Charles Bronson is my favorite actor of all time and the death wish series is no exception.its facinating to see how he fights the bad guys and takes matter into his own hands!all bronson movies are action pack with suspense and the death wish series are the best!charles bronson is no longer with us but he left an extraordinary legacy of movies for all to enjoy!hopefully in death he can reunite with Jill Ireland his beloved wife!!

That's for sure. This film has a lot of storyline, more so than Death Wish 2. I like Hope Lange so its a pity her role`as Kersey's wife couldn't have been larger. I really don't feel this film is 100% true to life in 1970's New York City. It is exagerrated in it's depiction of how much crime NYC used to have. But hey it's only a movie.

Death Wish (1974.) The first film in the Death Wish series.

INTRODUCTION:
In 1974, the widely-loved (and widely controverisal) Death Wish, starring Charles Bronson, arrived in theatres. At its time of release and even in this day and age, the film is still hailed as an excellent one. Read on for my review.

BASIC PLOT:
Following an attack on his family that results in the death of his wife, a New York City architect (Charles Bronson) turns vigilante. With this vigilante roaming the streets, would-be muggers are killed left and right and crime in the city falls drastically - and more of the city's people began standing up for themselves as a result. Unfortunately, this doesn't sit well with everyone. A high-ranking officer in the city's police force wants to arrest the vigilante (it's illegal to own a handgun in NYC.) Everyone else, though, is pleased with the reduction of crime.

FILM OPINIONS:
Not many films like this stand the test of time, but this one certainly does. I will not hesitate to say that Paul Kersey is Charles Bronson's best role EVER. Despite being controversial in its time of release, the film is still loved by many for a number of reasons. The only thing I really don't like about this first installment in the series is that it takes a while for the vigilante action to get going, but once it does, this movie becomes a cinematic and dramatic masterpiece like no other (and since those earlier portions of the film are used extensively for character development, I'm not complaining.) There really is no other film out there like this one (except, of course, other Death Wish films.)

DVD:
Paramount is infamous for releasing DVDs with very few extras. Their Death Wish ones are no exception. The only bonus feature you get is the original theatrical trailer (which really is pointless since you're buying the film.) I'm hoping a special edition will come out someday, not just for this, but for all the films in the series. And while were at it, why not a boxed set of the films?

OVERALL:
Overall, this is a cinematic masterpiece - and arguably the late Charles Bronson's finest hour. If you're into watching bad guys get what they've got coming, the Death Wish series will not fail to please. The first installment in the series is arguably the best - it's certainly the most popular.

A discussion of Charles Bronson that fails to mention the "Death Wish" series isn't really a discussion at all. The first entry in this seminal series arrived on the scene in 1974 during a period in American history when all types of crimes skyrocketed. We can thank the moral laxity inflicted on the rest of us by the Counterculture for the increased numbers of murders, arsons, burglaries, robberies, rapes, and countless other forms of physical and mental assaults that soon became common occurrences on every street in the country. A large percentage of the population, referred to by Nixon as "The Silent Majority," ached to find a way to fight back against the vermin committing these atrocities. Since our embrace of vigilante justice faded away due to the abuses of lynching in the South, and our legal system began letting the scum back out on the streets, only Hollywood seemed to offer refuge to the growing number of victims. Enter the revenge and vigilante genre, the most notable entries of which consisted of the Clint Eastwood "Dirty Harry" pictures. In these films, a cop or outraged citizen would hunt down criminals outside the law, meting out a savage brand of justice we could all cheer about.

"Death Wish" soon became a popular alternative to Eastwood's blow 'em away motion pictures. Set in the cesspool that is New York City in the 1970s, we first meet architect Paul Kersey (Bronson) as he exhibits the comfortable liberalism of a man never victimized by criminals. He believes in the efficacy of the legal system, thinks even criminals deserve a fair chance, and supports gun control. Then the unthinkable happens, a crime so monstrous in its random brutality that Kersey's world changes forever. While he is away drawing up plans for his latest project, a gang of punks follows his wife Joanna (Hope Lange) from the market back to the apartment. Once inside, these animals kill Kersey's wife and savagely violate his only daughter Carol (Kathleen Tolan) in a way best left unelaborated upon here. It's truly a terrible series of scenes, but no more terrible than the total ambivalence and ineffectiveness exhibited by the hospital personnel, the police, and Carol's husband in the aftermath of the attack. Only Kersey feels like he should do something, but his personal beliefs (he was a conscientious objector during the Korean War) leave him struggling over what course of action he should take.

Fortunately, a working trip to Tucson settles the issue for our hero. It is here that he meets Ames Jainchill (Stuart Margolin), a real estate developer and self-defense advocate who indirectly helps Kersey decide what to do upon his return to the Big Apple. He also gives the architect a package containing a handgun and ammunition after learning that Kersey, despite his peaceful beliefs, learned about firearms as a child. Our man returns to the city and sets about settling some scores. Sadly, he will never find the men responsible for the despicable atrocities committed against his family, but there is no shortage of criminals in New York to take revenge on in the meantime. Kersey often heads out to the streets posing as a likely victim, virtually ensuring that some mugger or other miscreant will take notice and move in for the kill. Sure enough, they do. And when they do, Kersey pulls out the pistol and guns them down. The sudden surge in deceased criminals brings in the cops, headed up by the always sniffling and blustering Inspector Frank Ochoa (Vincent Gardenia). New York City authorities quickly discover that a vigilante stalks the streets, and they want to catch the guy fast before he influences other outraged citizens to do the same. Too late. Construction workers start beating muggers to a pulp, and little old ladies fight back, too. Will the cops find Kersey? What will they do to him? Watch and see.

"Death Wish" works as well as it does because the script takes vigilantism very seriously. You won't see Bronson running through the streets mowing down hundreds of bad guys without breaking a sweat--that will come later, in the increasingly ridiculous yet massively entertaining sequels. Here, Paul Kersey agonizes over his decision. After one of his assaults on a criminal, he arrives home so shaken that he becomes physically ill over his actions. Too, our vigilante isn't impervious to damage like so many action heroes, which we learn when a thug manages to stick a knife into him during an attack. The best element of the film is Bronson; he falls prey to the law of diminishing returns in the later sequels and other Cannon schlock with ham handed performances so wooden as to defy description, but not here. "Death Wish" gives the actor better material, material that allows him greater range to practice his talents. I also enjoyed seeing Stuart Margolin--an actor I learned to appreciate during his stint as the hilarious ex-con Angel Martin in "The Rockford Files"--in the role of the perceptive Ames Jainchill. Be sure and look for Jeff Goldblum as "Freak #1." Freak #1! I love it!

It is quite unfortunate the only extra on the disc is a trailer. I think I ought to warn viewers interested in the "Death Wish" films right from the start that MGM did a lousy job transferring these gems to disc. The first film doesn't look too bad, but subsequent entries sadly receive a full screen format. Worse, they actually put edited versions of a couple of the films on the discs. Edited! Can you believe it? Who does that nowadays? Oh, I forgot--MGM, Paramount, and several other big studios who simply don't understand how DVD should work. Still, I highly recommend the first film considering its classic stature.

Some of the best movies made came from the 70's and this is one of them. Charles Bronson gets the combination of straight acting and action man just right in this his most successfully movie of his long career. A hard edged thriller with excellent character development on Bronson's part and tight uncompromising direction by Michael Winner. Highly recommended even to non Bronson fans.