Post by moviemouth on Jul 12, 2019 19:34:36 GMT
Dirty Harry
I will never understand the love that Death Wish gets. It's boring, predictable and repetitive and Charles Bronson has very little screen presence and is a very difficult actor to relate to. His performance is as wooden as any performance I have ever seen and his vigilantism becomes very boring very quickly.
Its a rich meditation on societal decay. The scenes in Texas explore this in detail. Aimes is a charming character, probably the most sympathetic in the film.
The film also works as an interesting police procedural. The scenes where Ochoa briefs his team or when he confronts the media or excellent IMO.
I could go on. I can see where you’re coming from, some scenes can seem laborious but I’ve come to appreciate every second of Death Wish. Dirty Harry is a fine film, and head to head it’s a tie for me. There’s not much separating them AFAIC.
That is what it is trying to do, but it failed for me completely. Especially in regards to the cathartic effect. I felt nothing while watching the movie and it is done in a very bland way, particularly because Bronson is such a bland actor. It felt more like it was using all of that as an excuse just to show Bronson murder people.
I am not saying it is a terrible movie, because it isn't. I like the commentary about the police and society, it just does it in a way that leaves me mostly indifferent. It would probably work much better as a short story.