Review of Death Wish II (1982) by David G — 27 Jan 2011

Several years after being hounded out of New York, architect-turned-vigilante Paul Kersey has set up shop in the City of Angels with housekeeper Rosaria, new squeeze Jill Ireland and daughter Carol, the latter still suffering from the effects of the attack seen in the first film but showing signs of improvement. Things are going swimmingly until, surprise surprise, another gang attack leaves Rosaria and Carol dead, leading Kersey to once again adopt a double life - architect by day, vigilante killer by night. As you can probably tell, this belated sequel, arriving eight years after the original, takes no risks, giving us basically the same film with a few modifications - most notably Kersey having to keep his murderous night life hidden from his other half. It also strays from the original in that instead of merely lashing out at whoever tries to rob him, Kersey specifically targets the gang that carried out the attack, which may be what people want to see but it just shows a once original idea surrendering to conformity. Also, while Kersey is not yet the Schwarzenegger-esque one man army he's destined to become, the signs of subtlety being urgently ushered towards the nearest exit are clear, with machine guns, akimbo pistols, a car that explodes for no reason and death by electrotherapy high on the agenda!

Charles Bronson returns as Kersey and once again shows very little in the way of emotion - disappointing, but not exactly unexpected. Family murdered, life in ruins, police closing in? I guess shit just happens, now let's go blow away some punks!

Death Wish II is an unadventurous sequel that doesn't do the original justice but it's definitely worth a look if you're in the mood for a no-frills shoot 'em up.