On D List of Movie Reviews
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Death Wish (1974)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
7/07, 8/19
7/07:
Death Wish is the one that made Charles Bronson internationally famous, and he was 52 years old.
It's also the same film that got him the moniker: Charles Fucking Bronson. Here's the story of how it got made:
Michael Winner and Charles Bronson got together one day to discuss a future project after completing The Stone Killer.
The actor asked the director, "What shall we do next?"
Winner replied he had a script for Death Wish which was about a husband whose wife was murdered and daughter
sexually assaulted. Afterwards, he got to kill random muggers who had nothing to do with what happened.
"I'd like to do that," Bronson said. "The film?" He replied, "No...shoot muggers."
Death Wish is an awesome jolt of a ride, putting the stamp on the meaning of vigilantism. I love how thought-provoking
the plot is because I'm like, "Why the hell not?" This is not the type of movie that features senseless Chuck Norris
bam-bam-bam-shoot-'em-up-and-let's-go-home mindless drivel. It's also not about the abuse of police power like Dirty Harry.
Rather, Death Wish is about one man who lost his family through extreme violence and wanted to find a way to vent out
his anger. Of course, closure will never happen, but Paul Kersey continues to forge a warpath because he's simply addicted to
killing. Too often, movies are about specific enemies, but this one lets it go by shifting the focus on a wide scale: all
bad guys are now game which proves vigilantism doesn't work because of the potential of killing innocent people.
There's no question Charles Bronson is terrific, and he's Charles Bronson perfect. It's the trademark role of
his career. If I want to define the phrase "judge, jury, and executioner," I think of Paul Kersey. There exists a detective who
understands fully too well what's going on. Combine both, and what we have here is a hell of a picture.
Death Wish is gritty, haunting but controversial that provides an insight into the actions of a man who takes
law in his own hands. Yet are the cops doing enough? Are the city politicians doing enough? Is anybody doing enough? It
seems like no one is. When Paul Kersey does it, he makes everybody wake up and smell the coffee. Because of fear, the
mugging rate goes down, so why is it a bad thing? Well, let's be real: his actions are illegal and downright
stupid, bringing back the days of mob justice and quick lynching which were often done with black people. It just opens up a
can of worms with disastrous results.
All in all, Death Wish is unique, and no one will replace Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey.
8/19:
The film that made Charles Bronson an overnight international star, Death Wish put vigilantism on the map.
The reasons behind his character's actions seem sound, but it's illegal with innocent lives at risk. A movie
I can think of to counteract it is The Ox-Bow Incident. Obviously, Charles Bronson gives a great performance, and it's
easy to feel for his character.
All in all, when I think of Charles Bronson, I think of Death Wish.