Eli Roth returns and scales it way back with his latest film Death Wish. Bruce Willis plays Paul Kersey, a surgeon turned vigilante after his family is attacked. While the film feels faithfully planted in its grindhouse/exploitation roots, it is also a modern update without the sleaze factor of the 1974 original. There are many scenes of surveillance cameras, camera phones and monitors that suggest the power of social media and the internet as Kersey learns various weaponry skills simply by watching YouTube posts from gun crazy aficionados. Also included are De Palma-esque split screen sequences as racially mixed media hosts debate if the vigilante is a hero or a criminal.
Considering the recent real life tragic events involving shooters, the film is discomforting during the scenes that are played for laughs. The car shop scene is particularly gruesome, yet effective. Death Wish does deliver a fast-moving action genre thriller and the charisma of Bruce Willis gives the remake an extra polish. It is surprising that MGM did not pull Death Wish from a general release due to timing and it is difficult to recommend. With that in mind, it is not a terrible film either.
🎬🎬🎬 (3 out of 4)
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