I saw this movie as a chylde and then as a teenager and I was well-impressed by it. Now I see how very simplistic it is. There's not that much nuance to it. Decent hard-working, even peace-loving, folks are being assailed in the cities night and day by roving bands of violent muggers in the cities who are not only threatening, but rude and operating with impunity.
Well, of course living in the city is annoying, but it isn't like that. Nevertheless, we know who this movie was made for - country bumpkins or shut-ins who are afraid to go into the city and get all their knowledge of the situation from crime statistics in the sensationalist media. It's clear this is a propaganda exploitation PSA piece for all the paranoid maniacs in the world clutching their guns in the middle of the night for dear life.
There's no grey area here at all. Paul Kersey is a conscientious objector, reasonable liberal, and overall fine upstanding nice guy, but all manner of bad things befall him. And it seems he can go out every single night and become a honey pot for muggers - so many are there and so brazen they are.
The one - perhaps - better thing from that perspective about this biased movie is that at least Paul is only getting revenge vicariously, as unlike the other movies in the series, he's not actually getting that sweet, sweet spot-hitting revenge against the people who actually wronged him.
Despite all this, and the fact that seeing Bronson trying to pretend to be a a nervous wreck actually comes out looking like comical overacting (who would've known he was actually a character actor with a narrow range), I like this movie. It's full of style and ambiance, whether it's on gritty New York winter nights or in barren places in Tucson. It's directed in a tidy manner. All of the actors do a fine job. And, of course, when it's a matter of acting like a hardened soldier, it's hard to beat Bronson. He might not have much of a range, but what he does best, no one does better.
Honourable Mentions: A Promising Young Woman (2020). The left-wing Death Wish - a woman goes out every night trying to trap men into trying to assault her so she can shame them on social media. Tsk, tsk. Very much also presents a crazy world full of dangers, with the victims, crimes, and solutions all more left-wing than Death Wish. Quite a well-crafted movie, but if I much prefer Death Wish, truth be told - dumb simplicity with a lot of style.
Well, of course living in the city is annoying, but it isn't like that. Nevertheless, we know who this movie was made for - country bumpkins or shut-ins who are afraid to go into the city and get all their knowledge of the situation from crime statistics in the sensationalist media. It's clear this is a propaganda exploitation PSA piece for all the paranoid maniacs in the world clutching their guns in the middle of the night for dear life.
There's no grey area here at all. Paul Kersey is a conscientious objector, reasonable liberal, and overall fine upstanding nice guy, but all manner of bad things befall him. And it seems he can go out every single night and become a honey pot for muggers - so many are there and so brazen they are.
The one - perhaps - better thing from that perspective about this biased movie is that at least Paul is only getting revenge vicariously, as unlike the other movies in the series, he's not actually getting that sweet, sweet spot-hitting revenge against the people who actually wronged him.
Despite all this, and the fact that seeing Bronson trying to pretend to be a a nervous wreck actually comes out looking like comical overacting (who would've known he was actually a character actor with a narrow range), I like this movie. It's full of style and ambiance, whether it's on gritty New York winter nights or in barren places in Tucson. It's directed in a tidy manner. All of the actors do a fine job. And, of course, when it's a matter of acting like a hardened soldier, it's hard to beat Bronson. He might not have much of a range, but what he does best, no one does better.
Honourable Mentions: A Promising Young Woman (2020). The left-wing Death Wish - a woman goes out every night trying to trap men into trying to assault her so she can shame them on social media. Tsk, tsk. Very much also presents a crazy world full of dangers, with the victims, crimes, and solutions all more left-wing than Death Wish. Quite a well-crafted movie, but if I much prefer Death Wish, truth be told - dumb simplicity with a lot of style.