ivo-cobra8 Death Wish (1974) is a classic, realistic powerful cinema action drama about a men and origins of how he become one-men army type to fight against hoodlums and criminals at night on the street of New York. This is the original, powerful realistic performed film. It deals with realism and real performance on screen. "Death Wish" doesn't deal with CGI nor does it deal with special effects. It deals or tries to deal really hard on what is real. I love this film to death it is my favorite film in the franchise. The first four films are great I love action and drama in this movie delivered. Fifth film sucked and they are making now the remake with Bruce Wills and Eli Roth. The guy who directed Knock Knock another awful remake with Keanu Reeves that sucked. Remake "Death Wish" will suck I don't care if it is rated R, it will suck! Charles Bronson and Michael Winner are the real deal. The film is based on Brian Garfield's novel. Wendell Mayes wrote a script while Michael Winner powerful directed this film. Charles Bronson acts perfectly as architect Paul Kersey who turns in to vigilante. The movie shows trough in tier film how this men become a vigilante and mysterious hero. He is not a super hero or The Punisher he is just a normal average working guy. He didn't just turn a vigilante at night so soon, he was a torn apart after his family was brutally assaulted in front of daylight in his apartment. His wife was beaten, murdered and his daughter was raped. The men becomes torn apart and the police doesn't do anything they don't have chance to catch those people who did it. I love the characters in this film, Charles Bronson's performance. I love Vincent Gardenia as Detective Frank Ochoa it also shows the police work, that they do everything to catch the guy who is killing muggers. Vincent Gardenia does a powerful realistic performance as police officer Frank Ochoa doing his job. The movie in my opinion shows realism, that it could have happen to everyone like it did to Paul Kersey. I know sequels are bashed because they are more action films while this film is an action, realistic drama performance from everyone. I only wish that Paul Kersey would catch the killers who killed his wife the movie never showed that. The movie shows the real mean streets of New York that was filmed in the 70's and the movie was shot in New York. Paul Kersey is not a robot, he is a human been who also bleeds and is scared, terrified, not safe on his own streets at night and kills people only in self defense. He even safe a men from been beaten almost to death. This film is the best in the Death Wish series because I understand the character and I understand why he is acting violent. "Death Wish" doesn't bring us Paul Kersey, the action hero but Paul Kersey, a regular men with a lot of demons he must face. "Death Wish" is the best in the series. 10/10 my third favorite in the franchise I enjoy the sequels more, but this movie is arguably great that I will still watch.

alexanderdavies-99382 "Death Wish" was the film that made Charles Bronson into an overnight star and a box office draw. He had made several movies in Europe for a while and became a star over there. He had worked with the British director Michael Winner on three previous occasions and the films they made are great. The above film is their best collaboration. Released in 1974, "Death Wish" pulls no punches in depicting the efforts of Paul Kersey who kills off as many muggers and street punks as he can. These events have resulted after his wife is murdered and his daughter viciously attacked. The audience is truly on the side of Bronson as he takes the law into his own hands. New York is the ideal setting and location for this film. It works to the films advantage to be made in winter time. This adds to the gritty and harsh look of the film - shades of "The French Connection." Charles Bronson was never an actor in the usual sense of the word but his image is perfect for his role here. The supporting cast are excellent, look out for Jeff Goldblum in an early role as a mugger. The plot is fairly streamlined which is an advantage, as the film is kept on an even keel without any unnecessary subplots. The violence isn't particularly pleasant, especially at the beginning of the film. It is no wonder that the B.B.F.C refused to grant "Death Wish" a video certificate when all videos considered for release in the early 80s in Britain, had to be reclassified. As a result, "Death Wish" was exceptionally hard to obtain. Then in 2000, the film suddenly turned up on video, albeit in a censored form. Now on DVD, we have the uncensored version. There are some great action scenes along the way but "Death Wish" is more than that, it is making both political and social comments about vigilantes and law and order in general. The dialogue is certainly above average, considering the films content. It could have easily been the case of just producing cliché- ridden stuff but luckily, this doesn't happen. It is debatable whether Bronson is slightly unhinged in some way, as the vigilante. I would say it is more likely he is expressing the anger and injustice he feels after what has happened to his family and to his way of life. The sequels that followed are pretty good but the original is still my favourite. A classic film of 1970s American cinema and not to be missed.

videorama-759-859391 The one that started it all, and of course the best, sees our unforgettable vigilante, Paul Kersey (Bronson), deliver justice to those punks at night, who like to do stick ups, and rob us innocent folk. But it's the catalyst of this, that is most interesting. Bronson wife (The Ghost and Mrs Muir's Hope Lange) and daughter in law are raped, (Lange not surviving) by a group of punks (the head an early Jeff Goldblum, like you've never seen em before). The daughter in law has resorted to a state of catatonia, blocking it out, making her, as her husband, describes "a vegetable". I imagine this film at the time, would of stirred up a lot of controversy, or may'be caution some muggers out there, on the New York streets at night. The early rape scene is quite intense and disturbing (I was 14 when I first saw this movie) and that's the scene that stands out. Bronson of course, doesn't show enough range of emotions, yet still is wonderfully effective, doing it his own way. I like Stuart Margolin too, and really it's Vincent Gardenia, as the Inspector who's notable, who really has taken Bronson's side from the start. What wasn't believable, really, in this otherwise excellent film, was some of the victims, and community fighting back at muggers, like that old bag lady, which did provide some laughs, on that news bulletin. The film does make you question, should these muggers die, and are we right to fight back? If judging against Goldblum and his freaks at the start, it's an easy "Yes". Goldblum and co company never get caught, and when Bronson asks, the chief detective "Is there a chance they'll catch these guys" and he answers, "Yes, there's always a chance", hey that's really telling like it is. I myself would be afraid to walk the streets of New York, today. One defining moment is when Gardenia, about to exit Bronson's hospital room, coughs with laugh at shock, to Bronson's former statement. The last shot of a sickly smiling Bronson, cocking his finger at some muggers at a bus station, should be etched in the annals of movie history. One fault moment- when the son goes over to Bronsons for dinner, and he's about to turn the music down, just before this, you'll notice a mic, partially sticking down in shot.

Gatorman9 Watching this movie again more than 40 years after it first came out is interesting. While it can still touch a nerve somewhere deep down inside, on the surface at least, it seems heavily clichéd to the point of being cloying. It seems heavy-handed and in terms of its style very heavily dated. I do not think it has stood up all that well to the test of time. Anybody who saw this as an adolescent in the 70's should have enough life experience by now to know it is almost as much of a fantasy as Star Wars. Even where crimes of the nature seen at the beginning of this movie do occur, in real life they don't look, or more importantly, feel the way they are depicted here. It would be interesting to see a thoughtful modern-day remake, but it is unlikely anybody will do a thoughtful one. Instead, you only get even more fantastic, exploitative renditions, in the light of which, it is no wonder America has become a filled with foolish, immature, paranoid gun-crazies that can't go to the bathroom anymore without slinging an assault rifle. As Roger Ebert once said while discussing film noir, "no society could have created a world so filled with doom, fate, fear and betrayal, unless it were essentially naive and optimistic." Hell, maybe the answer to this movie in 2015 is a movie about a "vigilante" who shoots gun-crazies to prove how ridiculous they are. Under these circumstances, I give this one a mere six.