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Death Wish
1974 93 min United States of America R 18+
★6.7
Crime, Drama, Action
Director: Michael Winner
📖 Based on the novel
«Death Wish»
byBrian Garfield
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
After his wife is murdered by street punks, a pacifistic New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad, prowling the streets for would-be muggers after dark.
Budget:
$3M
US Gross:
$22M
Worldwide:
$76.6M
Starring
Charles Bronson
Actor
Hope Lange
Actor
Vincent Gardenia
Actor
Awards
1 win & 2 nominations
Key opinion
Death Wish is widely regarded as a genre-defining vigilante thriller that showcases Charles Bronson's most iconic and nuanced performance. While praised for its psychological depth and influence on action cinema, the film remains a lightning rod for debate regarding its promotion of extrajudicial violence and societal vigilantism.
| Acting | Charles Bronson anchors the film with a layered, psychologically grounded performance that elevates the character from a typical action lead to a compelling tragic figure. | |
| Cinematography | The film utilizes visual aesthetics reminiscent of Westerns to effectively frame the decaying urban landscape of 1970s New York. | |
| Theme | The narrative explores the friction between systemic police failure and the seductive, yet dangerous, allure of taking justice into one's own hands. | |
| Theme | The film's tone is frequently debated: some viewers interpret it as a profound reflection on societal collapse, while others criticize it as a potentially irresponsible glorification of lawlessness and fascist ideology. | |
| Screenplay | Opinions on the film's moral framework are divided; some find the protagonist's descent into indiscriminate violence a logical response to trauma, while others argue the film glosses over the character's moral failings and lacks sufficient conflict between law and vigilante justice. |