Death Wish

Do you remember when movies were made just to be movies, and not to push political agendas? Do you remember when movies where meant to be fun, and not lessons? Do you remember when action movies had a semblance of depth and were not just reliant on CGI?

I do. And so do the makers of Death Wish. Death Wish is a throwback to the good old days, the days of movies like Die Hard - just good solid action movies that took the time to build character and create interesting stories. Death WIsh is not 2 hours of people getting their head blown off (though there are heads blown off, don't worry). I was actually a bit afraid it might be, and was pleasantly surprised at how patient the film is, how it slowly builds its story to what I found to be a gripping conclusion. Death Wish is not really that inventive, but it seems inventive compared to what we've been getting from Hollywood lately. It's rare when you call something both a throwback and refreshing, but that's how I would describe Death Wish.

So in conclusion, if you are you're an average movie goer who wants nothing more than to see Avengers movies again, and again, and again, and who wants some trendy political message crammed down your throat while doing it, then you may not like Death Wish. Or if you are a paid film critic (which today means a paid social justice critic), you will also probably not like Death Wish as it has very little in the way of trendy social lessons on offer. It's just a good movie.

Remakes are usually waste of time, destroying classic films with lower quality rip-offs using the marketing of the original success as an easy way of promotion. A remake of 1974 Charles Bronson´s "Death Wish", maybe his most famous film, sounds an absurd based on the notorious storyline. However, Eli Roth once again succeeds in making an entertaining film, a kind of update of the plot despite the same storyline, with veteran actors and actresses and great music score. If you are neither intellectual nor professional critic and like action movies, you will certainly enjoy "Death Wish" (2018). My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Desejo de Matar" ("Death Wish")

Please note the difference between user reviews and pitiful critic scores.

This movie was well written, thoughtfully acted and I was most impressed by the characters of Paul and Frank (Willis and D'Onofrio, respectively).

Director Eli Roth brings the fun, gory, and pro-gun flick to life and makes every second worth your while.

I highly recommend this film and believe this was a hit, not a miss.

A remake of Michael Winner's Death Wish, that in itself is kind of depressing. How can the filmmakers be so unaware of the times we're living in or maybe they are not, unaware. If they know what they're doing then it's just unforgivable. But if one tries to put all that aside and try to see it just as a movie without any deep or ugly intentions, still doesn't work. No, not for a moment. We've all seen it before, a million times. and much, much better.

Poor old Bruce is showing his age. If you can forgive the lack of 'Die Hard' action and replace it with gore, brain matter being splattered everywhere and a good feel factor ending, this is a great watch during lockdown. Bruce's character is likeable and believable. The storyline (ignoring the original Charles Bronson movie) is plausible and as mentioned, enough gore and satisfying 'punisher' style payback to keep fans happy. There was no cringy old man exertion and silly fights. Just a man being a vigilante. Nicely made and a decent pace with the right amount of action and a few smiles and puns on the way

Well done Bruce, this was your kind of movie. A kind of die hard for a 65 year old ex action hero.