Death Wish

Death Wish (1974)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Michael Winner

Starring: Charles Bronson, Vincent Gardenia, Steven Keats, William Redfield, Hope Lange

From: Paramount

This is more serious than the sequels, yet is still exploitation to the max. The second is too gross to enjoy but the third and fourth are wacky OOT fun. One day I’ll review the 5th then create a list of the entire franchise. Discovering Thursday night that the film was back on Prime meant that it was finally the time to discuss this here.

After hoodlums (including Jeff Goldblum!) commit a heinous assault against his wife & daughter, “bleeding-heart liberal” architect Paul Kersey slowly but surely becomes a vigilante who starts killing various muggers in the Bad New York City of Old. Constantly mildly ill police officer Vincent Gardenia enters the picture and through solid 1970’s detective work, starts to realize who the cause celebre is that has garnered a high amount of media attention.

I won’t comment on my opinion of the film’s stance that supports vigilantism; I will mention that lip service was actually paid to the detail that more minorities than white people were shot by Kersey with a .32. Why, “there are more black muggers than white ones!” That’s a “tug on your collar” sort of awkward I’ll just leave hanging there and move on… personally, the first half was more intriguing than the second; that is because the former showed the impact that a tragic event had on multiple people, and how Kersey shooting his first scumbag was such an adrenaline rush, it literally caused him to vomit. It also provided some needed laughs when Paul spends time in Tucson, Arizona as part of his job and deals with the hilarious character played by Stuart Margolin.

The film can be a mixed bag yet I’m still happy to discuss it here. After all, it was a serious performance from Bronson, some familiar faces (Olympia Dukakis, Christopher Guest) had small roles, and the highlight for me was the awesome Herbie Hancock score; it was during his fusion era and that was part of the music he provided. As this film was a product from madman director Michael Winner but was relatively restrained, it was a pretty good way to spend a Friday night.