Review of Death Wish (1974) by Arash X — 22 Sep 2009

Fascinating depiction of urban deprivation and alienation, and how far it is possible for one man to go when pushed to the edge. The film is basically a comic-book movie, as Bronson is referred to throughout as 'The Vigilante', whose identity is forever kept secret.

There is no difference between this storyline and the storyline of any film in which a gunslinger or masked hero appears to clean up a city. The only difference here is the personal element that is involved; Bronson's character is a pacifist up until his wife and daughter are raped, beaten and left traumatised, and it is this part of his character that we are meant to identify with; we are meant to think that we too think ourselves incapable of pulling a trigger on somebody else.

So when Bronson has a gun placed into his hands, we are having a gun placed into our hands; it is almost like we are being challenged, and this is what places us on Bronson's side. The movie itself may not explicitly condone his actions, but by placing us in Bronson's shoes in the way that it does, we have no choice but to condone them ourselves, and any guilt that we may feel is eliminated at the end of the movie, when we discover that the police support the protaganist.

The movie is a triumph of manipulation, but for those who can question themselves, it does not completely close the door on debate on morality.