Review of Death Wish (1974) by Kevin R — 12 Jul 2011

This is gun country.

Paul Kersey is a well to do architect in Connecticut with a beautiful wife and daughter that live with him. His son in-law also resides in his condominium with his daughter. One inauspicious day, Paul's wife and daughter stop by the local grocery store and order groceries to be delivered to the house. A local group of hoodlums over hear the request and follow them home. They rape the daughter and kill Paul's wife. Paul will seek revenge using extreme prejudice.

"Someone ought to come. There's a man in there bleeding.".

Michael Winner, director of Bullseye, Death Wish II and IIII, The Big Sleep, The Wicked Lady, Chato's Land, The Mechanic, and Some Like it Cool, delivers Death Wish. The storyline for this picture had potential but did not materialize as I hoped. The action scenes were solid but a bit scarce and the acting was solid for the genre. The cast includes Charles Bronson, Hope Lange, Vincent Gardenia, Jeff Goldblum, and Jack Wallace.

"He paints such marvelous pictures with his paws.".

I have become a dedicated fan of Charles Bronson and his movies. They are fairly inconsistent; but every once in a while, you stumble across a gem. This picture was okay and on par with The Mechanic, which he made around the similar time period. The action scenes and premise were pretty good but the execution was just okay. The movie was boring in parts and the pace of the film was uneven. This is really only worth watching if you are a fan of the action genre.

"Come on down and bring us the money, honey.".

Grade: C+.