Death Wish (film)
| Death Wish | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Winner |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Wendell Mayes |
| Based on |
Death Wish by Brian Garfield |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Herbie Hancock |
| Cinematography | Arthur J. Ornitz |
| Edited by | Bernard Gribble |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
Paramount Pictures Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million |
| Box office | $22 million |
Death Wish is a 1974 American vigilante action film loosely based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Brian Garfield. The film was directed by Michael Winner and stars Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife is murdered and his daughter is sexually assaulted during a home invasion. It was the first of a franchise, the Death Wish film series.
At the time of release, the film was attacked by many film critics due to its support of vigilantism and advocating unlimited punishment of criminals. The novel denounced vigilantism, whereas the film embraced the notion. Nevertheless, the film was a commercial success and resonated with the public in the United States, which was facing increasing crime rates during the 1970s.
Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is an architect living in Manhattan with his wife Joanna (Hope Lange) and grown daughter Carol. The film begins with scenes of a recent vacation Paul and Joanna had taken to Hawaii. One day, Joanna and Carol are followed home from D'Agostino's by three thugs who invade the apartment by posing as deliverymen. They fatally injure Joanna and sexually assault Carol.
After his wife's funeral in Connecticut during a snowstorm and shortly following his return to work, Paul's boss gives him an extended business vacation, and he flies to Tucson, Arizona to meet a client, Ames Jainchill (Stuart Margolin). While working in Tucson, Paul witnesses a mock gunfight at Old Tucson, a reconstructed Western frontier town used as a movie set. A few days later while he is working late at Ames's office, Paul is invited to dinner by Ames at his gun club. At the gun club, Ames is impressed when Paul shoots with near accuracy at the targets. Paul reveals that he was a conscientious objector during the Korean War who served as a combat medic. Paul had been taught to handle firearms at a young age by his father, who was a hunter, but after his father was killed in a hunting accident Paul decided to swear never to use guns again. After Paul makes improvements to Ames's plans for a residential development, a thoroughly pleased Ames drives Paul back to the Tucson airport, and presents Paul with a gift, which he places into Paul's checked luggage.
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Wikipedia