Death Wish II (1982)

Architect Paul Kersey once again becomes a vigilante when he tries to find the five street punks who murdered his daughter and housekeeper, this time on the dark streets of Los Angeles.

Director:

Michael Winner

Writers:

David Engelbach, Brian Garfield (characters)

Stars:

Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Vincent Gardenia

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Bronson	...	Paul Kersey
Jill Ireland	...	Geri Nichols
Vincent Gardenia	...	Det. Frank Ochoa
J.D. Cannon	...	New York D.A.
Anthony Franciosa	...	Herman Baldwin
Ben Frank	...	Inspector Lt. Mankiewicz
Robin Sherwood	...	Carol Kersey
Silvana Gallardo	...	Rosario
Robert F. Lyons	...	Fred McKenzie
Michael Prince	...	Elliott Cass
Drew Snyder	...	Deputy Comm. Hawkins
Paul Lambert	...	New York Police Comm.
Thomas F. Duffy	...	Nirvana (as Thomas Duffy)
Kevyn Major Howard	...	Stomper
Stuart K. Robinson	...	Jiver

Storyline

Paul Kersey, the vigilante, now lives in LA with his daughter, who is still recovering from her attack. He also has a new woman in his life. One day while with them, Kersey is mugged by some punks, Kersey fights back, but they get away. The leader, wanting to get back at Kersey, goes to his house, but Kersey and his daughter Carol are not there. The muggers rape his housekeeper, and when Kersey and his daughter arrive, they knock him out and kidnap her. After they assault her, she leaps out of a window to her death. Kersey then grabs his gun and goes after them. When the LA authorities, deduce they have a vigilante, they decide to consult with New York, who had their vigilante problem. Now the New York officials, knowing that Kersey lives in LA, fears that he's back to his old habit. Fearing that Kersey, when caught will reveal that they let him go instead of prosecuting him send Inspector Ochoa to make sure that doesn't happen.

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Plot Keywords:

rape | prostitute | woman in jeopardy | vigilante | female rear nudity | 

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Taglines:

He wants the filth off the streets. If the police can't do it... He will - his way!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 February 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Death Wish 2

Filming Locations:

Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery - 1831 W. Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$16,100,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,100,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

American-European Productions, City Films, Golan-Globus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 91 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cannon did not want to use Brian Garfield's book, preferring an original story by David Engelbach, Menahem Golan and Hal Landers. "We think our story is a better film story," said Golan.

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Goofs

When Kersey goes to the hospital to kill Charles Wilson, he parks in a handicap space.

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Quotes

Geri Nichols: [after Paul proposes to Geri] Let's get smashed!

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Alternate Versions

The original UK cinema and video versions were extensively cut by BBFC head James Ferman (to the fury of Michael Winner). 3 minutes 42 seconds were removed from the rape of Rosario the housemaid and a minor edit was made to the rape of Carol by Cutter. Although 19 secs of cuts were reinstated for the 2005 video release (the R-rated US release was submitted) the film was then cut again in 2006, losing a further 27 seconds of 'sexual and sexualized violence'.

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Connections

Referenced in 10 to Midnight (1983)

User Reviews

Not As Bad As Critics Say

Of all the Death Wish sequels, this was the best. I think once they got to up part 3 with all the machine guns and rocket launchers, then it started to get a little stupid. The story almost has an identical plot outline as the first one and the action is just as good, if not, then even better. The shootout at San Pedro park was awesome!!! The only difference is that they make Paul Kersey have more emotional interaction with the creeps he kills which makes it seem to be more "Hollywood". In the first Death Wish, Kersey would just kill them stone cold without having a conversation. That's why the original was so good as so realistic.