Death Wish 2018 Is Surprisingly Decent Remake To its Classic Yet Controversial Predecessor

       Remakes to old Hollywood movies are a dime a dozen nowadays. For some strange reason, the powers at be in Hollywood feel that audiences want to see remakes to classic movies despite most cases being the films never reach the same level of quality as their predecessors and end up underperforming. In regards to action movies being remade and modernized, the result is almost a unanimous failure with the remakes of Robocop and Total Recall not only underperforming financially but also falling far below the quality of their predecessors, both of which have become classics by today's standards. The remake of Death Wish is one in which no one asked for not just because the first one is a classic by the same standards the original Robocop
and Total Recall are held to, but the film also contains undertones with its plot that don't sit very well with today's political climate. What made the original Death Wish a classic to action movie fans was its shock value regarding the films level of violence, that made it highly effective while retaining an exploitation feel. The original was certainly not a film for everyone as its ultimate message puts off large portions of its audience despite being entertaining with its less strong remake being no different. Although Death Wish 2018 doesn't match the sheer shock value of its original and comes across as being rather generic at times, it still maintains a reasonable amount of entertainment despite the films plot feeling a little too close to home with today's world.

      Based on the 1972 novel by Brian Garfield much like the original, the plot for Death Wish centers around a wealthy surgeon taking matters into his own hands after the police prove to be useless when his family is brutally attacked in their home leaving his wife murdered and daughter in a coma. What the story for the new Death Wish does best is taking the concept of the original and modernizing it by placing it in today's world and surrounding it with today's politics giving it a feeling of realism to its story (The film is set in Chicago, further giving it relevance with its issue regarding gun violence). Director Eli Roth enhances that feeling by incorporating the internet to the story as well as the inclusion of a radio talk show debating the actions of the the vigilante unbeknownst to them is Bruce Willis character. He keeps much of the same plot elements of the original intact with Bruce Willis character being a well-established individual in society, who experiences a personal tragedy with the audience witnessing his growing frustration with the lack of action being taken in addressing the attack on his family before finally deciding to take the law into his own hands in the form of vigilantism. Much like Death Sentence and The Brave One with Jodie Foster, all three movies play off the concept of innocent civilians experiencing tragedy and seeking personal revenge with them all being pushed to A.) Purchase a firearm and B.) Shoot the first person who looks at them funny or who they see performing wrongdoing to another person. The message behind Death Wish is one that says taking the law into one's own hands is a dangerous proposition, that should only happen in movies and never real life. While its entertaining to watch Willis character shift into vigilante mode, one also finds the glorifying of his actions in the movie a bit chilling considering the story almost feels as if its promoting the idea that people should no longer rely on the police and take action like Willis character does. While it works great for fantasy and entertainment standards, its a bit eerie given the recent uptick in the number of  gun violence occurring on a regular basis. Whereas Charles Bronson's character in the original is shown getting used to performing the acts of being a vigilante and somewhat enjoying it for the thrill while feeling justified when hearing the amount of crime in the city going down because of his actions, Willis character feels more like he's out for personal vengeance in a style similar to Marvel's Punisher. He never comes across as someone who enjoys what he does but wants some kind of justice for what was done to his family. It almost feels like he looks for justification of it by listening to radio talk interviews discussing his actions. If one looks at Death Wish with the angle that its plot was made specifically for entertainment purposes, then it works as a dark twisted fantasy. If one looks at it as justification for wanting to purchase a gun and walk around hoping to get the opportunity to use it then the films concept comes across as being rather questionable

      In addressing the films acting performances, Bruce Willis gives a solid performance in the main role as Paul Kersey despite his character feeling a bit miscast. This feels like a Liam Neeson vehicle that he either turned down or somehow slipped under his radar as the guy literally made his action movie career revolving around the theme of revenge. Neeson would've felt more in line with the character Charles Bronson did so well at playing decades prior. Despite that, Willis still manages to work and make his character believable, sympathetic and likable whether you agree with his methods or not. Elisabeth Shue does well playing Willis characters wife even if her character doesn't have much to do in the story other than to advance the plot. Daredevil's
Vincent D' Onofrio does a fine job playing Paul's brother Frank Kersey, whose unaware for the most part of his brothers vigilantism on the side. Him and Willis share great chemistry together making the audience believe they are siblings. Camila Morrone does well playing Willis daughter Jordan with Breaking Bad's Dean Norris and Kimberly Elise playing strong supporting roles despite their characters coming across as being rather generic detectives who don't see the answer to their questions staring at them right in the face. As a whole, the cast of Death Wish proves to be effective for the most part with everyone seeming to have fun with the source material while bringing their own style of energy to the film.

      As far as the films directing and writing goes, Eli Roth proves to be effective in bringing this story to modern times making it shockingly violent and gory, although his work here feels a bit tamed compared to his other films ( Hostel anyone?). As an action film, Death Wish feels pretty standard despite its level of violence with the plot hitting the same beats as the other revenge films mentioned. The writing by Joe Carnahan reinforces the generic feel of the story with the detectives coming across as being clueless stereotypical figures. The storyline for the new Death Wish remains almost the same with a few key differences, the main example being Willis character is a surgeon compared to Bronson's character being an architect. Much like the original, the main villains who attacked Willis characters family are kept in the background until the climax, allowing for Paul's character to exact revenge and perform his acts of vigilantism on the streets. Much like the first Death Wish, Paul's acts are random like Bronson's keeping the audience on the edge of the seat. While the original was more thrilling in terms of the unpredictability regarding Bronson's character, Eli Roth and Joe Carnahan do a reasonably decent job of trying to retain the spirit of the original. They also create the new story in a way that leaves it up to the audience to decide whether Paul's actions are justifiable or not.

      The original Death Wish was no stranger to controversy. Upon the first films release, it was criticized by gun control advocates for its portrayal of a vigilante hero with the ultimate message saying that regular citizens should take matters into their own hands. The original also had underlining bits of racism incorporated into its story with the side characters delivering dialogue stating that people of color are more inclined to commit crimes than whites, particularly African-Americans giving justification for Bronson's character to arm himself. The original shocked audiences with its unapologetic nature in telling its story because that type of film was never seen before and was successful enough to spawn several sequels. Fast-Forward to 2018, the remake carries virtually the same message as the original, prompting another conversation regarding the rights and wrong of Willis character while potentially spawning another gun control debate. It doesn't have the exploitation fell of the original and feels more serious in it's tone, but it carries with it an emotional weight that was largely absent from the original despite being a classic. Not everyone will enjoy the remake and take issue with it's main themes, but the overall film isn't that bad and ultimately is a decent remake to the 1974 classic. Despite a good performance from Willis, his character doesn't have the everyday feel of someone like Brosnan's whom you wouldn't expect to perform the acts he does whereas Willis character looks like he's ready to fight someone on the street. One wonders how it would've fared if someone like Liam Neeson had the part instead. Regardless,
Death Wish 2018 is a reasonably decent remake to its original classic despite lacking the originals humor and exploitation feel. It however works as effectively as films such as Death Sentence and The Brave One in regards to telling its story while getting its questionable message across.

Final Verdict: If you loved the original Death Wish, the remake is worth checking out as it retains much of what made the original a hit in the first place.