Review: Death Wish

“John McClane is chased by Hank from Breaking Bad, and suddenly I’m dreaming of watching better things…..”

On the surface, Death Wish looks like it will be terrible for a number of reasons: Firstly, it’s a remake of the 1974 Charles Bronson film, and remakes are rarely a good thing.

It is also coming out in the midst of multiple school and mass shootings, just when America might finally be starting to take a few micro steps towards learning the lesson that the more guns you have in a society, the more death you are going to have from gun violence. This film doesn’t really favour that view too much, so it’s a hard one for it to sell to an audience in a time of anger.

It also stars Bruce Willis. Now I’m a big fan of Willis’ work…. When he gives a shit. The problem is, he rarely gives a shit. Not since the first R.E.D movie have we really seen a shit giving Willis. And nothing in the trailer really suggested otherwise.

Then the reviews came out from critics and it was a bashing more violent than anything director Eli Roth could put on the screen. But then came voices of fandom from some pockets of the general audience. But could they just be right-wing Alex Jones listening Trump voters?

I decided to check my liberalism at the door and go in hoping for a Bruce Willis action film. And what did I get? I got a fairly entertaining, not quite as violent as expected, worth going to the cinema movie, even if there are problems with the film so big that Willis probably needs Schwarzenegger and Stallone to come in and help him lift them…

First of all, Bruce himself. Does he give a shit? Not really. He sleepwalks through a lot of the film, and whilst for a lot of the time it doesn’t matter, it’s the emotional scenes that really let him down. It’s not that Willis can’t act enough to portray the emotions required of him, but he doesn’t really look like he can be bothered, and damn it, either can the writers be bothered to write enough dialogue and plot to make the whole concept work. In no way would a highly educated, well respected surgeon turn vigilante this quickly, especially with the few moments of emotional turmoil that Willis gives us.

But where the film works is some of the more modern touches on this story. The viral videos, the radio DJ discussions in the mornings after, and the memes… oh the memes…

The plot is so thin that it’s a simple thing to just sit back and enjoy the guilty pleasure of cars being dropped on people’s heads, bullets fling in all directions, ice cream men get their what for, and Bruce Willis pretending to be a surgeon.

The argument about vigilante justice is kinda squashed by the films unwillingness to really ask any serious questions.. Whilst they discuss the possibility of a slippery slope, and the consequences of just anyone going out to seek justice is shown to backfire, the film still walks on the side of ‘the police can’t protect you so you have to defend yourself’ without ever stopping to ask ‘why can’t the police (in a society obsessed with guns) protect you?’ At 108 minutes, this film has no time for such leftist ideals.

The best performance of the film comes from young new comer Camila Morrone, playing Willis’ daughter. Despite spending a large chunk of the film in a coma, she is easily the best performance. Although Elizabeth Shue also gives a good performance as well in a short time span before sadly leaving us 20 minutes in.

The men however don’t look too interested. Dean Norris plays a cop… of course he does… a slight reminder of Hank from Breaking Bad, but there’s not a lot to his character and his actions at the end of the film are laughable. Vincent D’Onofrio, playing Willis’ brother, feels like his plot was reduced somewhat, as he feels like he should be way more important to the plot than he is.

The action is well shot and feels quite realistic (except for a few head squashing moments). The film also manages to give a few humorous moments in just the right spots that help elevate some of the darkness.

Low expectations are needed, but it is worth the trip to the cinema if you’re looking for an brain-free night out, and you’re a fan of action movies. The hardest part might not be watching the violence, but trying to except Bruce Willis as a highly skills surgeon. However, if a fun revenge flick is what you’re after, and you don’t want to go to the cinema, then rent John Wick. Or for a more serious discussion on vigilantism, watch the original (which I must admit I haven’t seen) or taxi Driver.

The five bearded questions:

1. Was it worth a cinema trip? Yes 2. Would I See It Again at the Cinema? No 3. Would I buy it on Blu-ray: (only films I really love get bought these days) No 4. Do I Recommend people see it? Only if you like action films and Bruce Willis. 5. Any cheese/ Disney style bullshit?: (such as jokes wedged in at serious moments, because fun!). no, but there are some funny moments that work well.