Death Wish Review

Having not seen all the original but knowing the basis for it, I didn't have too many expectations on content. I didn't know how this movie would turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Story- Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a doctor in Chicago, who sees all sorts of trauma on a daily basis. After a valet at a restaurant gets a group of criminals together to rob Paul's house, they run into his wife Lucy (Elisabeth Shue) and his daughter Jordan (Camila Morrone), who are collateral damage. His wife is killed and his daughter put into a coma (not spoilers, it happens in the beginning and in the trailers), and his brother Frank (Vincent D'Onofrio) gets upset with Detectives Rains and Jackson (Dean Norris and Kimberly Elise, respectively) that nothing is being done to catch the killers. Kersey decides that the best way to exact justice is to dish out the revenge himself, and a RAAAMPAAAAAGEEEE (shout out to the Archer fans who get that reference) ensues.

Cinematography/Props- Since this movie takes place in present day, there wasn't really anything specific that stood out, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It was very interesting how Willis' character acquired his gun however. There was also a reference to certain things in the beginning of the movie, and they had callbacks later on, which I thought was a nice touch.

Acting- This was kind of the only part of the movie I felt was sort of lacking. For the most part, everyone did a fine job, however there were several moments that seemed a bit too cheesy. This could however have been intentional, because the movie is somewhat campy to begin with. It was somewhat reminiscent of Death Proof in a way in terms of the acting. Bruce Willis made his character likable, you felt the weight of his decisions and wanted things to work out for him.

Directing- Eli Roth is honestly one of the most controversial directors out there. His movies are all regarded as torture or gore porn for their sakes. While Roth doesn't have the best track record with critics, most of his movies have a cult following (the Hostel series, Cabin Fever, etc.). I'm personally a fan of his as a director and an actor. Cabin Fever was a really intruiging horror movie, and again doesn't rely on jump scares, but rather psychological and physical manifestations in regard to the disease. He also starred in Inglorious Basterds (this isn't a typo, this is how the movie title is spelled), and I really enjoyed his character alongside the likes of Brad Pitt and company. So when I heard he was directing this movie, and I saw the trailer, I was equal parts concerned and intrigued. He's a talented guy, and I want him to succeed because for the most part he brings a lot of originality to cinema. Even in this movie, he kept the same basic formula for the movie but tweaked it in a new and interesting way.

Soundtrack- The soundtrack was pretty solid for the most part. The OST was subtle but added to the atmosphere, especially in the more intense scenes. There was the standard licensed music that added to some scenes as well. The best use of this was AC/DC "Back in Black" at the end of the movie. They played a trailer beforehand for an action movie that looked like it was shot all on green screen by a guy in his basement, and they had Scorpions "Rock You Like a Hurricane" which was butchered almost beyond recognition, so kudos to this movie for redeeming rock music.

Final Verdict- B+. While this movie wasn't revolutionary, it was a fun action movie and accomplished what it set out to do. It also had a surprisingly relevant message, which was interesting. I say give it a shot.

#BruceWillis #Action #Thriller