18 February 2009

Charles Bronson in "Death Wish"

Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey
William Redfield as Sam Kreutzer
Jack Wallace as Ives







Urban violence reached its peak in the mid 1970's. In New York, people were afraid to walk the streets at night, muggings were a common, and white flight was in full swing. Paul Kersey is an architect who takes to the streets and pursues vigilante justice after his wife is murdered and his daughter is placed in a coma by thugs.

"Bang Pow!"

However, Paul didn't start out as a violent man. He was a Consciencous Objector in the Korean War, a bleeding heart liberal who has finally had enough. As an architect, he is fighting to reclaim the city that he helped design. Charles Bronson has taken on vigilante roles before, most notably as a cowboy in the Magnificent Seven. However, Death Wish is one of the first films to depect an ordinary citizen taking up arms in a modern urban setting.

Early in the film, Paul's boss sends him to a job in Arizona to get his mind off the attack on his family. It is here, where Paul meets Ames, a local developer. Mind you, this conversation takes place a good 20 years before 'sustainability' was a key word for the in-crowd.

Ames: I wanted you to see this country before you see the drawing back at the office. Give you a better idea. I don't want to change these hills. Don't want to bulldoze them flat.
Paul: You waste a lot of building space.
Ames: Wastin' space. Now those are some words you big architects have got to change for something else.
Paul: Such As....
Ames: Well... Space for life! (pointing at a man on horse at the top of a ridge) Like old Judge up there, space for people! Horses! Cows! I got funny ideas about building things.

The Conscientious Objector and the Cowboy

Later on, Paul is working late at night in the Arizona office. Ames is about to take Paul to the gun club where. A brief conversation about all-nighters takes place.

Ames: When do I get a look-see?
Paul: In a couple days.
Ames: Guard said you were here till after midnight last night.
Paul: Yeah, thats the way I work.
Ames: Somebody once said, I forget who, that he never looked back because something might be gaining on him. Whats gaining on you Paul?
Paul: 20 million dollar investment. What else?

3 comments:

  1. Nice movie it's like to watch max paine and sin city, almost the same script but this one seems to be better.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  2. What a great movie, he sure was an incredible actor, almost all of his movies are good.

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  3. Watch Death Wish Netflix online free on zmovies now. Entertaining, witty, and aggressive; just what the Dr. ordered. Bruce Willis's performance does leave a bit to be desired, at times a bit too monotone in scenes where you wouldn't expect it and not always believable, but he still brings some of his typical charm. Hats off to Director Eli Roth who "saved the day" in my book when it came to some of those lesser moments. There were some glaring issues with the forensics aspect of the story and such that bothered me a bit, but, the movie was entertaining enough to let it go. Overall, sort of a mix between Die Hard and what a sequel to Unbreakable could have been. If you are looking for a bang-bang no-nonsense shoot 'em up, you might be a bit disappointed. If you want an action movie with a dose of comedy (and perhaps secretly tells what many anti-gun liberals are really feeling on the inside), then this it. Now, how about that Unbreakable sequel, someone? See more: https://365movies.is/movies/avengers-infinity-war-04053.html

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