Rating: 
Summary: COULD'VE BEEN SOMETHING SPECIAL.
Review: "Death Wish" could have been a fascinating look at how vigilante justice is treated by modern society. Instead, it goes for the easy out as a revenge flick devoid of any real meaning. Very early in the movie, the wife and daughter of Bronson are attacked and his wife ends up dying. The rest of the movie is spent mostly watching Bronson gleefully offing any NYC baddie he gets in his sights. While it does provide some brief moments of guilty fun, "Death Wish" is by far and away a disappointing flick. It would have been infinitely more powerful if the attack occured around halfway through the film. That way the viewer has time to form a real emotional attachment to the victims. Also, the subject of what the police response to a vigilante might be is just barely touched upon here. That, to me, would've been a more substantial storyline to follow rather than constantly showing Bronson use his new gun on a bunch of thugs. To top things off, they made it clear at the end of the film that a sequel was already being thought about. Perhaps they should've worried more about the first "Death Wish" before worrying about how many more they were going to make.
Rating: 
Summary: Still a classic film
Review: When this film was released in theatres in 1974 it immediately sparked controversy for its thought provoking themes of self-defense and revenge. Hope Lange plays Bronson's wife, who is killed by muggers. When the law offers no hope of catching the criminals responsible, Bronson takes matters into his own hands, and starts killing just about everyone who even looks greasy. This is great material, and it spawned a half dozen sequels, of which the next film, Death Wish 2 was the best. One of the landmark films of the 1970's.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful, important film
Review: [This review speaks to the film, not the DVD, which I have not viewed. I would imagine that at the very least the sound would be superior than the VHS version, and for this reason alone I plan on purchasing the film.]I'm still not sure Death Wish gets the credit it deserves after so many years. For some it is simply an awful depiction of city life that condones vigilantism and violence. For others it is a celebration of American values and about the need for people to take action when confronted. I think that people often overlook the function of this film and concentrate too much on the form. On the one hand, I believe credit should be given to Wendell Mayes, the screenwriter, in adapting Brian Garfield's source novel. The original novel is certainly different, but it is also short and often seems rushed, failing to go deeper with some of the important points it brings up. Clearly, the film has different intentions and indeed develops a number of subplots further (most notably the Arizona business trip with Ames Jainchill) in order to paint a picture of American society being pulled apart. The film concentrates much on the metaphor of the American Wild West, past and present. On the one hand, Jainchill represents a new type of American cowboy: a successful businessman who can work with city and country people and incorporate values of the past and present into his life and work. Paul Kersey is a more modern American man who no longer needs to be a "pioneer" and has left guns and violence in the past, seeing them as old fashioned and as symbols of an older, less liberal America. Both of them have been successful in their lives, professionally and personally (though we never see Jainchill's family he boasts of his home as a safe place). This aspect is barely present in the book, and it is a very important development of the screenwriter and director. The city of New York is as much as character as Kersey. While some believe it is made up to appear exaggeratedly dangerous (literally a mugger on every corner) I believe the function of this depiction is metaphorical and useful for the fast pace of the film. Were there as many active muggers in New York in 1974 in every neighborhood? It doesn't really matter. Bronson's nightly activities are designed to attract the attention of the low-level underworld; basically, he's more or less looking for it while presenting an innocent target. It is less provocation than exposure. The film is concerned with a powerful "what if?" scenario and how the public as well as the authorities would react. While some may argue that the film dodges the sensitive subject of vigilantism by having the police and city government broker a deal with Kersey when he's caught, I believe that the film is exposing the right-wing feelings dormant in many viewers and forcing them to think about what they have watched. It is very easy to cheer for Kersey; his work alone brings down the mugging rate in the city. On the other hand, his activity begins to unravel the moral fiber of the police and government, making them reluctant to bring in a criminal who would just as soon be hailed a hero by many. With its manipulative tone the film appears more confrontational to me than if it had presented the capture, lengthy trial, and condemnation of Kersey, since this would simply reinforce our expectations and leave us less engaged and more subdued as viewers. While many may disagree for valid reasons, the power of this film cannot be denied. It is technically well-made as well, with a fantastic Herbie Hancock score (that is highly recommended on CD). One of the question marks people may have is Charles Bronson as the right or wrong actor for this material. Bronson is not the most emotive actor, and his stone-faced transition from bleeding heart liberal to hard-hearted vigilante will either register with viewers by disturbing them slightly or will not resonate because of a missing sensitivity by the actor. This is a fair enough criticism. I personally have come to appreciate Bronson's performance, accepting that his reaction is less important than the setup and the surroundings of his character. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this film for anyone living in America, let alone New York. Some may find the violence nasty and unpleasant, but it works toward feeding our rage with street crime as well as causing us to examine our sensitivity to violence toward anyone.
Rating:
Summary: raw & gripping
Review: Charles Bronson convincingly plays Paul Kersey, a New York architect who's family is attacked by three horrible thugs. The violence in the early part of the film is brutal, but sets the stage for his motive in becoming a vigilante, and puts the audience in the mindset to empathize with his actions. The pacing is fast, and though it has that '70's look, this one doesn't get stale. Vincent Gardenia is excellent as the police chief, and look for Jeff Goldblum's screen debut as one of the three thugs. Herbie Hancock's score is an interesting blend of avant-garde classical and jazz. Director Michael Winner made two other films with Bronson that are favorites..."The Mechanic" and "Chato's Land". Taut and inventive, I watch each of them every few years with renewed fascination.
Rating:
Summary: Charles Bronson is superb...
Review: This is the third freaking time I've written a review for this tape and this is the last one I'm concocting. What can be said about DEATH WISH? Well, a lot more would be said if submitted reviews were posted. OKAY, it's a revenge PLOT! But the very best ever and Alan Ladd can't hold a candle to Chuck! This film has much violence, some rape, and nudity. Enjoy Bronson's mannered but effective performance.
Rating:
Summary: Bernard Goetz's Mentor
Review: Paul Kersy (Charles Bronson) --resident of Manhattan's upper west side in the early 1970's-- comes home one day to find his wife murdered and his daughter so brutally raped that she becomes institutionalized. Later Paul decides to make himself a regular target for street criminals, only he fights back with deadly force. Paul doesn't actually provoke the criminals who attack him, he merely presents a apparently passive target of opportunity. After a while Paul's activities have a deterrent effect on street crime to the embarrassment the DA, the police, and the city politicians. So the police launch an investigation to find who is killing criminals and put a stop to it. Eventually with good detective work, the police find Paul, but there they a political problem. They know Paul will be a hero, so they can't arrest him, they just have to make him stop, and this they do by cutting a deal for him to leave town. Bronson's performance is somewhat wooden, but effective. Unquestionably this film exploits its audience, you can't help but cheer for Paul, loathe his attackers, and resent the authorities. The movie was and is controversial. The liberals hate it, the conservatives love it. The move has been attacked as exaggerating the danger of urban crime. It doesn't. I lived in the very area and at the very time of the movie. Virtually everyone I knew (including myself) had some kind of incident with a street criminal. The movie is not realistic with regard to what would have happened to Paul Kersy once found out. He would have been arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm, and other felonies. He would have been attacked on the editorial page of the New York Times, by Mayor Lindsey, the police commissioner and slew of newspaper columnists and TV commentators. The families of the slain criminals would have sued him, most likely with William Kunstler as the lawyer. There would have been a relentless and effective campaign of personal destruction directed at Paul culminating in a trial. So in this sense the movie fails as social commentary, because it doesn't confront the real issues of crime and punishment and urban politics. But it succeeds splendidly as an emotional cathartic. For this I give it five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, but awful sound!
Review: The movie is a classic, Paul Kersey as the vigilante. I was very disappointed with the sound quality on the DVD. The VHS copy had better sound. It had a good picture, but the sound could have been much better.
Rating:
Summary: Death" Wish for more"
Review: I loved Charles Bronson in "Death Wish". I wish I could find the remaining Death Wish movies on dvd. Great acting and a story line that never gets tiring, In the tradition of dirty harry.
Rating:
Summary: New York Streets Turn Bad
Review: This 1974 movie epic has many flaws for todays movie fan. Unnecessary scenes, Poor street lighting, Some violent moments aren't graphic enough and some bad editing. However the underlying message as we look back to NYC in 1974 is what makes this movie worth the price. Charles Bronson plays a mild mannered successful archiect who becomes bewildered when his daughter is raped and his wife are killed by 3 freaks. He then goes on a vigilante spree counter attacking the cities street scum. This movie is a memoir of the early 70s in New York when people couldn't understand how it could be unsafe to walk the streets at night or leave your address in open view at the grocery. Now we all know about the mugging class but then it was a different time. The city was a safer place but it would change at the expense of Charles Bronsons innocent family. You'll notice a young Jeff Goldblum as a punk. Lawrence Hilton Jacobs who would later be Boom Boom Washington on the late 70's T.V. Series "Welcome Back Kotter". Some violent scenes for todays world would be considered overacted and ridiculous but in the 70's the patriotic belief in America had changed and the crime rate had risen. This movie shows what happened when it started to become dangerous to ride the Central Park West Subway.
Rating:
Summary: Death Wish: Vigilante or Average Citizen
Review: This was an excellent movie. From the beginning to the end it is action-packed and suspenseful. Mr. Bronson made better films after this one, but this one, to me, is a classic. It really hit home because I know how intruders can alter your life. I would recommend this movie to anyone who has a passion for getting even.
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