'Death Wish'
If the police don't rewatch movies, maybe we ought to do it ourselves. The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan revisit the original 'Death Wish' from 1974, starring Charles Bronson and Vincent Gardenia.
Cast
Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey
Vincent Gardenia as Inspector Frank Ochoa
Jeff Goldblum as Freak #1
Hope Lange as Joanna Kersey
Directed by: Michael Winner
Written by: Wendell Mayes
Music by: Herbie Hancock
Notes
- Part of Big Ass 70s Month. Bill and CR only, with Craig providing producer comments.
- Placed in the context of the vigilante movie genre: Dirty Harry (1971), Walking Tall, Magnum Force, then 'Death Wish' as the first 'normal person becomes vigilante' movie. Led to The Exterminator, Fighting Back, 'Death Wish' sequels (2-5), Falling Down, The Substitute, The Brave One, Gran Torino, and more.
- $3.7 million budget, made $30 million. Part of the 'scary New York City' movie era alongside Serpico, Mean Streets, 'Taxi Driver', 'The Warriors'.
- Charles Bronson was the 'Liam Neeson of the 70s' – started in Magnificent Seven, Great Escape, Once Upon a Time in the West, went to Europe and became huge, came back as a star. Fourth biggest box office star in 1975 (behind Redford, Streisand, Pacino).
- Bronson turned down The Shootist (didn't want to have cancer in a movie), 'City Slickers' (didn't want to die), tested for Escape from New York (Carpenter said too old). He also said of 'Death Wish': 'I was a really miscast person. It was more a theme for Dustin Hoffman.'
- Original director was Sidney Lumet with Jack Lemmon and Henry Fonda – would have been a much darker, more serious drama. Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, Burt Lancaster, George C. Scott, Frank Sinatra, Lee Marvin, and Elvis Presley all passed or were considered.
- Adapted from Brian Garfield's novel. Garfield was furious about the film, called it 'incendiary' – his book was much more critical of vigilantism. He wrote a follow-up called 'Death Sentence' as a response.
- Dino De Laurentiis and Paramount originally wanted to call it 'The Sidewalk Vigilante' because they thought 'death' in the title was a deterrent. They were wrong.
- Led to real-life copycat vigilante incidents, most famously Bernard Goetz in 1984 who shot four men on the subway.
- Bronson asked for California-based location to be near his family in Bel Air; they said fuck you, we're filming in New York. He wanted his real wife Jill Ireland to play the wife; director Michael Winner wouldn't allow it because of the assault scene.
- Denzel Washington was long rumored to have played one of the alley thugs in his first movie appearance – he denied it, said he hadn't started acting yet and was mad it was on his IMDb page.
Categories
Quote from Rog's review:
“Death Wish is a quasi-fascist advertisement for urban vigilantes, done up in a slick and exciting action movie. We like it even when we're turned off by the message.”
3 stars. Also wrote: 'Michael Winner gives us a New York in the grip of a reign of terror. This doesn't look like 1974, but like one of those bloody future cities in science fiction novels about anarchy in the 21st century.' The New York Times called it 'irresponsible.' Very divisive – reviews ranged from 'nice job' to 'deplorable piece of shit that should be flushed down the toilet.'
- Bill: The roll of quarters – 'Why is he in the bank getting $20 in quarters?' Then he starts swinging them at a mugger. Bill's wife: 'This movie makes me want to go out with a roll of quarters and beat up bad guys.'
- CR: The entire 10-minute Tucson sequence – Wild West saloon brawl, the Ames Jainchill character taking him around, connecting 1970s anxiety with Wild West mythology. 'Sneaky almost best most rewatchable scene for me.'
- Bill: Kersey's first shooting, then the second shooting (three on one) – that's the 'OK motherfucker' moment. Also: the subway double murder (comes back for the second shot for each guy), the subway platform shooting (gets stabbed – he's addicted), and the big ending park shootout with the stairs. Plus the cop telling him to get out of town.
- Bill: Creepy, scary 1970s New York City. A movie hero who's a Korean War vet. TWA Airlines, just walk right on. The overcoats. Magazine billboards telling us what's happening in the story through Harper's and People magazine covers.
- CR: Guys taking long boozy lunches and being racist – going to a bar and grill in the middle of the day for 'four pops and a steak.' Also: liver with spaghetti – 'Has anyone eaten liver with spaghetti since 1974?'
- Bill: Old school 70s police stations ('Barney Miller on steroids'). Cities with wildly different views on guns. Maui in the 70s always looking amazing.
- CR: Charles Bronson's beach body. Paul becoming addicted to the hunt. All the New York media coverage – press conferences, giving him a nickname, the churn of newspaper and TV journalism pre-Internet.
- Bill: Traumatized movie characters who become catatonic – 'always feel like it's a good gimmick.' Sergeant Frank Ochoa picking up the People magazine he's on the cover of.
CR: The wide-angle lenses of the mother and daughter in the apartment before the thugs arrive – 'almost like fisheye, just makes you feel so on edge.'
- CR: Herbie Hancock's score – 'fucking cooking in this. Absolutely amazing.'
- Bill: Paul blasting game show music while making liver and spaghetti with bright orange walls – 'he's just lost his mind at that point.'
Bill and CR: The son-in-law Jack – 'horrible character. Doesn't seem concerned about his father-in-law losing his mind, doesn't really care about his wife.' Also 'Apex Mountain for calling your father-in-law Dad.'
- Bill and CR: The graphic nature of the assault scene – 'way worse than 'Deliverance',' 'pretty close to Spit on Your Grave.' Would never be made this way now.
- Bill: Cameras everywhere would catch the vigilante immediately – 'this movie would be 5 minutes.' Also: not painting the apartment within a day after the graffiti/assault. The Bruce Willis 2018 remake because it wasn't good.
- CR: The nickname 'the vigilante' – 'just dig deeper, New York.' Paul going back to work three days after the most traumatizing thing that could happen. Son-in-laws calling their father-in-law 'Dad.'
Bill: The three bad guys – Jeff Goldblum, Boom Boom Washington, and the third guy. 'I don't know what is going on.' Goldblum is basically in 'The Warriors' five years early.
- Bill: Vigilantes – maybe we need some. 'Cut the crime rate in half of 1973.'
- CR: There's a difference between a vigilante and a thrill seeker with a death wish. Paul didn't do any detective work to find Goldblum – 'he's just walking around gunning guys down.'
- CR: The original Sidney Lumet / Jack Lemmon / Henry Fonda version would have been an amazing fucked-up 70s drama.
- Sidney Lumet was the original director, with Jack Lemmon and Henry Fonda. Lumet turned it down to do Serpico.
- Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, Burt Lancaster, George C. Scott, Frank Sinatra, Lee Marvin, and Elvis Presley all passed or were considered.
- Bill: '1974 Elvis playing Paul Kersey sounds like the greatest movie. Elvis crammed into an architect two-piece suit.'
- CR: George C. Scott would have been good – 'but it might be a little intense given 'Hardcore'.'
- CR: Jack Wallace (Detective Hank) – also in 'Boogie Nights' with Ricky Jay.
- Bill: Stephen Keats as the son-in-law – also in Friends of Eddie Coyle, Black Sunday, and Silent Rage.
Bill: Ames Jainchill – the Tucson guy who takes Paul to the range and the Wild West show. Also: Amelie Brown, the lady in the newscast who fought off muggers with a hat pin.
Bill: John Cazale as the son-in-law. CR: 'Imagine him playing Paul – that would have been amazing.' Bill: Even better than the son-in-law.
- Bronson asked for California-based location; they said no, we're filming in New York.
- The writer Brian Garfield was furious about the film, called it 'incendiary.' He wrote a follow-up novel 'Death Sentence' as a response.
- Bronson defended the film: 'It was intended to be a commentary on violence, to attack violence, not romanticize it.' CR disagrees – 'the last hour you're like, get him, Chuck.'
- There was always a rumor Denzel played one of the alley thugs – he denied it, said he hadn't started acting yet.
- Dino De Laurentiis wanted to call it 'The Sidewalk Vigilante' because 'death' in the title was a deterrent.
- Michael Winner wanted Jill Ireland (Bronson's real wife) for the wife role. Bronson said absolutely not given the assault scene.
- Bronson: Yes – this leads to Hard Times, he becomes the fourth biggest box office star.
- Vincent Gardenia: Yes – takes up most of the second half, comes back for 'Death Wish' 2.
- Vigilante movies: Yes – became a phenomenon in the 70s.
- Scary New York City movies: 'The Warriors' might take this, but 'Death Wish' is up there.
- CR: Switchblades in movies. Also: calling your father-in-law 'Dad.' Also: painting your apartment orange two weeks after your wife is murdered there.
Hanks (unanimous). Craig: 'You need the softness. The turn needs to be the most shocking.' Bill: 'This is the movie I wanted Hanks to make in the 2000s. We needed him to get a little dark. He just never wanted to.'
Obviously Scorsese, although Bill notes Spielberg's version would have been quite different.
CR: Very young, he could have been one of the thugs. Around The Master era, he could have been Paul Kersey. He also would have made a cool Ochoa.
- Bill: The doctor delivers the 'your wife died' news so abruptly – Bill's wife: 'Maybe there wasn't enough awareness on how doctors should talk to patients yet.' CR: 'Oh your wife's dead. But she's going to make it. You guys see the Mets game?'
- Bill: Not painting the apartment within a day. Also: people in a restaurant watching a news conference like it's Game 7.
- CR: The entire movie doesn't have a single warrant – 'there's not a single warrant in this movie.'
Bill pitches an Apple TV prestige 'Death Wish' with Jake Gyllenhaal. CR: 'Maybe he goes to Utah, starts listening to right-wing podcasts. Comes back to the architecture firm: you guys heard Rogan? We're apparently supposed to be hunting our own food.' Craig's take: a Luigi Mangione-style twist with corporate vigilantism could work now.
- CR as Wayne Jenkins: 'God damn, Paul, you're kind of freaking me out. I'm speechless. I guess I'm going to make sure you don't go away for a long fucking time, big boy. But that orange paint is starting to give me some questions.'
- Bill: Nell should be in the park in one of the scenes. Also: Ryan Ruocco on the subway platform – 'Kersey! Beg and beg again!'
Herbie Hancock for the score.
- CR: Would the commissioner, district attorney, and cop all agree to suppress his arrest and just let him transfer to Chicago?
- Bill: How does Kersey explain the gunshot wound to his employer? 'Appendectomy?'
- Bill: The gun with the case that says 'To Paul' – 'I'd put that in the office.'
- CR: The People magazine cover with Ochoa.
- Bill: Bring your groceries home if you live 2 blocks away.
- CR: If you're feeling like it's time to cut and run from New York City, maybe you should do it.
- Bill: Falling Down.
- CR: 'The Warriors' – 'the flip side of the 70s New York experience. This is essentially the Jeff Goldblum movie.'
Bronson. Charlie.
Craig: 'This probably won't make the top-five list at the end of the year. I thought it was miscast and stale and very two-dimensional, and the brutality of it was not redeemed by the story. It just felt half-assed to me.' But noted there's a modern tweak that could work – the Luigi Mangione/corporate vigilantism angle with complicated feelings about killing CEO types. His flex: The Dan Campbell scale for 'holy shit, are they really going for this right now?' comparing the mugger escalation (vandalism to swastika to worse) to a flea flicker play.