Death Wish
Directed by: Eli Roth
Written by: Joe Carnahan - From the novel by Brian Garfield - Based on the 1974 film by Wendell Mayes
Starring: Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dean Norris, Kimberly Elise, Camila Morrone, Elizabeth Shue, Beau Knapp, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Jack Kesy, Stephanie Janusauskas, Robert Ozores, Luis Oliva, Sway
Action/Crime/Drama - 107 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 2 Mar 2018
Written by: Joe Carnahan - From the novel by Brian Garfield - Based on the 1974 film by Wendell Mayes
Starring: Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dean Norris, Kimberly Elise, Camila Morrone, Elizabeth Shue, Beau Knapp, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Jack Kesy, Stephanie Janusauskas, Robert Ozores, Luis Oliva, Sway
Action/Crime/Drama - 107 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 2 Mar 2018
Director Eli Roth loves it because controversy may morph into ticket sales, but Death Wish arrives in theaters during a national debate over gun control and the tragedy of mass shootings. The connection? Death Wish has a firearms fetish. Roth took the propaganda slogan, “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun” and resurrected a 1970’s film starring Charles Bronson to explain it to us. Death Wish is a second amendment lover’s wet dream; there is no sort of revenge, justice, or putting bad hombres in their place which cannot be accomplished without the armory of a well regulated militia in your hands. Roth, mostly known for torture porn (the Hostel franchise), wants the audience to have fun, and perhaps the loud guffaws and audible “Get the f*** outta here” exclamations counts as fun. It’s about as light and carefree as an ultra-violent, brain exploding crime thriller can be.
The most unbelievable part of Death Wish is not the bowling ball which saves the day or the rookie marksman nailing the driver of a moving vehicle in the head; it is Dr. Bruce Willis as Paul Kersey, trauma surgeon. Seeing Bruce Willis (Sin City: Dame to Kill For) in scrubs calmly giving orders about milligrams of this and however many volts of that sits about as well as Schwarzenegger as a kindergarten teacher. We all know calamity is just around the corner as Roth overdoes the idyllic home setting with “Don’t Worry Baby” on the soundtrack, a family who consistently tells each other how special they are, and a daughter all giddy about getting in NYU.
The most unbelievable part of Death Wish is not the bowling ball which saves the day or the rookie marksman nailing the driver of a moving vehicle in the head; it is Dr. Bruce Willis as Paul Kersey, trauma surgeon. Seeing Bruce Willis (Sin City: Dame to Kill For) in scrubs calmly giving orders about milligrams of this and however many volts of that sits about as well as Schwarzenegger as a kindergarten teacher. We all know calamity is just around the corner as Roth overdoes the idyllic home setting with “Don’t Worry Baby” on the soundtrack, a family who consistently tells each other how special they are, and a daughter all giddy about getting in NYU.
But this is Chicago. Early voiceover has Mancow and Sway on their respective radio shows calling out how many people were shot this weekend and wondering what, if anything, can be done to stop the violence. After the tragedy we all know is coming, Kersey’s father-in-law says, “People rely on the police to keep them safe, that’s the problem.” Well, that’s Death Wish in a nutshell. The message is the police are weak and ineffective. They wait for clues and explanations to fall into their laps before they lift a finger. If you want to get something done, tuck a pistol into your waistband, pop on a hoodie, and get ‘er done.
Roth and company say this is all to get the conversation going; it’s philosophy folks! Is the Grim Reaper, as social media labels Kersey, a hero or a zero? The particular way Kersey is out for justice against evil and protecting the innocent means Roth wants you to identify and agree with Kersey. He wants you to nod your head and believe you would do the exact same thing. The cops are overwhelmed, our families are not safe, it’s up to the individual to say, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take it anymore!”
Kersey keeps moving the moral goal posts. He starts as the most ethical man around; he saves lives. However, after the tragedy, he keeps pushing where the line is drawn and completely justifies his own actions. Since this is a 2018 re-make, the biggest difference from the 1974 version is technology. The Grim Reaper goes viral and generates his own series of memes and gifs. Modern media is fascinated by criminals and peddle what America wants, more memes. Everyone online experiences the carnage as it happens. The problem with so much exposure is it inspires copycats - ordinary folk not as savvy as Dr. Kersey are turning themselves into hapless vigilantes.
Dr. Kersey reminds me of Willis as David Dunn in Unbreakable; a vigilante but with actual superpowers. Denzel as The Equalizer may be a better comparison. After trying to do everything the right way and have faith in the jurisprudence process, Kersey throws up his hands and brings them back down with a rifle attached. I assume most of the audience lining up for this roller coaster are not familiar with Charles Bronson and the first version of this material. It’s not necessary to know the lineage; this is all about blood splatter and trying to answer the toughest question of them all, what the hell is Vincent D’Onofrio during here and why is his character written so poorly?
★★ REVIEW: Death Wish - Dr. Bruce Willis leads a film for firearm fetishists #DeathWishMovie https://t.co/IVjAwvwHCD
— Charlie Juhl (@CharlieJuhl) March 2, 2018
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