
Death Wish. 1974. USA. Directed by Michael Winner. Screenplay by Wendell Mayes, based on the novel by Brian Garfield. With Charles Bronson, Hope Lange, Vincent Gardenia, William Redfield, Kathleen Tolan, Christopher Guest. 35mm. 93 min.
Sidney Lumet was set to helm this adaptation of Brian Garfield’s novel with Jack Lemmon in the main role, only to choose to direct Serpico instead. Under the direction of Michael Winner, Death Wish became one of the most controversial films of the decade—and a box-office hit that inspired Paramount to increase ticket prices, as they’d done for The Godfather. When architect Charles Bronson’s wife is murdered and daughter is raped in their home, he turns from liberal-minded middle-aged man to avenging serial killer in New York’s crime-ridden streets. Winner’s choice to blur the film’s stance on the character’s trauma as justification for an incessant vengeance spree led to accusations of immorality and racism from critics. As a reflection of an era’s sense of chaos and paranoia—and as an urtext of an urban vigilante film genre with roots in the rugged individualism of the American Western—Death Wish resonates with (mis)perceptions of communal safety and the exploitation of fear for political purposes that remains endemic in 24-hour news channels and social networks.