Well, it’s sorta been “vigilante” week here at Apocalypse Headquarters, what with screenings of “Taxi Driver”, William Lustig’s excellent “Vigilante” and now, the granddaddy of them all, 1974’s “Death Wish”. Charles Bronson plays Paul Kersey, a sort of wimpy architect type who’s a far cry from the gun toting, thug-killing vigilante you would expect. Ah, but when his wife and daughter are brutally attacked and humiliated by a gang of punks, Mr. Kersey soon reacquaints himself with a .32 pistol and proceeds to exact bloody revenge on the city’s lowlife of muggers, rapists, and the like. Next thing ya know the crime rate is down, the cops don’t know what to do about the “vigilante killer” and old Chuck is shooting punks left and right, be it in the subway, the parks, it doesn’t matter...no criminal is safe.

What I really liked most about this one is that it took its time in setting things up. Kersey’s transformation from wimpy liberal to trigger-happy vigilante happens slowly and not just in the film’s first ten minutes. This allowed the viewer to understand the character and even come to sympathize with him a little more. Notice how after his first kill he vomits rather than celebrates, the sign of a morally conscience individual, not a killer who kills because he enjoys it. Granted he becomes a little used to killing as the movie goes on, but you get the point.

The movie also has a socially conscience feel throughout, what with the topic of out of control crime, the helpless cops and the even more worthless “justice system”. It also has to be about the worst public relations catastrophe for the city of New York, as the movie portrays it as nothing short of a living hellhole. I love NY indeed. The violence itself is still somewhat shocking, even after thirty years (!), especially when Kersey’s wife and daughter are attacked and sexually humiliated in the beginning. It’s not overly bloody or anything, just rather upfront stuff...Kersey points, Kersey shoots, mugger dies. No fancy camera shots, just lots of violence and dead criminals. Amen. Watching “Death Wish” I found myself cheering Paul Kersey as every human piece of shit bites the dust, and you will as well. This type of flick lets you vent any frustration you may have towards today's judical system, as at least in this movie those who have it coming to em’ actually get it for a change.

Overall, “Death Wish” is nothing fancy, just a real meat and potatoes styled flick. If you like your muggers good and dead, than this one is for you. One last thing, you simply gotta love that last shot of Kersey in the airport...see the film and you’ll get my point. Bang Bang.