Review of Death Wish (1974) by Dylan C — 20 Oct 2011

This was an interesting little film. I had wanted to see it for some time, having already seen Charles Bronson in such classics as The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. Along with Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen, he was one of the reigning icons of cool in this film era. I've caught glimpses of the Death Wish seques on TV (knowing full-well that they had a ridiculously over-the-top cheese-factor that contrasted with the original's somber tone), and have teased myself with the trailer a couple of times.

Just to sum it up, the first half is great. It is more than half an hour before our hero fires at a goon. Before then, there is well-constructed build-up: a disturbing rape/murder sequence that makes the audience hungry for justice right off the bat (while also giving us the debut of Jeff Goldblum playing one of the rapists...ass and all); we see Bronson's character struggling with the frustration in losing the love of his life and the inablity to help his traumatized daughter. Then, when he finally starts taking action against the scum of New York, there is a great sense of hesitation and nausea. "Can such a man become a fully-committed vigilante?" The question is provokative, and keeps the film engaging.

Then, of course, the halfway point comes, and the film as a whole drops a few bars. And while it delivered its promise of a few good seventies action moments of heroism, it also left me unsatisfied. Rather than making a more meaningful descent into the world of vigilantism, the film fashions a repetitive narrative pattern: Bronson kills some goons, the police try to find clues of the vigilante's identity, the public embraces the incidents as a step in the right direction for the city, RINSE, LATHER, REPEAT. I noticed something similar in watching "The Boondock Saints," and while such was also a flaw in that film, it had so much more to offer that it managed to work within its resources. What results is a somewhat clunky final act that, while decent and entertaining, falls short of what I expected in the first fifty minutes of the picture.

That said, I enjoyed the film all the same. It's got that seventies grit that I love some much, and features Bronson in perhaps the deepest role I've seen him in. If you're looking for a vintage revenge thriller, this is right up your alley.