DEATH WISH

DEATH WISH REDUX

Film Review by FIORE

It’s only natural to compare and contrast two films when one is a remake of the other.  DEATH WISH, with Charles Bronson, made back in 1974, was an iconic film.  It captured the public sentiment vis-à-vis crime and presented it in a fashion of proactiveness when everyone felt helpless.  The film made a star of Bronson, and spawned far too many sequels, none of which measured up to the first.

Now, four decades after the original, Eli Roth is resurrecting DEATH WISH with Bruce Willis.  There are notable differences.  First, Willis is already a bona fide action star; no need to enhance his reputation.  Second, Bronson never had to deal with social media or instant videos when he attempted to clean up New York City.  Finally, while Dean Norris makes an adequate detective, he’s not a streetwise, allergy-suffering hard-boiled one like Vincent Gardenia.

Probably the biggest change, however, is the purpose.  In the first, Bronson’s Paul Kersey is a architect, a bleeding heart liberal who is a conscientious objector to the war and anti-gun.  Ironically, he is a crack shot because he grew up on a farm where gun proficiency is essential for everyday life.  When he is confronted with crime first hand, he loses everything and the film details his transformation from mild-mannered suburban husband to back alley vigilante.  The transformation is a formative part of the film, much like it is in Sam Peckinpah’s STRAW DOGS. 

Willis’ Kersey is a surgeon.   When he is confronted with crime, he doesn’t lose everything and approaches his vengeance from the aspect of saving his daughter.  Rather than a transformation, Willis simply shifts to a temporary violence to ensure family safety.  He never goes full-Rambo.

Roth is known for gore, and so this version has a few scenes of knife cutting that are a bit gruesome.  There is also confusion, especially when it comes to guns, about self-defense in this one.  Willis’ scene in the gun shop, and his final confrontation with Detective Raines are evidence of Roth pandering to a pro gun control crowd.

The first DEATH WISH was a schlock B action film that turned into a classic.  This newest version is also a schlock B action film, though the production values are better.  The new script, while modernizing the story, does not deal with Kersey’s Jekyll and Hyde persona, nor does it stir public response for meting crime with reciprocal violence, as the first.  It’s worth a view, but certainly not as profound.