Death Wish

There are some actors that will always be respected, for making a very powerful impact in cinema history. I could easily talk about legendary actors like Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, and the list would go on forever. But let us talk about legendary actor Charles Bronson. One of the Hollywood legends who have given us a lot of classic westerns, and many great action. From the Western classics such as Once Upon A Time In The West, The Magnificant Seven or one of my personal favourites called Red Sun, Bronson always had a special way to be a part of classic Western cinema. In the 70´s, Bronson started taking a different turn with choosing characters, and this especially was proved when he took on the cult film Death Wish in 1974. Directed by Michael Winner, the story surrounds Paul Kersey, an architect who have his wife murdered and his daughter raped and brutally beaten.  His wife dies, while his daughter survives but is mentally broken. Since the police don´t take action and find the criminals, Paul decide to revenge his wifes death, and for the abuse of his daughter. Death Wish is a revenge film that still today deliver classic cinema value. Charles Bronson in the lead role is a perfect choice, for a revenge movie. I hope we one day can have a Blu Ray release, celebrating the importance of Death Wish. Because let´s be honest, we would probably want to do the same as Charles Bronson did, if our family was attacked. A lot of sequels were released to Death Wish, but not all of them were very good. I would probably say that Death Wish 2 still managed to give the franchise something positive, while you could tell by the third film they were running out of ideas. Since legendary actor Charles Bronson passed away in 2003, we never really heard anything more about the Death Wish franchise. Maybe it is because Death Wish could not work without Charles Bronson, because no one could replace the original Paul Kersey. But last year i read an article online, that they were going to do a remake. That director Eli Roth decided to go on with a remake idea of the Charles Bronson cult classic film. I did not feel very excited about this. Not that every remake have turned out to be bad, but most remakes are usually not as good as the original film. And in the case of Death Wish i was concerned that this would be a really bad idea, since it would be almost impossible to make a film, as good as the 1974 film. As the trailer finally landed, i was still curious to see if if Bruce Willis could make this film any good, since he have had a hard time delivering good films over the years lately. As the film landed on VOD, i took my chance to see if i would be surprised. Is a new remake of Death Wish exactly what we needed, or is this the remake that never should have seen the light of day ?

Dr. Paul Kersey ( Bruce Willis ) works as a trauma surgeon at the Chicago hospital. One night while he is at work, his wife Lucy Rose Kersey ( Elisabeth Shue ) and his daughter Jordan Kersey ( Camila Morrone ) are brutally attacked by criminals. Lucy is killed, while Jordan is still alive but needs intensive care. Paul tries to get answers from the police, but realise that this will take a long time to find any suspects. So he decides to take justice into his own hands, and find the persons who destroyed his family.

When you watch a remake like Death Wish, you realize soon why Hollywood needs to use some original movie ideas instead. Not that this remake is a total disaster, it just can´t give anything special if you compare with the original film. This could have been a fun remake, if it was made with an intelligent plot. The cast is after all filled with talented actors, so this could have been a delightful treat. Unfortunately this remake is made in a very typical action cliche way, so you basically know what will happen. The best part of the movie is to see lead actor Bruce Willis, kick ass and taking out bad guys as Dr. Paul Kersey. There are a few action scenes where he gets to show why he is a great action star. But since this is the only positive thing about this movie, let us talk about the bad parts. The acting is not very good, and you don´t really care about any of the characters. The dramatic scenes feel very boring, it is almost as they were placed there to fill up the empty spots of the film. Since this film is almost like the original film´s plot, where a wife and daughter is brutally attacked, you are supposed to care about what happened to them. But this is not brought up very seriously in this remake, and is only shown in a few scenes as the film goes on instead talking about justice. If this remake would have focused on the revenge theme differently, with an unexpected twist, i would have been more interested. Bruce Willis does not really impress me with his character, but he still knows how to put on a show when violence kicks in. Legendary actor Elisabeth Shue is also here, as the wife if Paul Kersey. She is not in many scenes, but gives her character Lucy Rose a realistic portrait ( except the crying scene ). Actor Vincent D´Onofrio is one of the highlights of this film, as Paul´s brother Frank Kersey. He have money issues, but he is a man who cares about his family. Director Eli Roth have done a lot of different movies over the years, but not in the action genre. His vision of this Death Wish remake does have a few good points, but when he drops all the best parts and just make a very ordinary action film, he gets lost on the path. With not many good characters, or a plot to care about, Death Wish have a hard time finding it´s place for the audience. If you love Bruce Willis, you might have some fun with this remake. If you love the original film, i know you will be disappointed with this remake. There is a reason to why this remake of Death Wish did not do well in box office, Charles Bronson´s cult classic will always be respected among movie fans. I suggest you watch the original film instead.

Rating: DD