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Post by ck100 on Jul 24, 2024 3:41:47 GMT
Any fans of this drama starring Charles Bronson and directed by Michael Winner? It tends to get overshadowed by its silly-but-enjoyable B-movie sequels, but the original is still an entertaining drama overall. Bronson cuts an effective enough main character to follow. The movie has taken heat for being pro-vigilantism even though the novel the movie is based on is anti-vigilantism. The movie became a success since it came out at a time when crime was rampant in the mid-1970's. I haven't seen the uninspired 2018 remake with Bruce Willis.
Leonard Maltin Movie Guide Review: Death Wish (1974) - 3 out of 4 stars "Audience manipulation at its zenith: Businessman Bronson's wife and daughter are savagely raped, and his wife dies, turning mild-mannered liberal Bronson into a vigilante on N.Y.C. streets. Chilling but irresistible; a bastardization of the Brian Garfield novel, in which vigilantism as a deterrent to crime is not a solution but another problem. Music by Herbie Hancock. One of the muggers is played by Jeff Goldblum, in his film debut. Followed by four sequels."
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Post by Winston Wolfe on Jul 24, 2024 7:04:19 GMT
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Post by moviebuffbrad on Jul 24, 2024 7:16:51 GMT
Pro vigilante, anti vigilante, it kicks ass in either way.
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Post by jcush on Jul 24, 2024 9:03:15 GMT
I'm a fan.
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Post by ck100 on Jul 24, 2024 16:21:58 GMT
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Post by Captain Spencer on Jul 24, 2024 16:47:39 GMT
I'm definitely a fan. Whatever the stance, it's no doubt a thought-provoking action drama. And yes, author Brian Garfield was very pissed off with the changes made from his book, especially with turning Kersey into a vigilante hero.
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Reynard
Sophomore
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Post by Reynard on Jul 24, 2024 22:30:22 GMT
Was this really so much pro-vigilante as many professional critics at the time claimed? I remember it as being more like a detached description of events and not really taking sides. Haven't seen the first one in a long time though. Plus I first saw the series in pretty much reverse order. The sequels are definitely pro-vigilante, that's obvious.
While I enjoy the whole series for what they are, it's a shame that Bronson's trashy Cannon era films seems to be what he is most known for these days, at least besides Once Upon A Time in the West. He was in a lot of quality films with good scripts, directors and production values after OUATITW, but I don't see films like You Can't Win 'Em All, Violent City, Cold Sweat or Hard Times mentioned that much. Even his lesser 70s films have interesting scripts and have a kind of basic quality to them.
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