Death Wish gets remade with Bruce Willis

Movie Title: Death Wish

Grade: B

Rating: R

In a Nutshell: With all the debate going on about guns and the 2nd Amendment in our America right now, this movie is tricky. Timing, eh?

It’s all about arming yourself, getting revenge, defending the helpless, and not waiting around for the police to do it. Liberals are going to really hate this movie and yell louder for more gun control. Conservatives are going to be frightened by all the crime out there and get angry enough to want to kick some bad-guy butt. Charles Bronson fans may be disappointed that this movie doesn’t live up to his original. Revenge movie lovers are going to get a kick out of it.

I get it. I feel it. Sometimes I get so tired of all the scumbag thugs in the world that I want to be a vigilante too. Obviously, I believe in obeying the law, which includes not taking the law into your own hands. The truth is I’m not clever enough to outsmart criminals. I appreciated the fact that there is a healthy debate about vigilante behavior by radio talk show hosts, serving as the movie’s moral compass.

Tips for parents:

Profanity and tons of F-bombs
Attempted rape with clothes on
Dying deer gets shot.
Guns, shootings
Bloody, gory, violent deaths

Uplifting theme:

Consequences
Family

Things I liked:

Elisabeth Shue’s biceps looked great. She looked great.
The expressions on Paul Kersey’s face as he watched the YouTube video someone a witness posted of his first vigilante moment.
As much as I love Liam Neeson, I’m glad he wasn’t cast in this one. I thought Bruce Willis was great.
Dean Norris as a police detective. What a stretch. Ha ha
There was a surprising amount of humor.
Cheesy lines before Bruce Willis kills the bad guys.
It’s not a great movie, but if you like to watch a good guy kick bad guy butt, you won’t mind too much.
I like it when men aren’t ashamed of being a man and protecting their family. Our society has emasculated men so much lately that men feel like they have to apologize for their role.

Things I didn’t like:

Eli Roth usually directs horror films, so it’s not surprising that his first action movie has lots of gory deaths.
The original book and film take place in New York, but this version is in Chicago. I’m glad Paul Kersey ended up in New York at the end.
Why do people think they can take what isn’t theirs? Why are there so many scumbags in the world?

Funny lines:

“Well, whatever you’re doing, keep it up.” – Dr. Jill Klavens (Wendy Crewson)
“Who the #?!@! are you?” – Ice Cream Man (Moe JeudyLamour) “Your last customer.” – Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis)

Interesting lines:

* “People rely on the police to keep them safe. That’s the problem. Police only arrive after the crime has taken place. That’s like trapping the fox as he’s coming out of the hen house.” – Ben (Len Cariou)