20 Reasons Why You Rock: Death Wish

On July 24, 1974, the Michael Winner directed Death Wish starring Charles Bronson opened in theaters and quickly became one of the hottest movies that summer.

Based on the book by Brian Garfield, Death Wish made Charles Bronson a legitimate A-List star in the United States, something that up until that time had alluded the tough guy actor.

Today we celebrate the 45th Anniversary of this vigilante classic… a movie that changed the game for Charles Bronson and a movie that rocked…

#1- The movie instantly establishes that Charles Bronson is THE MAN. When we first see Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson), he is on a Hawaiian vacation with his wife Joanna. Minutes into the film and Paul is trying to convince Joanna (Hope Lange) to engage in some sex on the beach! That’s a baller move.

#2- Herbie Hancock’s jazz infused music was the perfect fit for the gritty urban backdrop of 1970’s New York City. You don’t have to take my word for it, the music was so good it was stolen by countless Hong Kong produced Bruceploitation pictures for the remainder of the decade.

#3- I love that Paul’s co-worker/friend Sam had the crime statistics memorized and could not wait to share them with his buddy Paul on his first day back from vacation.

#4- Death Wish was the acting debut for Jeff Goldblum, who would go on to be a part of some major blockbusters later in his career like Jurassic Park and Independence Day… but Jeff didn’t use the kind of language in those movies, that he used in Death Wish.

#5- The shot of an emotional Paul Kersey following his wife’s funeral with the snow falling is some really powerful imagery.

#6- Paul Kersey didn’t become a super vigilante over night… he started slow with a sock full of quarters, but there’s no denying he felt empowered when he used the simple weapon to ward off a mugger. A humble beginning.

#7- The character of Aimes Jainchill (Stuart Margolin) rocks on so many levels… his name, his yellow glasses, his car with horns and cow hide interior, the fact that he doesn’t like to hear his neighbor’s toilet flush… Aimes can do no wrong in my book.

#8- Speaking of Aimes, he really helps get Paul Kersey on the fast track to becoming a gun toting vigilante when he first takes Paul to see the wild west show in Old Tucson, then takes him to a gun club (where we first learn that Kersey is one helluva shot) and most importantly the gift he packs in Paul’s bag as a thank you for Paul’s work on his real estate project.

#9- Paul Kersey’s reaction to killing his first mugger felt real. It was a nice touch, but at the same time I am glad he got over it… as nobody needed to see Kersey heaving after every kill.

#10- In total, we get to see Paul Kersey eliminate 11 muggers. Giving the audience what they wanted and then some.

#11- Kersey chuckling at the police commissioner imploring the vigilante to turn himself in during a televised press conference always gets a chuckle out of me.

#12- Another character that rocked was Vincent Gardenia’s Inspector Frank Ochoa. The sniffling and sneezing Ochoa was tasked with solving the vigilante murders and through some quality detective work he finds the proverbial needle in the haystack.

#13- Vigilante Fever sweeps New York City… the TV news, magazines and newspapers are all talking about the vigilante… even the old lady from 227 (Helen Martin) gets caught up in the fever when she fights off some muggers with a hat pin.

#14- The thought of Paul Kersey going down to his local Sherwin Williams and picking out a “cheerful color” for his living room to cover up the graffiti that the muggers who killed his wife put on the walls of his apartment intrigues me.

#15- The game of cat and mouse that Paul Kersey and Frank Ochoa play really builds up the tension in the film and adds another element of danger for the anti-hero Kersey.

#16- Death Wish was the action movie debut for Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, who would become a regular in the genre in the late 80’s/early 90’s for various projects produced by PM Entertainment.

#17- Christopher Guest makes an early film appearance in Death Wish as patrolman Jackson Riley. I have probably shared this before but I always felt that Ed Lauter’s character in Death Wish 3 should have been an older Jackson Riley. Speaking of Death Wish 3…

#18- I applaud the decision by the powers that be in New York City to let Paul Kersey go free. Ochoa delivering the message to Kersey to get out of town and throwing Kersey’s gun into the river opened the door for all the Death Wish sequels.

#19- As much as I love the shot of Kersey in the snow storm, there’s no denying the iconic shot from Death Wish is Kersey doing the finger gun when he arrives in Chicago.

#20- The stories of the visceral reaction movie goers had when they first saw Death Wish in theaters in the summer of 1974 amaze me. When a movie can genuinely strike a chord with people you know you have a movie that is something special.