Death Wish is great: Ignore the critics and politics

Death Wish is taking a lot of heat and being critiqued by every pundit with a political axe to grind. It’s completely unwarranted.

More from Movies

• The story of a French emperor: Here’s where Napoleon will stream after theaters
• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes honors its origins and far surpasses them
• Thanksgiving movie death toll: Why [SPOILER] is still alive
• No, Thanksgiving is not streaming yet (But here’s where it’ll land)
• Trolls Band Together soundtrack guide: Which songs play in the movie?

You know what you are getting in for. You sat down to watch Death Wish, so don’t be pretentious. It is exactly what everyone expected, and it’s great. Revenge films have been done over and over, and Death Wish is definitely not anything new. And that’s even if it weren’t already a remake of a successful franchise. That doesn’t mean, however, it’s not a blast to watch.

What I’m saying is, you don’t walk into McDonald’s and expect a filet mignon or crab legs. The same is true for Death Wish. Walk in expecting a throwback to ’80s action and gratuitous violence, when everything wasn’t so PC and everyone wasn’t offended by everything. If you do that, you’ll enjoy the film thoroughly.

The setup is clean

In the original Death Wish, Paul Kersey was an architect who had some medical experience from the Korean War. This time around, there is less equivocation about medical abilities aiding his vigilantism. Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon, and uses those skills to the fullest extent. Similar to the original, his wife Lucy (Elisabeth Shue) and college-age daughter Jordan (Camila Morrone) are attacked by criminals, and there is a fatality. As a result, Kersey goes on the hunt. It’s simple.

It’s actually quite refreshing how few liberties were taken when translating the film to 2018. Some times making an artistic choice on something very well known can explode in the performer’s face. Fergie recently learned this lesson.

Guardian angel or Grim Reaper?

Considering the crime in present-day Chicago, and the probability of another shooting or murder by the time this review is finished, the approach Eli Roth took as director is understandable. In fact, if anything is separates from the current politically-based anti-gun arguments. This is about an overburdened police force encountering an overwhelming amount of crime, and a grief ridden man enacting some justice on those who would most likely otherwise not receive it. Some see it as no different as other crime, pointing to the potential for copycats. Slippery slope no doubt. Others see Kersey as a guardian angel, at the scene of a crime immediately when police are minutes away.

Nonetheless, both sides in this version of Death Wish call him the Grim Reaper, because of the hoodie perpetually shadowing his face and for the cold nature in which he takes life.

There is an emotional response

There is little doubt the Charles Bronson films haven’t aged well. Part of why they are lampooned is the minimal effort to invest the audience into Kersey’s family. That issue is covered in spades in the 2018 Death Wish.

You get to know the Kersey family. Lucy is successful in her own right, nearing the completion of a 15-year Ph.D. journey. It’s also pretty clear she has a playful relationship with Paul, giggling when he insinuates intimacy later in the evening . Additionally, their daughter Jordan is about to move to NY for college, despite her parents wishing she had chosen somewhere closer to home.

Furthermore, they support his role as a surgeon. He’s always on call. His job is literally to save lives. His family understands the busy life of a successful surgeon.

There’s even a small part carved out for Uncle Frank (Vincent D’Onofrio), a down-on-his-luck guy who means well. For parts of the film Frank serves as the true conscience.

Watch your favorite shows on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

The action is stellar and believable

The action is incredible, but nowhere near as gruesome as you’d expect considering the pushback. A typically mild-mannered doctor picking up a gun for the first time should have some hiccups. All bases are covered in this regard. Kersey starts out like a Stormtrooper and ends as a competent, legal gun owner.

It’s not quite as bloody and gory as when Sly used a .50-cal. to make Burmese meat paint, but it’s nonetheless satisfying. Indeed, the type of revenge kills are varied. Like he’s giving out unique gifts to each hooligan. You get a head shot! You get a sucking chest wound! Everyone gets a slew of bullets! If anything, it’s actually on the low end as far as revenge flicks go.

The body count doesn’t come close to “death wish Neeson” (Taken) or “death wish Washington” (Man on Fire). Furthermore, the gore and brutality isn’t even in the same hemisphere as “death wish Butler” (Law Abiding Citizen). There is, however, ample brain matter and red mist to keep audiences happy.

In other words, it’s hilariously behind “death wish Reeves” (John Wick) in both body count and carnage.

One homage is the best

For fans of the original series, the end of the first film has always been a tongue-in-cheek favorite. Kersey sees some criminals in his new Chicago home, and makes a threatening gesture when taunted. Suffice to say, the Bruce Willis Death Wish pays homage where it is due, and has a superb duplication of the beloved scene.

To summarize, it’s not complex, but it’s satisfying fury. Death Wish is a revenge action-thriller. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s a blast, and I hope there are sequels that follow the original series.

Next: 12 Strong is another underrated action extravaganza

Fans of Bruce Willis will be pleased. Death Wish accomplishes exactly what it did in 1974. It gets audiences talking about whether or not vigilante justice at the receiving end of a gun is ever warranted.

Death Wish is currently in theaters, and is off to a promising start.