Death Wish
Short description
Death Wish follows Paul Kersey, a New York City architect and a peaceful man by nature. When his wife is killed and his daughter attacked during a break-in at their home, he grows frustrated with a city where crime goes unpunished. He begins walking the streets at night, armed, and deliberately places himself in dangerous situations, killing muggers and robbers who try to threaten him. His actions draw public attention and press coverage while the police try to identify the man behind the killings.
Michael Winner directed the film, the seventh of the thirteen features he made in chronological order, arriving between Scorpio and The Sentinel. Wendell Mayes, Michael Winner and Gerald Wilson wrote the screenplay. Charles Bronson plays Kersey, with Hope Lange as his wife Joanna and Vincent Gardenia as Frank Ochoa, the detective on the case; Steven Keats, William Redfield and Stuart Margolin also appear among the credited cast of 49. The production, backed by Paramount and Dino De Laurentiis's company, cost about 3 million dollars and returned roughly 22 million worldwide, a strong result for a crime drama of its size. On IMDb it holds 6.9 out of 10 from around 48,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.9 from just under a thousand. The critics' rating stands at 6.6 from 32 reviews, close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The role of Paul Kersey was initially offered to Steve McQueen and Frank Sinatra, but both declined.
- Dino De Laurentiis also initially wanted to title the film "The Sidewalk Vigilante" (which would likely have puzzled translators, as "Vigilante" is a little-known word outside the US, synonymous with "vigilante" or "lyncher," which wouldn't quite fit the film). He thought the word "death" in the title would deter audiences. But he later changed his mind.
- The role of Paul Kersey was also offered to Clint Eastwood, but he replied that it would be better to cast Gregory Peck in the role.
- In 1984, following the notorious case of Bernhard Goetz, who shot four Black teenagers who attacked him on a subway train, Charles Bronson issued an official statement condemning vigilantism and the actions of his character.
- The character in the book was named «Paul Benjamin». The name «Paul Kersey» belonged to one of the extras on the film, who agreed to have the main character named the same way. The reason for changing the book character's name remains a closely guarded secret.
- Paul Kersey was the real name of one of the extras hired for the film. He agreed to allow his name to be used in exchange for appearing in all scenes requiring crowd scenes.
- After completing work on the crime thriller 'The Stone Killer' (1973), its director Michael Winner and the lead actor Charles Bronson began choosing their next joint project, and Winner said that the best screenplay he had come across was called 'Death Wish'. According to the director, it was a story about a man whose wife and daughter were harmed by robbers, after which he shot the robbers. Bronson said that he would also like that, meaning not that he would like to star in the film, but that he would gladly shoot the robbers.
- During the selection of the film's setting, there was a disagreement between Charles Bronson on one side (who suggested filming somewhere in California so he could see his family living in Los Angeles) and director Michael Winner, who insisted on filming in New York. Winner was supported by producer Dino De Laurentiis, and Bronson was forced to concede.
- Brian Garfield, the author of the novel, said that the film was originally intended to be directed by Sidney Lumet, with Jack Lemmon (Paul Kersi) and Henry Fonda (the police chief) in the lead roles, but after Lumet chose the *Serpico* project, Lemmon and Fonda declined.
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