Review of Death Wish II (1982) by Lloyd H — 05 Apr 2013
Charles Bronson returns as vigilante Paul Kersey. The original exploited Death Wish film had a glorified but understandable sense of purpose as Paul Kersey went on a one man mission and took the law into his own hands.
His search for the culprits who brutally killed his wife and raped his daughter lead to the killings of any and every thug he encountered. This second outing however feels like a carbon copy but with less depth or meaning.
The plot is loosely put together and isnt particulay eventful. This time around though Paul Kersey is now in LA as apposed to New York. Trouble seems to follow him and the vigilantism is back in motion as his daughter is raped again.
I stress when using the word 'again' as this films plot has no originality whatsoever. The most frustrating thing about this film is its sense of contradiction. Paul Kersey's wife is killed so he seeks vengeance and his extreme actions are tolerable in the first film.
But this sequel just makes Bronson's character look as guilty as the thugs he so caually and thoughtlessly kills. Sadly I think this films concept is flawed and it abuses the originality and enjoyment of the first film.
It's not even as if there's great action sequences that make up for the films pointless plot. Regardless of how cool Charles Bronson is, Death Wish 2 is something of a meaningless mess.
This review of Death Wish II (1982) was written by Lloyd H on 05 Apr 2013.
Death Wish II has generally received mixed reviews.
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