By Marc S. Sanders
I never saw the original Death Wish before. Never felt I needed to having already watched Death Wish II and Death Wish 3. Yes! The inconsistency in the numbers (Roman vs numeral) is how the “saga’s” films are titled. Sometimes self-described writers and studio marketers do not pay attention to the minute details. If you’re gonna be stupid with your five film franchise, then be sure to strive for a complete lack of intellect.
Now before I get back to discussing the original film which I finally watched last week, I offer you this confession. In 1985, there were two films I saw five times each in theaters. Oh God, You Devil and Death Wish 3. I guess Out Of Africa and Prizzi’s Honor did not appeal to my twelve-year-old mentality. Death Wish 3, however, had a hideously violent gang making social progress because they consisted of whites, blacks and Hispanics. A couple of punk girls too. A welcome melting pot of deranged animals operating under an equal opportunity philosophy. They were all pals and they pillaged, robbed, vandalized, murdered and raped the helpless neighbors of the destitute projects in New York. Happy times. More importantly, have you ever seen that shootout that occupies the last thirty minutes of Death Wish 3? It is one for the ages and worth your time to watch on repeat. Dare I say it’s as good as anything in a Stallone, Schwarzenegger or Eastwood actioner.
Here’s where my endorsement stops with this article, though. Skip the first two trashy Death Wish films. Unless you want to see Laurence Fishburn try to shield himself from a Charles Bronson bullet by covering his face with a boom box and then drooling blood and radio parts out of his mouth before collapsing dead on the pavement. That glorious moment occurs midway through the second installment.
Stay with me, now.
Having experienced the happy bloodshed of the third of five films in the Charles Bronson franchise, I am surprised to learn his city architect character Paul Kersey begins the original film as a “bleeding heart liberal” who would prefer to stay away from guns. What a departure for Bronson’s most famous role. All that being said, director Michael Winner likely started filming this piece with a need for a message about justifiable homicide or vigilantism, but unfortunately it very quickly drowns in repulsive ugliness.
I’ll say this for Michael Winner. He’s keen enough to show Paul and his wife (Hope Lange) vacationing in beautiful Hawaii. Then as they return home, an overhead shot of a bloody sun-soaked New York City appears on screen with the title of the picture DEATH WISH in big block letters, accompanied by some sinister sounding music. Hawaii is heaven. Home is hell. John Milton was never this poetic.
Paul Kersey’s wife and adult daughter are attacked in their home. Interesting tidbit! One of the slimeballs is Jeff Goldblum in his first film role. Though there’s nothing for him to be proud of here.
Kersey’s wife dies. The daughter is brutally raped, and I mean brutally. It’s a disgusting scene that offers no sense of sadness or fear or awareness. It also looks as if Winner and his crew and cast never even rehearsed the scene. The poor girl’s clothes are ripped off of her, she’s pulled against one of them from behind by her throat, and then the attackers spray paint the center of her bare anus in orange as a “target” for where to penetrate. Another thug paints a swastika on the wall. What is that supposed to tell me? Then we are treated to seeing Goldblum and company baring themselves and mounting the actress who was awarded this unfortunate role. Reader, I’ve seen just about everything there is to see in films. When I consider the point of delivery that Jodie Foster offered in her Oscar winning role in The Accused, what is smeared across Death Wish is exploitative garbage. Any shred of cinematic artistry is entirely devoid in this picture. In this case it was not just another movie. It’s just truly sickening.
Anyway, Bronson has never been a great actor. Nor has he been charismatic. Yet, there’s a tough guy and dark presence to what the camera found in him. A client gifts Paul a modern-day Colt handgun and considering the high level of violence that occurs within the streets of New York, he takes it upon himself to seek out or bait would be muggers and criminals. He never catches up to the hooligans that tormented his family, but he takes on the mission of cleaning up the streets while a useless police force amounts to little results.
After Paul’s first shooting, he comes home to vomit. I can only guess the liberal cannot stomach what he’s committed. This is about the only dimension we get out of this guy. Paul has boring conversations with his son in law. Poorly acted scenes with actor Steven Keats; poorly acted, poorly directed, poorly written, poorly filmed. Paul hardly ever shares a scene with his traumatized daughter who goes in and out of catatonic states when she appears in the film.
As the body count piles up, a detective played by Vincent Gardenia starts the investigation around town and wrangles up his police force posse to be on alert. Hey, look who is giving a run down on a progress report. It’s Gardenia’s Moonstruck wife, Olympia Dukakis. Pretty neat to see this. Still, Death Wish is not recommended for your Vincent Gardenia/Olympia Dukakis movie marathon.
Death Wish is tone deaf. I’d be interested to see how a liberal, who shutters at violence, transitions into a vigilante. That’s a story with an eccentric transformation. However, Michael Winner and his writers are not even aware or interested in talking to you about that. I only know Paul Kersey starts out as a liberal because his co-worker mockingly calls him one, and again he vomits after his first shooting. How humane of Paul.
I won’t disclose the entire ending, but I’ll share this with you. Paul relocates to Chicago and upon arrival, Michael Winner freeze frames on a grinning Charles Bronson pointing a finger gun at a couple of harassing punks who are tormenting some citizens in a train station. What do I gather from this hint of subtly? I guess Paul Kersey registered with a different political party when he became an Illinois citizen. Quite the message!
2 UNPAID MOVIE CRITICS!!!! 