About Me
1972: Charles Buchinsky aka Charles Bronson meets director Michael Winner in the making of CHATO'S LAND. Then hooks up with the British director to star in a few highly successful urban crime thrillers, including THE MECHANIC (1972) and THE STONE KILLER (1973). However, the film that proved to be a breakthrough for both Bronson and Winner came in 1974 with the release of the controversial DEATH WISH (1974). The US was at the time in the midst of rising street crime, and audiences flocked to see a story about a mild-mannered architect who seeks revenge for the murder of his wife and rape of his daughter by gunning down hoods, rapists and killers on the streets of New York City. So popular was the film that it spawned four sequels over the next 20 years.Paul Kersey, an architect (Charles Bronson), returns to New York after vacation in Hawai with his wife. One day, a bunch of muggers trash his house, rape his daughter and kill his wife. Paul goes to work away from New York in order to overcome the deep shock. When he returns, he goes on a killing rampage, murdering criminals in the streets. New York will never be the same again... What can be possibly written about a movie script that spawned numerous sequels and rip-offs from around the world? The film moves so fast that it reaches it's middle before you even know it! Although the action doesn't stop, the film also provokes thought and raises a debate on the issue of crime & punishment. Also, it shows Kersey's gradual transition from pacifist to vigilante, something that I find very interesting. DEATH WISH is not just another senseless exploitation film that is played only for laughs. This is a film that the viewer can take seriously, although I cannot say the same for it's sequels. The body count in the movie is not low but not high either- this honor goes to DEATH WISH 3. I enjoyed the fact that in the end, Kersey gets away with all the murders with the help of a police inspector. This is perhaps the movie's way of promoting vengeance? The finale shows Kersey still willing to fight crime and it's a perfect way of ending this opus. 9 out of 10 screenplays usually have at least a few flaws. In my opinion, Wendell Mayes' screenplay is flawless. Charles Bronson is at his best. It's no wonder that DEATH WISH is the movie that launched his career and made him a Hollywood star. Countless revenge movies have been made since this one but Bronson was the most convincing vigilante out there, period. His performance in DEATH WISH has depth and it's obvious that Bronson could act, no matter if he always played variations of the same role- especially after this film. Michael Winner seems to be in perfect shape with this movie- his depiction of the violence is cruel and totally realistic. The rape scene is probably one of the most brutal ever- watch out for a young Jeff Goldblum (Cronenberg's THE FLY) shouting "I kill rich cunts!"- It doesn't get better than this. Even from the opening shots, it's obvious that the direction of the film is top-notch. Winner's wonderful compositions are complimented by the colorful cinematography. The New York locations contribute significantly in the creation of a dark, urban atmosphere. This film is a pleasure to look at, it's a work of art. Herbie Hancock's score mixes swinging jazzy themes with horrifying cello and violin themes that build up the tension. This is an original and inspired piece of work and works perfectly in the film. DEATH WISH has been accused of being a "racist film" (and at the same time Bronson was accused of being fascist!) because it depicts black men as robbers. 7 out of 10 criminals in the film are black. But perhaps this is just a coincidence. I would like to hear what Mr. Winner has to say about this. But even if the film was racist on purpose, this does not reduce it's value as an all time classic masterpiece of world cinema. DEATH WISH is the mother of all revenge movies and one of the most influential pictures of the 70's, a real classic from the time when Hollywood was still capable of producing quality films. It's no wonder that it spawned 4 more sequels! DEATH WISH is a flawless movie from every point of view. It's just what fans of the action genre could possibly ask for. One of my favorites since I was a kid and an all-time action masterpiece. Strangely, even after 30 years of existence, the film doesn't lose it's impact and looks exciting after repeated viewings. The next 2 sequels managed to top this in terms of over-the-top violence but failed to re-create the feeling of the original.Not only Bronson/Winner are back in business, they are also financed by Cannon Films, the legendary company that became famous for producing medium-budget trash films for mainstream consumption. The long-awaited sequel kicks off with aerial shots of LA and immediately lets us know (with use of voice-over) of the raise of criminality and violence. Promising. This time Kersey is obviously experienced and knows exactly what to do when a bunch of creeps attack him and steal his wallet. He goes after one of them and eventually spares him. However the scumbags know Kersey's name and home address... The pacing is ultra fast and the film wastes no time at all until we are treated to the most brutal and sleazy rape scene ever put on film: A van stops right outside Kersey's place as a haunting synthesizer chord is heard. Kersey's Hispanic maid Rosario (Silvana Gallardo) is gang-raped, forced to give head and beaten to death. All that is perfectly depicted by the Michael Winner who seems to be in top form. As if Rosario's rape scene wasn't enough already, we get to see Kersey's retarded daughter getting raped by one of the gang members. A truly disturbing vision as we know she is unable to react. DEATH WISH II doesn't really show how mean-spirited it is until Carroll's death scene though: As she tries to escape, she jumps off a window, lands on a spiked fence and gets graphically impaled. Probably the most crushing moment in the whole DEATH WISH series and definitely too gory for Bronson's mainstream audience. It's impact is huge thanks to the tight editing and Jimmy Page's music. Very soon Kersey is out in the streets of LA (Winner does a great job in making them seem dirty and mean) to find the ones who are responsible. He tracks down his first victim very easily and delivers a classic line ("Do you believe in Jesus? - Now you are going to meet him!") just before executing him in cold blood. Definitely another classic moment, showcasing Bronson's cold performance and great vigilante outfit. Before we know it, Kersey takes down another member of the gang, no matter if the film takes no time to explain how he found his victim. But we can forgive it's makers as plot holes usually exist in such fast-moving and gripping films as DEATH WISH II. And honestly I prefer my film to be brainless and fast-moving than slow and boring with too much talking. Inspector Ochoa's character of the original returns here as he is called by the authorities to find out if the vigilante is the same who had killed 9 muggers in New York city some years back. He immediately manages to make Kersey's life difficult by telling his girlfriend about his night activities and also by closely watching him. However Kersey fools her into believing the inspector isn't sane and soon takes the streets again. During the sequence where Ochoa follows Kersey, we can admire the great work of cinematography and also Jimmy Page's score which has a little bit of everything: hard rock, electronic synthesizer themes, horror-oriented themes. It is a shame that such a great piece of work was got the "Razzie Award" nomination as the worst musical score. The stoned-faced vigilante executes more scumbags in a violent shootout but doesn't get to save Ochoa's life when he is shot by one of them. Charles Wilson (aka Nirvana), the most dangerous of the gang and able to beat a whole bunch of policemen by himself, is still loose so Kersey goes after him but the cops get him first. He is transferred to a mental hospital where Kersey awaits him instead of a doctor. After getting in a really rough fight with him, Kersey manages to kill him by electrocuting him and rushes back to his house only to find out that his girlfriend is gone after discovering he is the vigilante. But even if she stayed, she would probably get killed in the next part just like the rest of Paul Kersey's spouses. In the final scene Kersey is asked by his boss if he is busy at nights so that they can go out for dinner. He replies he is not and immediately the film cuts to a shot of the vigilante walking in the streets at night and we hear gunshots when a long shot of the city follows. Priceless.Before starring in DEATH WISH II, Bronson took the time to star in 2 sleazy films directed by veteran filmmaker J. Lee Thompson (THE GUNS OF NAVARONE). Their collaboration went on to be a lasting one as they made many more action movies (all produced by Cannon Films) together. Probably inspired by the slasher film craze of the early 80's, 10 TO MIDNIGHT is a shocking (and original) thriller where Bronson is Leo Kessler, a violent cop that goes after a sexually-motivated killer (Gene Davis) who strips nude before stabbing his female victims! Ignoring all laws, Kessler shoots the killer in cold blood when he threatens the life of his daughter. This one is not to be missed as it is among Bronson's finest! In next year's THE EVIL THAT MEN DO, Bronson is Holland, a retired professional killer who returns to action to avenge the brutal murder of an old friend. Bronson became famous for starring in action films but after DEATH WISH 2, most of his films depicted him as a vengeful character, probably because of the enormous success that the DEATH WISH films enjoyed.I have a weakness for DEATH WISH 3 as I remember my father taking me to watch it at a local theater shortly after it's release. The film kicks off in a very promising way with Bronson arriving at New York in a bus. The shots of NYC and Bronson looking outside the window combined with Jimmy Page's funky music theme make for a great opening. Classic stuff. Moving even faster than part 2, the film rushes to a dirty block of flats where some scumbags violently kill Charlie, Kersey's best friend. When he arrives at Charlie's flat he finds him half dead and that's when the cops appear and bust him. Yea, it's hard to believe that Kersey (using the fake name Paul Kimball here) ends up in prison and it's probably the first time in a DEATH WISH movie that we see him being the victim. It won't be for long though... Behind bars he meets Fraker (Gavan O' Herlihy of NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN) who's probably the meanest scumbag in movie history. Not that you won't see more vicious criminals than him but it's his performance that makes his character so disturbing. Most actors that get to play such characters in movies end up being loved by audiences, eben in a negative way. O' Herlihy is so damn convincing that really makes the viewer hate him. Congratulations to anyone who picked him for Fraker's role. A deal that could never happen in real life soon takes place: Commissioner Shriker (Ed Lauter of THE FRENCH CONNECTION II) identifies Kersey as the vigilante and agrees to let him loose in return for him to start practicing his old hobby again. Back to Charlie's house, Kersey teams up with Bennett (Martin Balsam of TWO EVIL EYES) and a few more neighbors and starts planning his next assault. He buys a fancy car and uses it as bait. The same night he catches two guys stealing it and shoots them. Paul Kersey is back and this time he is more cold-blooded than ever as it is obvious in this scene. He becomes the local hero as he helps people fight against the plague of criminal violence. For the first time some comical touches have been added to the DEATH WISH recipe and they are obvious in the sequence where Kersey prepares the traps for the muggers. Jimmy Page's cheerful musical theme confirms the funny mood in those scenes. Thankfully they are brief though. Lawyer Catherine Davis arrives to find Kersey and she invites him to dinner as she is obviously attracted to her. Fatal mistake lady... Women stay away from Paul Kersey! In the meanwhile the scumbags go on terrorizing the poor people that are unable to react. The Wildey magnum soon arrives: "A .475 Wildey magnum is a shorter version of the African big game cartridge, it makes a real mess". This time Kersey is a professional vigilante and needs to upgrade his equipment. However many viewers have been wondering where did he order that gun from but that is just a detail. The film is short on brains and doesn't take itself too seriously as it was the case with the previous 2 parts. However that is still fine because it is pure entertainment, just the way a fine action movie should be. 00:45: Mrs. Rodriguez who lives next to Kersey gets gang-raped to death. The movie was in it's middle and I was wondering why there was no rape scene until that moment. Winner kept it brief here and avoided the over-the-top brutality of the previous part which became bread for the critics' teeth. The shots of Bronson in a black leather jacket walking through the dangerous roads and alleys during the night are priceless. This time things are hard for him as he has to face many muggers at the same time. But he is Paul Kersey and he cannot be defeated. Especially when he is wearing a bullet proof vest. Things seem to be pretty hard for him as he gets surrounded by the gang members and tension builds up. However he finds a way to sneak out and kill a few more creeps in his way. Another key-scene unfolds as Bennett gives Kersey a Browning machine gun, preparing us for what is about to happen. Paul's new girlfriend gets killed as Fraker pushes her car down the street, leading it to crash with a passing car and explode. The use of music here reminds us of DEATH WISH II as we hear the same theme that can be heard right after Kersey's daughter dies. Each scene lasts one minute maximum as the movie's purpose is to move as fast as possible towards the unbelievable massacre of the climax. Of course that does not mean that it is a rushed effort. The violence that takes here is perfectly choreographed and there are some pretty impressive stunts of people falling off buildings, not to mention the amount of explosions. This time IT IS WAR and the body count is higher than in most of the movies you will see. The final sequence of the mass extermination of the gangs is probably the best thing world cinema ever gave us as it reaches total perfection. Paul Kersey goes wild here as it is the highest moment in his long career of vigilantism. The bodies keep pilling up and this time Kersey's got the police and citizens by his side. Usually each sequel is cheaper than the previous one but here it's exactly the opposite: The budget must have been really big and certainly higher than the ones of the previous DEATH WISH movies. That 20-minute massacre sequence exceeds every expectation and goes beyond anything you have seen and obviously it took many days of hard and complicated shooting. The comparison to the same year's INVASION USA (also a Cannon Group production) is unavoidable as both films focus on non-stop violent action and feature an ending scene where the leading villain is blown to pieces by rocket-launcher. The final shot of Bronson walking away through the remains with his bags in hand is a perfect way to end a perfect movie. Personally I couldn't ask for more than that. If I had to choose 2 movies to take with me while being in a deserted island, one would be DEATH WISH 3. No movie tops it in my book.After the NY massacre of the previous DEATH WISH movie, Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is back at Los Angeles again, working as an architect and having an affair with a reporter. When her daughter dies of cocaine, Kersey is back on the steets for a fourth (!) time, doing what he knows best. This is just unbelievable but highly enjoyable at the same time. As it is the case with all the previous parts of the series, the film moves really fast. It kicks off with a scene of a woman being brutally beaten by a bunch of scumbags. Bronson makes his appearance and-as you can guess- he shoots all of them. When he kills the last one, he takes a closer look at his face and he's got Bronson's face. That's when Kersey wakes up from his nightmare! Not really original but still clever. Kersey is again involved with a woman here, no matter if all of his previous girlfriends/wives were brutally killed- well Jill Ireland got away in DEATH WISH 2 but ok. Hey girls, you better stay away from Kersey, it's not safe having a love affair with him! Bronson doesn't have a really strong motive this time: In the original it was his wife and in the sequel it was his daughter. Here it seems that he doesn't have a really good reason to become vigilante once more. However producers Golan and Globus had a really good reason in making a 4th DEATH WISH since the previous one enjoyed enormous success. After Bronson kills the pusher that was responsible for Erica's death, a rich publisher hires him to kill the major LA drug dealers. So unlike in the previous movies, here Kersey becomes a professional killer. Kersey wipes out many pushers and even makes the major dealers start a war. As the tagline of the movie states, "this time it's war" but the bodycount is still lower than in DEATH WISH 3. Bronson delivers a few classic lines in the movie, especially in the scene where the black pusher finds him in his kitchen. When he asks him what's his purpose of being there, Bronson simply replies "I was making a sandwich" and punches him in the face! As it happens in many US acion movies of the 80's, the protagonist always gets away and manages to kill the bad guys, no matter how many or how strong they are. Yes it's absurd, especially if we consider Bronson's age at the time (he was more than 60) but I can only provide one explanation: He's Paul Kersey! Enough said. The finale with Bronson blowing the bad guy with a rocket launcher is a classic and reminded of the previous part and INVASION USA- yeah, Cannon Films always loved rocket launchers. After Kersey has just eliminated his opponent, a cop attempts to arrest him but he just walks away without giving a shit- as it seems this time the law is not on his side as it happened in previous 3 parts. Another classic ending which is expected of a DEATH WISH movie. As for acting, there's not much to talk about. Bronson delivers everything that is expected of him although there's not much space in the movie for him to completely unfold his talents. J. Lee Thompson approaches the film in a different way than Michael Winner but still delivers some truly great action scenes. His direction is not the most inspired I have ever seen but it's definitely solid. Thompson delivers a unique death scene in which the Black pusher falls from a tall building and lands on his limousine- great stuff! The film has a darker feel to it when compared to the previous parts and I think this is positive. In the oilfield massacre scene, Jay Chataway's theme from INVASION USA (another glorious Cannon Group production) is recycled. The rest of the score is more modern when compared to Jimmy Paige's rock score of the previous 2 parts. Also I'd swear that the fusion theme of the end credits was performed by Chick Corea's Electric Band. This is a great action film and certainly a LOT better than everybody says. DEATH WISH 4: THE CRACKDOWN delivers all the action that's expected of it, plus some classic moments that will probably go down in movie history. It doesn't match the quality of the original as it's the case with most sequels but it's still a classic and it's the last great DEATH WISH movie as part 5 was weak compared to this one. It's also a bit short on brains- I can admit this- but personally I don't expect intellectual approach in action movies.1993: Cannot Films has sadly bitten the dust but producer Menahem Golan is not willing to give up so easily. Charlie is 73 years old but still willing to add another sequel to the series that made him famous as a superstar of action cinema. Or should I say put the last nail in the DEATH WISH coffin? This time Paul Kersey is in engaged to a model (Lesley Anne-Down) who happens to be the ex-wife of mobster Tony O' Shea (Michael Parks of NIGHTMARE BEACH and KILL BILL). Whenever you see a woman getting engaged to kersey in a DEATH wish movie that means she is going to die soon. Only Jill Ireland in part 2 was wise enough to give him the ring back and leave! O' Shea first injures his ex-wife and afterwards kills her, provoking Kersey to become a vigilante for a fifth time. While going after the guilty ones, Kersey finds out that cops and attorneys have been involved in the case and eliminates the corrupted ones as well. I won't even dare to compare this film to the first 3 parts but the sad fact is that even part 4 is way superior than this. Actually the film looks like a movie that was made for television although it was Bronson's final theatrical movie. The violence and nudity are toned down compared to the first parts although they are still too much for a television audience. Bronson is too old to do all the stuff he used to do in the first 4 parts so he invents new ways of killing the bad guys, such as poisoning them or blowing them up using bombs hidden in footballs! Of course all that sounds (and looks) lame compared to the machine gun firing and rocket-launching violence of parts 3 and 4! However, this is still not for children as we get to see Lesley Anne Down's face (of death?) smashed against a mirror, a fat guy getting ran over by a car and Michael Parks having an acid bath! A really disturbing scene and way too gory when compared to the rest of the movie. Not to mention Bronson jumping off a building roof and landing on a pile of garbage! Also look out for Robert Joy (of LAND OF THE DEAD fame) as Freddie Flakes, a mobster that has to face dandruff problems! Not exactly bad but still shameful when compared to any of the previous installments in the legendary series.Rumors about another sequel were heard but for some reason it never happened. Probably because part 5 was so weak that nobody would care for another DEATH WISH. Four great action movies and the weak final part were enough. The DEATH WISH movies became among the most controversial of all time mostly because of their depiction of vengeance and sexual violence. Who could possibly forget the tension of the original DEATH WISH? Or the sleaziness of the sequel? Or the machine-gun firing violence of part 3? Or the rocket-launching finale of THE CRACKDOWN? Or the disgrace of THE FACE OF DEATH? Love them or hate them, the DEATH WISH movies left their mark in cinema history. Earned a bad reputation among intellectual cinema fans but also countless die-hard fans worldwide.Charles Bronson's final film roles were as police commissioner Paul Fein in a well-received trilogy of crime movies that were made for television: FAMILY OF COPS (1995), BREACH OF FAITH: FAMILY OF COPS 2 (1997) and FAMILY OF COPS 3: UNDER SUSPICION (1999). Unfortunately, ill health began to take its toll as Charles suffered from Alzheimers disease for the last few years of his life, and finally passed away from pneumonia at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in August 2003. Bronson was a true icon of international cinema. Critics had few good things to say about his films, but he remained a worldwide fan favorite for 50 years, a claim few other film legends can make.
