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Death Wish

  • 1974
  • R
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
41K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,205
840
Charles Bronson in Death Wish (1974)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer2:18
1 Video
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeDrama

A New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad after his wife is murdered by street punks. In self-defense, the vengeful man kills muggers on the mean streets after dark.A New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad after his wife is murdered by street punks. In self-defense, the vengeful man kills muggers on the mean streets after dark.A New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad after his wife is murdered by street punks. In self-defense, the vengeful man kills muggers on the mean streets after dark.

  • Director
    • Michael Winner
  • Writers
    • Brian Garfield
    • Wendell Mayes
    • Gerald Wilson
  • Stars
    • Charles Bronson
    • Hope Lange
    • Vincent Gardenia
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    41K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,205
    840
    • Director
      • Michael Winner
    • Writers
      • Brian Garfield
      • Wendell Mayes
      • Gerald Wilson
    • Stars
      • Charles Bronson
      • Hope Lange
      • Vincent Gardenia
    • 261User reviews
    • 103Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:18
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos161

    Charles Bronson in Death Wish (1974)
    Charles Bronson in Death Wish (1974)
    Charles Bronson in Death Wish (1974)
    Charles Bronson in Death Wish (1974)
    Charles Bronson in Death Wish (1974)
    Death Wish (1974)
    Death Wish (1974)
    Death Wish (1974)
    Death Wish (1974)
    Death Wish (1974)
    Death Wish (1974)
    Death Wish (1974)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charles Bronson
    Charles Bronson
    • Paul Kersey
    Hope Lange
    Hope Lange
    • Joanna Kersey
    Vincent Gardenia
    Vincent Gardenia
    • Frank Ochoa
    Steven Keats
    Steven Keats
    • Jack Toby
    William Redfield
    William Redfield
    • Sam Kreutzer
    Stuart Margolin
    Stuart Margolin
    • Aimes Jainchill
    Stephen Elliott
    Stephen Elliott
    • Police Commissioner
    Kathleen Tolan
    • Carol Toby
    Jack Wallace
    Jack Wallace
    • Hank
    Fred J. Scollay
    Fred J. Scollay
    • District Attorney
    • (as Fred Scollay)
    Chris Gampel
    Chris Gampel
    • Ives
    Robert Kya-Hill
    Robert Kya-Hill
    • Joe Charles
    Edward Grover
    Edward Grover
    • Lt. Briggs
    • (as Ed Grover)
    Jeff Goldblum
    Jeff Goldblum
    • Freak #1
    Christopher Logan
    • Freak #2
    Gregory Rozakis
    Gregory Rozakis
    • Spraycan
    Floyd Levine
    Floyd Levine
    • Desk Sergeant
    Helen Martin
    Helen Martin
    • Alma Lee Brown
    • Director
      • Michael Winner
    • Writers
      • Brian Garfield
      • Wendell Mayes
      • Gerald Wilson(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      After finishing The Stone Killer (1973), Charles Bronson and Michael Winner wanted to make another film together, and were discussing further projects. "What do we do next?" asked Bronson. "The best script I've got is 'Death Wish'. It's about a man whose wife and daughter are mugged and he goes out and shoots muggers," said Winner. "I'd like to do that," Bronson said. "The film?" asked Winner. Bronson replied, "No . . . shoot muggers."
    • Goofs
      Kersey's first shooting victim is hit in the abdomen, but a police investigator at the crime scene the next morning refers to a bullet hole in his chest.
    • Quotes

      Paul Kersey: Nothing to do but cut and run, huh? What else? What about the old American social custom of self-defense? If the police don't defend us, maybe we ought to do it ourselves.

      Jack Toby: We're not pioneers anymore, Dad.

      Paul Kersey: What are we, Jack?

      Jack Toby: What do you mean?

      Paul Kersey: I mean, if we're not pioneers, what have we become? What do you call people who, when they're faced with a condition or fear, do nothing about it, they just run and hide?

      Jack Toby: Civilized?

      Paul Kersey: No.

    • Crazy credits
      Actresses Olympia Dukakis ('Cop at the Precinct') and Marcia Jean Kurtz as Marcia Jean-Kurtz ('Woman at Airport') get credited in opening credits only. There's no mention of them in the closing credits.
    • Alternate versions
      The UK version classified in 2006 by the British Board of Film Classification retained the 18 certificate, but all of the BBFC's previous cuts were waived.
    • Connections
      Featured in Precious Images (1986)
    • Soundtracks
      Death Wish (Main Title)
      Written and Performed by Herbie Hancock

    User reviews261

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Started a trend for violent vigilante actioners. Slick, enjoyable, well made film, far better than its increasingly dismal sequels.
    The original Death Wish movie is still the only one worth watching. A slick, well-made and enjoyably amoral vigilante drama, it was a huge box office hit in its day. It starts with a chilling rape sequence - still provocative thirty years on - and develops from there into an exciting and perversely funny story of how a man whose life is affected by these disturbing events gets his revenge.

    New York businessman Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is devastated when his wife (Hope Lange) and daughter (Kathleen Tolan) are sexually assaulted in their own home. His wife dies from her injuries and his daughter is so deeply traumatized that she is left in a permanent vegetative state. Kersey tries to get some normality back into his life through work, but deep down inside he's burning for revenge. He knows he will never get the actual gang who harmed his family, but he also realises that crime in general is spreading through the city like a plague. So, armed with a gun and a sense of vigilante justice, he starts patrolling the streets by night, killing muggers, hoodlums and rapists. But for how long can he hand out his own brand of justice without being caught? And at what point does his course of action stop being justifiable? When does he become just as bad as the crooks he is trying to rub out?

    The film is based on a Brian Garfield novel, but in the book vigilantism was illustrated as an extension of crime - just another problem as opposed to a solution. Here Michael Winner, a director always happy to create a few ripples, presents the vigilante as an out-and-out hero. The film basically gives a great big nod of approval to Kersey's actions. The sense of humour really helps the film (I still laugh at the scene where some construction-workers kick the hell out of a crook, and one workman nonchalantly states to the TV reporters: "Erm, we roughed him up a bit before the cops arrived!") Death Wish was a pretty influential film for its era, and in spite of its dated air and its morally dubious stance, it is still a great flick. Just make sure you steer clear of its four utterly terrible sequels.
    helpful•18
    9
    • barnabyrudge
    • Nov 24, 2004

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    FAQ10

    • What is 'Death Wish' about?
    • Is "Death Wish" based on a book?
    • From what did Paul's wife die?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 24, 1974 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Italy
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
      • German
      • French
    • Also known as
      • The Sidewalk Vigilante
    • Filming locations
      • Bear Down Gym, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA(basement firing range)
    • Production companies
      • Dino De Laurentiis
      • Landers-Roberts Productions
      • Scimitar Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $22,000,000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $22,000,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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