Death Wish Review: a VERY FAITHFUL remake!

Movie: Death Wish

Director: Eli Roth

Cast: Bruce Willis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Camila Morrone, Dean Norris, Kimberly Elise

Production Company: MGM

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Death Wish, the film which has Bruce Willis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Camila Morrone in key roles, is an ode to the 1974 Charles Bronson film that goes by the same name. The previous film was successful and relevant for the time due to its apt depiction of New York City and it displayed the level of audacity a parent can house and display if their family is threatened.

Now, speaking of the remake, it gave us hopes of and does indeed excel as far as staying true to the original is concerned as, just like the previous film, this one is relevant, gritty, mind-numbing, poignant and a total treat for all those Die Hard fans of Willis out there as he, just like his other co-stars, is in top form!

For those who are unaware of the previous film, Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon who sees criminal and mugging fatalities on a daily basis, which serves as reason enough for the film to propel in the way it does, but, what really sets in motion is when Paul’s very own family, consisting of a wife and a daughter, gets ambushed, which leads to killing one and sending the other in coma. Post that, Paul decides to take up vigilantism to seek justice. Soon, after his town learns about a series of killings by a hooded man, as it gets recorded on a mobile phone, the town begins to call him the grim reaper!

The plot may sound like a revenge drama that one might have seen the likes of a hundred times already, but the manner in which the film has been treated by its director Eli Roth and team, this one is surely going to make your nails bite. It (very subtly) addresses the subjects of improper gun acquisition procedures (a topic that is very relevant in the States as of now), the unexplainable surge of crime rates and many other things. But, above all, it maintains the flavor of the original as it does make you ask the question that is the tagline of this film, which is “How far would you go to protect your family”.

A must watch for all the action and Bruce Willis fans!