Death Wish

Death Wish is a 1974 action-crime-drama film based on the 1972 novel 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 by muggers. The film was a major commercial success and generated a movie franchise lasting four sequels over a twenty-year period. The film was denounced by critics as advocating vigi... more

Death Wish is a 1974 action-crime-drama film based on the 1972 novel 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 by muggers. The film was a major commercial success and generated a movie franchise lasting four sequels over a twenty-year period. The film was denounced by critics as advocating vigilantism and unlimited punishment to criminals, but it was seen as echoing a growing mood in the United States as crime rose during the 1970s. The film opens with a montage of Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) and his wife Joanna (Hope Lange) vacationing in Hawaii. They return to New York City where Paul works as an architect. That day, Joanna and their daughter Carol Anne (Kathleen Tolan) are out shopping for groceries at D'Agostino's Supermarket. Three hooligans (one of whom is played by Jeff Goldblum in an early film appearance) are wreaking... less