Series: Death Wish (1/5)
Director: Michael Winner
Starring: Charles Bronson, Vincent Gardenia, Hope Lange, William Redfield, Jeff Goldblum
Country: U.S.
It's hard to believe that this little film would go on to spawn a whole franchise of gun-toting vigilantism. But here is the little film that could, Death Wish, kicking butt and taking names. It's the original vigilante film, and arguably the all time finest one ever made.
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| Now that's what you call a title card. |
The film's protagonist, Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson), is an architect with a wife and an older daughter. While he is at work one day, some punks follow his wife home and break in. The punks rape his daughter and murder his wife, leaving Bronson with a deceased loved one and an emotionally scarred one as well. Kersey becomes sickened with the crime in the city, realizing that the police do hardly anything about it. Kersey than takes a trip to Arizona to meet a client of his, Ames Jainchill (Stuart Margolin in a very memorable performance). Jainchill reminds Kersey what it is like to hold a gun and that protecting oneself is an essential skill to know. After his enlightening trip and successful business deal, Kersey receives a gift from Jainchill. Upon arriving home, Kersey opens up his gift to find that he is now the proud owner of a revolver. He than decides to wander the streets late at night, becoming a notorious night time vigilante in the process.
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| One Flew Over the Badass Architect |
Death Wish is a gritty, raw, and realistic action film. The film's stock is very grainy and grimey looking. The action comes quick and violently. The film's director, Michael Winner, opts for shock and suspense over grandiose action hero antics and silliness with these action scenes (but wait until you see their Death Wish 3 collaboration, oh boy). All of the scenes usually involve Charles Bronson coming across some punks. Either they come to him or Bronson baits the thugs in a way. When they come near him, Bronson blasts the punks and walks off like a beast. These scenes give off a very realistic vibe because they are short and sweet. There is no need for full blown gunfights here. A vigilante does what they need to do and doesn't think twice about it.
Death Wish benefits from being both an awesome action film and a good drama as well. This was one of the first films to ever tackle vigilantism in a very violent and serious way. The rape scene that sets off the plot is pretty disturbing. It's not exploitative (you can be the judge of that) but is still pretty graphic.
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| "That, that's chaos theory." |
After this happens, Paul Kersey retreats to himself. He keeps a lot of his emotions tucked in and never full blown cries. It is after a while that he takes up vigilantism as a way to cope with things. I find this interesting because it also really reflects the actor Charles Bronson. He was a known loner, choosing to rather sit in a trailer alone instead of talking amongst everyone else. And he liked being a loner, he wasn't just acting that way and not admitting it. So, I really love that his personality heavily reflects on the character as well. Bronson pulls off being the every man so well. You believe everything he does and say so well. His rugged face and everyday job as an architect really humanizes him.
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| "Now I have to buy a new newspaper!" |
As serious as Death Wish sounds, there is at least some fun to be had in viewing it. A really great character is that of Vincent Gardenia's, a sniffling cop named Frank. I don't know why the guy is so sick but it's kind of hilarious. He spends the whole movie hunting down Kersey and blowing his nose into a tissue as well. I don't know if they were trying to give the film some comedic relief but I love this guy. Christopher Guest also has a pop up as a cop who found Kersey's gun. Guest just cranked this movie's rating from a 10 to an 11. That's right. Denzel Washington also has a small appearance as one of the thugs that gets gunned down by Bronson. But, the one notable role that is impossible to miss is that of the punk character played by Jeff Goldblum. He's a terrible slime ball and the one who who rapes Bronson's daughter! It's a shame Bronson never finds him, because I would've loved to see him get blasted.
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| Vigilante - city style. Judge, jury, and executioner. |
This film has some great aesthetics as well. The squibs are nice and bloody. It gives the film a nice horror vibe too. The score by Herbie Hancock is also awesome. It has a great '70's vibe to it complete with sweet synthesized lines of music. The editing of the gun fights are nice and simple. No crappy shaky cam here folks. These were the days when you could actually view the action going on.
Death Wish is just great. Michael Winner and Charles Bronson are at the top of their game here. They started an action franchise that is a legendary one for the books. They kickstarted the vigilante sub-genre, cemented Bronson's status as a star, and became forever immortalized as action Gods.
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| "I'll see you next time...in the sequel!" |
The Extras:
Best Kill: Without a doubt, it goes to the death of the dang punk who slices up Bronson's newspaper. You do not mess with a man's newspaper!
Best Line/Exchange: As Bronson talks with his daughter's annoying husband, he asks him who people are that don't fight back against crime. His son in law replies, "Ordinary citizens?" This is a great line that says a lot about society's fear in the film and in our world as well.
Best Action Scene: While the action is very short and sweet all throughout the film, I would give it to the final scene where Paul is jumped by three punks on a flight of stairs. I think this scene features the most intense editing and gun fire in the entire film.
Also Check Out:
Death Wish 2 (1982): The film's first sequel is a pretty solid action film that amps up both its action (alright!) and its rape (ehh). Worth checking out for fans of this film and '80's action in general.
The Punisher (2004): Thomas Jane stars in this Marvel comic book adaptation that has many similarities to the character of Paul Kersey. Each are vigilantes who never take no for an answer and gun down their enemies with no remorse. It's a solid film and reminds me of Death Wish in the sense that it is a blend of heavy drama and light action.
The Mechanic (1973): If you want another Winner/Bronson team up from the glorious '70's, than check out this very awesome assassin thriller from the two. It came before Death Wish and was the film that got the studio's attention when it came time to find a director for the film.
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