Death Wish (1974)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Michael Winner

Writers:

Brian Garfield (novel)
Wendell Mayes (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 July 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime

Tagline:

Vigilante, city style -- Judge, Jury, and Executioner

Plot:

A New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad after his wife is murdered by street punks in which he randomly goes out and kills would-be muggers on the mean streets after dark.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Gun | City | Architect | Police

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Charles Bronson	...	Paul Kersey
Hope Lange	...	Joanna Kersey
Vincent Gardenia	...	Detective Frank Ochoa
Steven Keats	...	Jack Toby
William Redfield	...	Sam Kreutzer
Stuart Margolin	...	Ames Jainchill
Stephen Elliott	...	Police Commissioner
Kathleen Tolan	...	Carol Toby
Jack Wallace	...	Hank
Fred J. Scollay	...	District Attorney
Chris Gampel	...	Ives
Robert Kya-Hill	...	Joe Charles
Edward Grover	...	Lt. Briggs (as Ed Grover)
Jeff Goldblum	...	Freak #1
Christopher Logan	...	Freak #2

Also Known As:

The Sidewalk Vigilante (USA) (working title)
Ein Mann sieht rot (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
A bosszúvágy (Hungary) [hu]
Desejo de Matar (Brazil) [pt]
El justiciero de la ciudad (Spain) [es]
Il giustiziere della notte (Italy) [it]
Nådeløs By (Norway) [no]
O Justiceiro da Noite (Portugal) (original subtitled version) [pt]
O ektelestis tis nyhtas (Greece) [el]
Smrtonosna zelja (Serbia) [sr]
Un justicier dans la ville (France) [fr]
Väkivallan vihollinen (Finland) [fi]
Våldets fiende nr. 1 (Sweden) [sv]
Yara (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Yo soy la justicia (Spain) [es]
Zyczenie smierci (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (2003) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (1974) (cut) | Iceland:16 | UK:18 (re-rating) (2006) (uncut) | West Germany:18 (f) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | France:-16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

2 Park Avenue, Murray Hill, East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

Frank Sinatra was offered the role of Paul Kersey, but backed out.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Kersey chases the last robber at the end of the film, you can clearly see spotlights in the background.

Quotes:

Jack Toby: We gotta let the cops handle this, Dad!
Paul Kersey: Yeah?
[squint]
Paul Kersey: Well, what if the cops can't handle this, Jack?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Boondock Saints (1999)

Classic Remedy For Instant Satisfaction

I guess by now you could call this movie a "classic." It would meet most definitions. It was so popular that it spawned a number of sequels, but they just got dumb and dumber. This is one of the most famous "revenge" movies ever made and still stands up today.

This was a very, very simple story and it panders to our base instincts which is probably why it was so successful. Most people want justice, and they want it now....which is what this movie preaches. At the time, the movie was shocking. If it came out today, it wouldn't have nearly the impact. However, the early scene of the mother and daughter raped and killed is still horrifying. That will never change.

The story then slows down as we see the transformation of the husband, from conscientious objector to vigilante. When Charles Bronson hits the streets, the film picks up big-time. The movie also ends on a very satisfying note.