Sunday, February 19, 2012

Death Wish (1974)


          Among the most controversial movies released by a major studio in the ’70s, Death Wish turned vigilantism into a hot topic around America’s water coolers and a perennial theme for action movies. Whereas the Clint Eastwood vehicle Dirty Harry (1971) manifested late-’60s frustration with the expansion of accused criminals’ rights, Death Wish works on an even more visceral level: It dramatizes the anguish felt by crime victims. Although novelist Brian Garfield, upon whose novel the film is based, reportedly disliked the movie because of the way it seemingly condoned vigilantism, the picture has a measure of nuance—while star Charles Bronson, producer Dino De Laurentiis, and director Michael Winner focus on no-nonsense action, the underlying premise is so provocative that thematic heft unavoidably permeates the bang-bang thrills.
          Bronson plays New York City architect Paul Kersey, whose wife (Hope Lange) and daughter (Kathleen Tolan) are attacked by criminals. The thugs beat Joanna, causing injuries that lead to her death, and rape Carol, sending her into a catatonic state. Shattered, Paul takes a working holiday to Tuscon, where he befriends a gun-enthusiast client (Stuart Margolin), who gives Paul a revolver as a gift. Returning to New York and learning that his family’s assailants will probably never be caught, Paul becomes so preoccupied with street crime that he starts packing heat and looking for trouble. Before long, he’s wiping out every lowlife who crosses his path, thus becoming a folk hero to crime-fatigued New Yorkers. Once the plot gets cooking, the movie depicts the dicey relationship between Manhattan’s mysterious new avenger and the police, notably Detective Frank Ochoa (Vincent Gardenia); while city officials condemn the vigilante’s lawlessness, they relish the downtick in street crime attributed to fear of the gunman.
          While Death Wish is unquestionably lurid and sensationalistic, the harshest criticism of the movie—that it glamorizes vigilantismis not entirely justified. The first time Paul kills a crook, he rushes home and vomits. Furthermore, the crisp screenplay by Wendell Mayes tightens the noose around Paul from the moment he begins his crusade. On a deeper level, the vengeance mission alienates Paul from society, even though he gets a perverse new spring in his step once he takes matters into his own hands.
          That said, the depiction of criminals as interchangeable ciphers makes it impossible to take the movie completely seriously. In this movie’s vision of New York, the streets are crawling with subhuman monsters, mostly African-American, and only a gun-toting cowboy can make the city safe. Even more troubling is the implication that every petty criminal deserves to die. But that’s what’s interesting about Death Wish, above and beyond the fact that it’s an exciting thriller—the movie tackles big themes, albeit clumsily. (Added novelty stems from the presence of future stars Christopher Guest and Jeff Goldblum in small roles, plus the kinetic funk/jazz score created by Herbie Hancock.)
          Death Wish was a major hit with lasting repercussions, vaulting Bronson to the A-list and triggering endless copycat movies. No official sequel appeared until 1982, but Death Wish II is putrid and the subsequent three pictures in the series are even worse, so everything worthwhile about Death Wish resides in the first movie.

Death Wish: GROOVY

6 comments:

Chaarles said...

I agree the sequels are a waste of time. But yes, Death Wish is, I believe, a classic. Great acting, great script, great story, great direction and cinematography.

Tommy Ross said...

The second one wasn't that bad but it should have stopped there, the first one though is great. Its amazing in retrospect that someone like Bronson with minimal acting chops was able to have a draw that would lead to five Death Wish movies. But some actors (like his real life friend Kristofferson) just have that on-screen charisma, we can't take our eyes off them.

freakystyley96 said...

well, Sergio Leone called him the greatest actor he had ever worked with (or something along those lines) and I assume Leone knows a thing or two about acting but I can see where you're coming from.

Cindylover1969 said...

You have to feel bad for his daughter - she gets raped in the first sequel as well (not to mention killed). Also, it's amazing how every female in his life gets offed...

Kevin Mac said...


He's actually quite good in Westerns, such as Magnificent Seven. They seem to be more in his wheelhouse than urban settings. Or maybe he was just getting fed up with acting and was phoning it in for a paycheck later in life. I can relate.

I am so fond of Death Wish 3. For sure in the "so bad it's good" trope. Filmed in an abandoned neighborhood in England, Bronson lays waste to an army of mutant creepos who would seem more at place in a Batman comic. It's a wonderful, cringe-inducing mess.

The main rape victim in this one goes on a few short years later to a terrific role on Star Trek TNG. Some actresses really seem to have to take their lumps before finding lucrative, defining roles. Or something like that :)

Tyler M. Redman said...

Denzel Washington actually isn’t in this film. There is an unnamed actor that looks like him but when questioned Denzel confirmed that he was never in Death Wish.