974, the film stars Charles Bronson, Hope Lange, and Vincent Gardenia, and follows one man’s transformation from mild-mannered architect to gun-wielding vigilante.
In the movie, Paul Kersey returns home to Manhattan following a relaxing vacation in Hawaii. Upon arrival, he resumes his day-to-day life, going about his architectural work and getting back into the swing of things.
But while Paul is busy at work, a terrible and horrific incident is taking place at home. Three deviants follow Paul’s wife and daughter to their apartment, break in, and assault them.
As a result of the attack, both are hospitalised. A few hours later, Paul’s wife passes away, while his daughter is left distraught and eventually ends up in a catatonic state.
Following the funeral, Paul contacts the police to see if any progress has been made on catching the culprits. The officer in charge of the case assures Paul they are working on it, but makes it clear he should not get his hopes up.
Disillusioned with the system, upset about his situation, and aware of the rampant rise in crime, Paul decides to take matters into his own hands. He learns how to shoot, then takes to the streets to clean up the city.
Before going any further, let’s make a few things clear: Death Wish is not the greatest action movie of all-time, and it’s not amazing. The film includes some occasionally questionable acting, and occasionally questionable direction, and there’s no huge scenes of spectacle.
This is a street level vigilante movie, with the action largely confined to scenes of Charles Bronson as Paul, walking around the city brandishing a hand gun. He pulls it here, he pulls it there, and he pulls it pretty much
anywhere – usually while wearing a lovely winter coat and moving at a snail’s pace.
If you want huge explosions and machine gun fire, you won’t find it here. This isn’t Die Hard nor is it Commando, and it’s not The Punisher either.
But what you get with Death Wish is a fairly robust, fairly solid vigilante tale. Bronson throws himself into the part of Paul rather well, the film is filled with ‘70s grit, and it has one or two good ideas which stop it from just being a tale of revenge.
When the film is at its strongest it is when the story is highlighting the impact of Paul’s actions. Rather than have him become some kind of bogeyman, feared by regular folk, he instead inspires people to start pushing back.
Everyday citizens (a pensioner, some construction workers, etc), see what Paul is doing, partially agree with it, and begin to dispense their own level of justice when challenged by thugs. Paul may have started his crusade for personal reasons, but he ends up inspiring a number of New York citizens to take matters into their own hands and this becomes quite an interesting turn of events.
Could this idea have been developed further in the movie? Without doubt – but what’s served up is perfectly fine, and it provides some room for thought and contemplation.
Sure, Paul acts outside of the law, and clearly architects can’t just go around killing people, but is he wrong for taking down criminals when the police continually fail and crime is running rampant? Is he at fault, or is it the entire system that’s at fault?
This is something the movie asks the audience to consider as Paul goes about his business. The film doesn’t necessarily want everyone to agree with Paul, but by positioning him as an inspiration to some, it does want you to stop and think.
Outside of the above, Death Wish boasts strong cinematography from Arthur J. Ornitz, and a good score from composer Herbie Hancock. The film also clocks in at a bum-friendly runtime of 91-minutes.
As mentioned above, Bronson gives a good performance as Paul, and this is also a highlight. Death Wish would eventually be followed by a series of sequels, of varying quality, but Bronson was always good value and this is pretty evident here.
While it’s not the most dynamic action movie of all time, and it is unlikely to win over the latest generation of film fans, Death Wish isn’t bad. There’s enough going on in the movie to keep the interest levels up and it doesn’t really run out of steam.
Should you wish to take a look at Death Wish, as it celebrates its 50th year, the movie is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital.
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