Toward the end of his acting career, Bruce Willis starred in a number of direct-to-video action thrillers that used his name and face to draw in viewers. Appearing in only a handful of scenes in most cases, fans were left disappointed by the false advertising that led them to believe the Die Hard actor was the star of the show. Yet among them all, there was a remake of a 70s action classic that placed Willis front and center, and the results were polarizing, to say the least. Now, seven years later, Death Wish is finally getting revenge on critics thanks to streaming.
Starring Willis as Paul Kersey, Death Wish is a remake of the 1974 Charles Bronson vigilante action flick that updates things for a modern era. Switching settings from Manhattan to Chicago, Kersey goes from being a mild-mannered architect to a trauma surgeon in the 2018 version, which ditches the grittiness of the original in favor of a more stylized thriller. It feels more like a choreographed dance where the violence is mapped out beat for beat rather than shocking viewers with its sudden brutality like in the original. The plot remains similar, however, with Kersey dishing out his own brand of justice on criminals after his wife is killed in a home invasion and his daughter is left severely damaged.
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Directed by Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) from a script by Joe Carnahan, (The Grey, Smokin’ Aces), Death Wish hit theaters on March 2, 2018, but its road to the silver screen took some twists and turns along the way. At one point, Sylvester Stallone was set to direct and star in the remake, which would have looked radically different from Roth’s version, with the Rocky great appearing as a cop who never uses his gun until after the fateful night his family is attacked. Another instance saw Liam Neeson and Frank Grillo set to star, but both iterations eventually fell by the wayside.
‘Death Wish’ Failed to Impress Critics, But Fans Loved It
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Taking in just $49.6 million against a budget of $30 million, Death Wish was universally panned by critics at the time of its release, which came less than one month after the Parkland school shooting. Holding just a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, many felt the film glorified gun violence in a way that was irresponsible, and others just flat out thought the film didn’t bring anything new to the table. Take critic Chris Sawin for example, who wrote:
“Death Wish isn’t unwatchable, but it is dreadfully boring to an almost insulting extent. The film caters to obvious action thriller and revenge film stereotypes. It lacks stimulation of any kind and is the most generic vengeance imaginable.”
Fans had differing opinions of Death Wish, however, propelling it to a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Some called it a “satisfying vigilante action thriller” and praised the “vulnerable” performance of Willis, while others noted that it’s one of those movies where you know exactly what you’re going to get, and that was enough for them to enjoy the film’s heavy-handed themes and violence.
Death Wish is now available to stream on MGM+, where it sits in the #9 spot on the list of Top 10 movies. For those that don’t have a subscription, it’s also available to watch for free on Tubi and Pluto TV.
Source: FlixPatrol
Release Date
March 2, 2018
Runtime
107 Minutes
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