Death Wish is still a great action thriller 35 years later.
Years before as Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) shouted, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” in the movie Network, Charles Bronson’s Paul Kersey was already there. Death Wish, among other things is a gritty, unflinching look at the urban violence America faced in the 1970s. Paul Kersey, a well to do Architect, discovers his wife murdered and his daughter raped and beaten by unknown intruders.
In an interesting twist on movie convention, Kersey doesn’t seek revenge by going after the men who destroyed his family: he goes after any and all criminals. Bronson’s portrayal of an average guy who, in stages, progresses from amateur to super-vigilante, is very credible. The psychological complexities are intriguing. On one level, he can’t let go of the past, so he continues his rampage yet he berates his son-in-law for not letting go. The every man conditoin that is sprung from the trauma makes sense. His daytime self is normal, while his nighttime self is bloodthirsty.
There is also an ethical complexity to this film. We all know that vigilantism only promotes chaos and anarchy. We know we need a police department to enforce our laws. However, what happens when that law enforcement becomes bogged down by red tape, overwork, and apathy? Paul Kersey did seek justice through proper channels, harrassing the police to move more quickly on the case. It was when that avenue failed that a business trip out west, meeting men who still revel in the old ways of “cowboy justice” convince him to take the law into his own hands.
Again, a very logical reason for his becoming a vigilante and the viewer (already feeling sorry for his losses) cannot help but root for him no matter how wrong we should think it is.
Death Wish, for all it’s violence (and it was pretty graphic for its time) is a disturbing and complex movie. There were many films of the 70′s that tried in vain to have depth, but the social commentary that Death Wish delivers regarding urban violence is very thought provoking…and still poignant.
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