"Death Wish" raised a lot of eyebrows and was rather polarizing in 1974. Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is a mild-mannered architect whose life is shattered by a home invasion that leaves his wife dead and his daughter traumatized. Driven by grief and rage, Kersey slowly transforms into a vigilante, seeking justice on the streets of New York City.
The 1970s were marked by public fear rising urban crime rates, "Death Wish" tapped into a growing sense of fear and frustration with authority (and made Charles Bronson a star). The film's depiction of a seemingly powerless individual taking the law into their own hands resonated. Can individual violence be a solution to public violence? The film doesn't provide an answer. Viewers pondered the consequences (aside from several sequels) of Kersey's actions.
The film captures the gritty bleakness of 1970s New York. Bronson's performance as the stoic and determined vigilante is iconic, and his character's transformation is compelling. The various street criminals can border on comic at times, somewhat like those in "The Warriors" or "A Clockwork Orange", and not in a good way. But it was the '70s afterall.
Bonus point for a goofy Jeff Goldblum.
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