DEATH WISH – A Review by Cynthia Flores
Not as good as the 1974 classic Death Wish starring Charles Bronson who played Paul Kersey, an architect who becomes a vigilante after his wife is murdered and his daughter is sexually assaulted during a home invasion. In this sixth installment (Yes, there are that many) of the Death Wish series, director Eli Roth reboots the franchise knowing that there’s a whole new generation of filmgoers that have never seen the original. At least I’m sure that’s what he is hoping for. In this 2018 Death Wish, Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is an ER doctor in crime ridden Chicago who sets out to get revenge on the men who killed his wife and left his daughter in a coma after a home invasion.
This film is bloody and brutal once the calm doctor takes the law into his own hands and becomes “The Grim Reaper” that has captured the imagination of social media and local radio show hosts that ask the question, “Are you team Reaper or not?”
The film could have been a great reboot but it’s just a pop-reactionary love note to the guilty pleasure of all things gun. If you see it in a full theater then you might get caught up in the audience applauding all the over the top “justice” dispensed out by the good doctor. But I don’t think this will hold up to repeat views, because the bland moments of Bruce Willis being upset about his dead wife or the way the detectives do a wink wink, ‘we know what’s up and won’t arrest you’ will get annoying.
The first film in 1974 was attacked by critics only because it supported vigilantism, which the book it’s all based on does not. It was the 70s and the US was facing increasing crime rates so it found an audience. I’m not sure this storyline can work in the current atmosphere of debate over gun control – even by putting it in the mean streets of “Chiraq” Chicago.
Bottom line, this new Death Wish is a cheesy remake of a film that sparked four other movies. I doubt this one will do the same. For that reason, and because I’m a fan of the originals, I am giving this a C- Rating.
Directed by Eli Roth
Written By Joe Carnahan
Rated R
Selig Rating C-
Running Time 1 hr 47 min
Drama / Comedy
Wide Release March 3rd
Starring: Bruce Willis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Dean Norris, Kimberly Elise
Movie Site: https://www.deathwish.movie/
The Selig Rating Scale:
A – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
B – Good movie
C – OK movie
D – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
F – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn't paid for it.
