Death Wish
In this explosive story of revenge and urban violence, Charles Bronson plays Paul Kersey, a bleeding-heart liberal who has a change of opinion after his wife and daughter are violently attacked by a gang of thugs in their apartment. His daughter is raped, and his wife is raped and murdered. Bronson then turns vigilante as he stalks the mean streets of New York on the prowl for muggers, hoodlums and the like. Death Wish is a violent, controversial film that is frank and original in its treatment of urban crime and the average citizen's helplessness in dealing with it. Herbie Hancock wrote the musical score. And watch for a young Jeff Goldblum in his film debut as one of the thugs.
Member Reviews
A powerful presence with great acting, suspense, tension. - Porkchop
Death Wish (1974) needs no introduction, as almost everyone will
have heard of the film, and sequels it generated.
Starring Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey and the lovely Hope Lange as
Joanna Kersey, and Vincent Gardenia as the saavy, wisest, most
powerful police officer or commissioner who thinks fast on his feed
(also seen in "The Big Racket ") it packs a powerful presence.
Although widescreen, the image quality could have been better than
the TV resolution. The audio mono in quality.
The composition of the soundtrack, underestimated, after 50 mins
turns out very well.
The acting, as said, is top notch from all the actors, the charisma
and warmth of the actors plainly visible.
The F/X are well done (bloodpacks, knife wounds, etc.)
Starting out with an intimate vacation in Hawaii lasting 2 weeks,
during which NYC goes through dozens of homicides, the officers are
cavalier and lackadaisical about street crime, enough that one of
the punks (played by Jeff Goldblum who bares his bottom at one point
and shows his tight pants to the girl at the cash, in another) and
his gang lethally assaults Kersey's wife.
The downtown scene is exposed, with muggings leveraged by weapons
comprising rocks in a sock, various switch blades, pistols, car
wheel irons.The public enjoys itself oblivious to surroundings, the
risks, the sex workers, police vans, unmarked vehicles, tailed
suspects. ( "Mr Hyde").
Faced with a lonely present, Kersey is fascinated with the chaos in
the streets when arriving from work as a top architect.
The power of the mass media (TV, newspapers, word of mouth), is
underlined,
Thumb prints, ballistic science, blood type matching, researching
records, logical and deductive reasoning of events occurring in the
subway, city parks, underground parking garages, dark streets and
alleys after 9 PM (West side, Columbus Ave) are all valuablDeath Wish - APV55555
Death Wish starring Charles Bronson is a hard boiled action drama about a mild mannered architect turned vigilante after finding his wife murdered and daughter sexually assaulted. This is a classic film that is heavy on violence but worth watching none the less.Charlie Bronson is Cool - TheShamus
In 1974, this movie caused quite a stir. Life began to imitate art, as vigilantes in big cities would reference this movie. Charles Bronson was not a handsome man, but he played a gritty, cold and calculated intelligent individual who took the law into his own hands. In some ways, revenge becomes almost a "romantic" notion -- an especially dangerous notion in the United States, where guns became more glamourous, if not, essential ... in order to protect your family.
While the movie line moves slow to modern standards, the plot is simple -- and it is based on revenge. Politicians recognize that vigilantees can be popular ... and law enforcement needs to uphold the law, even though "bad guys" may be getting their "just desserts".
Of course, at least 4 sequels would follow, but this original movie is the one to see. Bronson is cool ... no getting around it. If you want to see an original, go back and check this out.
/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\
Member Reviews
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A powerful presence with great acting, suspense, tension. - Porkchop
Death Wish (1974) needs no introduction, as almost everyone will
have heard of the film, and sequels it generated.
Starring Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey and the lovely Hope Lange as
Joanna Kersey, and Vincent Gardenia as the saavy, wisest, most
powerful ...Death Wish - APV55555
Death Wish starring Charles Bronson is a hard boiled action drama about a mild mannered architect turned vigilante after finding his wife murdered and daughter sexually assaulted. This is a classic film that is heavy on violence but worth watching none the ...Charlie Bronson is Cool - TheShamus
In 1974, this movie caused quite a stir. Life began to imitate art, as vigilantes in big cities would reference this movie. Charles Bronson was not a handsome man, but he played a gritty, cold and calculated intelligent individual who took the law into his ...