DEATH WISH (1974)

Action/Drama. Directed by Michael Winner. Starring Charles Bronson, Vincent Gardenia, Hope Lange, William Redfield, Stuart Margolin. Synopsis: A left leaning New York City architect has his outlook on life and living in civilized society when his wife and daughter are brutally attacked. He turns into a street vigilante, roaming the streets of the city and night and turning his gun on criminals and in the defense of victims.

There are some movies that create or define their genre, like Dirty Harry, released two years before Death Wish, and other movies that stand the test of time with their message and attraction, even when the setting of the original becomes dated.

Death Wish is the kind of flick that people will be enjoying twenty years from now and longer. It was the vehicle that made Charles Bronson-already in his late 50's- a star, what we would today call an "action hero" and spawned several sequels, though none come close to matching the impact of this one.

The story is simple and complex at the same time, like so much of the social aftershock from the 60's that was prevalent in the '70's. New York City, the poster child for the urban decay, real and imagined, of the '70's seems a shell of its former self, with the majority of its law abiding citizens effectively abandoning the streets to the hoodlums. It is in this atmosphere that suceessful and content architect Paul Kersey (Bronson) leaves comfortably with his wife (Hope Lange). He has a daughter and son-in-law living out in the burbs who come into town to visit often.

This rosy life is horribly shattered when a group of street thugs force their way into the Kersey's apartment, brutally rape his daughter and beat his wife, resulting in his wife's death and his daughter being institutionalized in a near catatonic state.

Grieving intensely, Kersey reexamines his previously mellow attitude towards crime and other social issues, particularly the feeling that law abiding citizens are powerless to do anything other than sit back, be victimized, and let an increasingly ineffective police force try to protect them. During a business trip to Arizona, a client (Stuart Margolin) who is unapologetic in his love for guns and dislike for big cities helps bring Kersey around a litte bit and we learn that Kersey is proficient with guns, but did not use them for years as his father was lost in a hunting accident. Upon completing business with his client, Kersey returns to New York City with the gift of a gun and an invitation to come to Arizona permanently. Kersey doesn't go West, but he does use the gift and the fun begins.

It isn't fair to look at the relatively few and quick action scenes by today's standards, but those of us of a certain age will understand that this was cutting edge stuff and didn't duck away from some of the important social issues of the time...which makes it still relevant today. Bronson is perfect as Kersey, and you have to wonder if Kersey wasn't actually written to be Bronson. Vincent Gardenia is funny and tough as the detective leading the hunt for the vigilante, dealing with politics along the way.

You will see some recognizable faces in brief appearances here; Jeff Goldblum (Deep Cover, Mini's First Time) as one of the street thugs who attack Kersey's family; Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Welcome Back Kotter); and Olympia Dukakis (Look Who's Talking) among others.

Some may think the movie is right wing propaganda, but I've never bought that, and I'm no right winger (Well, my left wing friends say I am, but my right wing friends say I'm a liberal so...forget it, back to the review), to me its a just a story that taps into the human desire for justice...and revenge.