Paul Kersey (Death Wish)
Encyclopedia
The Death Wish franchise is an action
-crime
-drama film
series based on the 1972 novel
by Brian Garfield
. The films feature Paul Kersey, portrayed by Charles Bronson
, as the main character. Kersey was born in New York City
of the early 1920s
. Kersey's father was an English-American who originated from Norman England and his mother comes from Provo, Utah
. Kersey's Norman English ancestor, Pierre Whítmoré Keèrsye, anglicized his surname to Kersey. Kersey served in World War II
from 1944 to 1945. In 1953, he served in the Korean War
in the medical corps. In the late 1950s, he travelled to New York City to settle down.
Death Wish
Paul Kersey is an architect who served in the Korean War
in the medical corps, and he lives in New York City. One day, three street punks posing as grocery delivery boys break into his apartment while he's not home. They beat up Paul's wife Joanna and rape
his married daughter Carol Toby, spray-painting both of them & the wall of their apartment "just for fun." Joanna later dies of her injuries, and Carol is left catatonic
. Paul's life is ripped apart by this.
Paul's boss decides that Paul needs to get out of New York for a while, so he sends him to Tucson, Arizona
to meet with a client. There, Paul witnesses a mock gunfight at Old Tucson, a reconstructed Western frontier town that is often used as a movie set. Paul's client gets him interested in guns. It turns out that Paul grew up around guns and is a good shot himself. When Paul returns to New York, he discovers that his client has given him a .32 Colt Police Positive
revolver as a gift. When the police are unable to find the rapists, Paul sets out to find them himself. Paul begins patrolling the streets, killing street criminals as he encounters them. While his obsessive search for street justice sickens him at first, Paul begins to enjoy it as Detective Frank Ochoa tries to find the man who is doing the police department's job for them. The public sees Paul as a hero. As a result, Ochoa and the city government would have a political nightmare on their hands if they actually arrested him. One night, when
Kersey was injured after another hunt for muggers, he is hospitalized. Ochoa confronts him, revealing his willingness to make a deal to throw away Kersey's weapon (recovered by Officer Jackson Reilly) if Kersey will leave New York. Kersey made good on his part of the deal, moving to Chicago (as seen at the end of the first Death Wish). As revealed in Death Wish 3
, one of the policemen involved in this conspiracy was Richard Shriker, who agreed to maintain Kersey's secret in line with Ochoa's edicts. According to Officer Reiner in Death Wish 4, Kersey's wife died in 1975, therefore the aforementioned events from the first Death Wish
film took place either early or late in that year or in 1976 (based on the snow seen at Mrs. Kersey's funeral.) Ochoa stated in Death Wish II
that Kersey's slaying of muggers took place "four years" ago during Death Wish II
(see below), which took place in 1981 (see below)).
Death Wish II
Kersey apparently did not relapse into hunting muggers in Chicago, but encountered a previous friend who ran a radio station in Los Angeles. Paul Kersey and his daughter Carol, who is still catatonic, now live in Los Angeles because Paul accepted a deal from the NYPD to leave town so they wouldn't tell anyone that he was the vigilante
. Paul now has a new woman in his life, KABC news reporter Geri Nichols. One day while he's out with Carol and Geri, he is mugged by a gang of punks. Paul fights back, but they get away. The muggers go to his house, gag, rape, and murder Carol's nanny, and kidnap and rape Carol, who then dies in an escape attempt (or possibly commits suicide). When he learns of his daughter's death, Paul is beside himself with grief and rage, rents a ratty hotel room, disguises himself, and sets out to find the muggers who killed Carol & kill them with his .380 Beretta Model 85 pistol. When the LAPD
deduces that they have a vigilante on their hands, they decide to consult with the NYPD, who fear that Kersey is killing criminals again. Fearing that Kersey, when caught, will reveal that they let him go instead of prosecuting him, the NYPD sends Ochoa to make sure that doesn't happen. Kersey began using the alias "Kimble" during this period as dictated by the situation. The events mentioned above involving his daughter's death took place in 1981 (as stated by Officer Reiner in Death Wish 4, Kersey's daughter died in 1981).
Death Wish 3
As seen at the end of Death Wish II
(in which three shots are heard over the end of the closing credits), Kersey resumed his mugger slayings even after slaying the final member of the gang that kidnapped his daughter. Richard Shriker of the NYPD kept tabs on Kersey's activities or at least activities he suspected Kersey had a hand in. Namely, Shriker recalled reading of six mugger slayings in thirty-six hours in LA, four gang member slain Kansas City
(Shriker does not specify whether this was in Missouri
or Kansas
), and two mugger-rapists in Chicago
. Shriker and Kersey's paths intersect again, as Shriker puts it "ten years" after Shriker's found out Kersey was the New York
vigilante (therefore 1986 or 1987). Paul Kersey returns to New York to visit his friend Charley, who lives in one of the worst parts of New York City
. But when Paul arrives at Charley's apartment, he finds Charley dying after a vicious beating by a gang led by Manny Fraker, and the police enter the apartment and find Paul standing over Charley's body. Paul is arrested for the murder, but police chief Richard S. Shriker offers a deal: Paul can kill all the criminals he wants if he keeps the cops informed about the death count. Though Kersey says that he stopped his mugger slayings, Shriker releases Paul to go after Fraker. Paul moves into Charley's apartment in a decaying building in the middle of a bombed out gang war zone. The building is populated by a group of elderly tenants who are absolutely terrified of Fraker and his gang, who control the neighborhood. Among the tenants are Charley's friend Bennett, an old watch repairman who keeps a couple of machine guns in his closet. There is also an elderly Jewish couple who live on the first floor. Paul buys a .475 Wildey Magnum
pistol with exploding big-game cartridges, spends an afternoon planting explosive charges in the bullets, and loads up for war against Fraker.
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
Evidently, Kersey had largely retired from slaying muggers shortly after Death Wish III, since in Death Wish 4, Phil Nozaki mentions a mugger shot downtown two years previous to the events of Death Wish 4, to which Officer Reiner responds by saying that "the vigilante retired years ago". In any event, Kersey kept regular residence in LA, regardless of his breaking off his mugger slayings. Paul Kersey is back in Los Angeles, and he is dating reporter Karen Sheldon, who has a teenage daughter named Erica. While Erica is at an arcade with her boyfriend Randy Viscovich, Erica dies of a crack cocaine
overdose. Later, Randy goes back to the arcade, with Kersey following him. Randy confronts JoJo, the dealer that Erica got the crack from. Randy tells JoJo that he's going to the police, but Jojo kills him to keep him quiet. Kersey shows up and shoots JoJo with a .380 Walther PPK
pistol, and watches him land on the electrical roof of the bumper-car ride, where he is electrocuted. Next, Paul gets a note and a phone call from publisher Nathan White, who tells him that he knows about the death of JoJo. Nathan explains to Kersey that his daughter had died of an overdose, so he wants to hire Kersey to wipe out the drug trade in LA -- and in particular to target Ed Zacharias and Jack Romero, rival drug kingpins who are the city's two main drug suppliers. Kersey asks for a few days to think about it, and accepts Nathan's offer. Nathan supplies Kersey with weapons and information so he can go after Zacharias and Romero.
Death Wish V: The Face of Death
Kersey's secret identity as the vigilante was effectively blown in Death Wish 4, as Officer Reiner of the LAPD, less sympathetic than Chief Richard Shriker or Detective Frank Ochoa, discovered it. Reiner stated he would arrest Kersey as the latter walked away. In any event, as revealed in Death Wish V (though no direct reference to Reiner's discovery of Kersey's identity) Kersey entered the Witness Protection Program and assumed the alias Paul Stewart in New York City after meeting with the District Attorney of New York. Seven years would pass before Kersey's peace again became interrupted. New York's garment district has turned into Dodge City when mobster Tommy O'Shea muscles in on the fashion trade of his ex-wife Olivia Regent. Olivia is engaged to Paul Kersey, who provides a sense of security for herself and her daughter Chelsea. Olivia isn't impressed when Tommy torture
s her manager, Big Al, so Tommy hires an enforcer named Freddie Flakes, a master of disguise. Freddie dons women's clothing to follow Olivia into a ladies' room, where he smashes her face into a mirror, causing permanent disfigurement. In the offices of D.A. Tony Hoyle and his associate Hector Vasquez, Paul and Olivia vow to see to it that Tommy is prosecuted. Later, Freddie and two of his men disguise themselves as cops, infiltrate Olivia's apartment, and shoot her dead. Kersey follows Tommy's thug Chickie Paconi to the Paconi family bistro, where Kersey kills him by lacing his canoli with cyanide
. Next, Paul tricks Freddie out of his home and blows him up with a bomb rigged ball. After dispatching the corrupt Hector Vasquez with a .44 Magnum
Smith & Wesson Model 629 revolver concealed in a doll, Kersey discovers that Vasquez is in cahoots with Tommy. Using Chelsea as bait, Tommy lures Paul to Olivia's factory for a confrontation.
announced that he would be directing and starring in his Death Wish remake of the 1974 classic. Stallone stated:
On December 20, 2006, however, Stallone officially announced that he will not be making the Death Wish remake, but there are still more crew and ideas on doing the remake of the 1974 classic movie.
published a book-length monograph, also called Death Wish, on the original film. In the course of a deep analysis of the film's content, Sorrentino declares Death Wish to be mythic and apolitical, and, using the New York Times's Vincent Canby
as a prime example, holds it up as an instance when reviewers used a film's perceived political incorrectness as a pretext to savage it.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
-crime
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
-drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
series based on the 1972 novel
Death Wish
Death Wish is a 1972 novel by Brian Garfield.-Plot:Paul Benjamin is a CPA in New York and lifelong liberal. However, his staid life is overturned when his daughter, Carol, and spouse, Esther, are attacked by muggers. His wife does not survive the attack, and his traumatized daughter is left in a...
by Brian Garfield
Brian Garfield
Brian Francis Wynne Garfield is an American novelist and screenwriter. He wrote his first published book at the age of eighteen and wrote several novels under such pen names as "Frank Wynne" and "'Brian Wynne" before gaining prominence when his book Hopscotch won the 1976 Edgar Award for Best Novel...
. The films feature Paul Kersey, portrayed by Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
, as the main character. Kersey was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
of the early 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
. Kersey's father was an English-American who originated from Norman England and his mother comes from Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
. Kersey's Norman English ancestor, Pierre Whítmoré Keèrsye, anglicized his surname to Kersey. Kersey served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from 1944 to 1945. In 1953, he served in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in the medical corps. In the late 1950s, he travelled to New York City to settle down.
Death WishDeath Wish (film)Death Wish is a 1974 crime thriller film loosely based on the novel Death Wish by Brian Garfield. The film was directed by Michael Winner and stars Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife is murdered and his daughter is sexually assaulted by muggers.The film was...
(1974)
Paul Kersey is an architect who served in the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in the medical corps, and he lives in New York City. One day, three street punks posing as grocery delivery boys break into his apartment while he's not home. They beat up Paul's wife Joanna and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
his married daughter Carol Toby, spray-painting both of them & the wall of their apartment "just for fun." Joanna later dies of her injuries, and Carol is left catatonic
Catatonia
Catatonia is a state of neurogenic motor immobility, and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It was first described in 1874: Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirresein ....
. Paul's life is ripped apart by this.
Paul's boss decides that Paul needs to get out of New York for a while, so he sends him to Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
to meet with a client. There, Paul witnesses a mock gunfight at Old Tucson, a reconstructed Western frontier town that is often used as a movie set. Paul's client gets him interested in guns. It turns out that Paul grew up around guns and is a good shot himself. When Paul returns to New York, he discovers that his client has given him a .32 Colt Police Positive
Colt Police Positive
The Colt Police Positive is a small frame double-action revolver featuring a six-round cylinder, chambered for either .32 or .38 caliber cartridges...
revolver as a gift. When the police are unable to find the rapists, Paul sets out to find them himself. Paul begins patrolling the streets, killing street criminals as he encounters them. While his obsessive search for street justice sickens him at first, Paul begins to enjoy it as Detective Frank Ochoa tries to find the man who is doing the police department's job for them. The public sees Paul as a hero. As a result, Ochoa and the city government would have a political nightmare on their hands if they actually arrested him. One night, when
Kersey was injured after another hunt for muggers, he is hospitalized. Ochoa confronts him, revealing his willingness to make a deal to throw away Kersey's weapon (recovered by Officer Jackson Reilly) if Kersey will leave New York. Kersey made good on his part of the deal, moving to Chicago (as seen at the end of the first Death Wish). As revealed in Death Wish 3
Death Wish 3
Death Wish 3 is a 1985 action film starring Charles Bronson as vigilante killer Paul Kersey and is the second sequel to the 1974 film Death Wish. It was written by Don Jakoby...
, one of the policemen involved in this conspiracy was Richard Shriker, who agreed to maintain Kersey's secret in line with Ochoa's edicts. According to Officer Reiner in Death Wish 4, Kersey's wife died in 1975, therefore the aforementioned events from the first Death Wish
Death Wish
Death Wish is a 1972 novel by Brian Garfield.-Plot:Paul Benjamin is a CPA in New York and lifelong liberal. However, his staid life is overturned when his daughter, Carol, and spouse, Esther, are attacked by muggers. His wife does not survive the attack, and his traumatized daughter is left in a...
film took place either early or late in that year or in 1976 (based on the snow seen at Mrs. Kersey's funeral.) Ochoa stated in Death Wish II
Death Wish II
Death Wish II is a 1982 sequel to the 1974 film. It stars Charles Bronson, was written by David Engelbach and directed by Michael Winner....
that Kersey's slaying of muggers took place "four years" ago during Death Wish II
Death Wish II
Death Wish II is a 1982 sequel to the 1974 film. It stars Charles Bronson, was written by David Engelbach and directed by Michael Winner....
(see below), which took place in 1981 (see below)).
Death Wish IIDeath Wish IIDeath Wish II is a 1982 sequel to the 1974 film. It stars Charles Bronson, was written by David Engelbach and directed by Michael Winner....
(1982)
Kersey apparently did not relapse into hunting muggers in Chicago, but encountered a previous friend who ran a radio station in Los Angeles. Paul Kersey and his daughter Carol, who is still catatonic, now live in Los Angeles because Paul accepted a deal from the NYPD to leave town so they wouldn't tell anyone that he was the vigilanteVigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
. Paul now has a new woman in his life, KABC news reporter Geri Nichols. One day while he's out with Carol and Geri, he is mugged by a gang of punks. Paul fights back, but they get away. The muggers go to his house, gag, rape, and murder Carol's nanny, and kidnap and rape Carol, who then dies in an escape attempt (or possibly commits suicide). When he learns of his daughter's death, Paul is beside himself with grief and rage, rents a ratty hotel room, disguises himself, and sets out to find the muggers who killed Carol & kill them with his .380 Beretta Model 85 pistol. When the LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
deduces that they have a vigilante on their hands, they decide to consult with the NYPD, who fear that Kersey is killing criminals again. Fearing that Kersey, when caught, will reveal that they let him go instead of prosecuting him, the NYPD sends Ochoa to make sure that doesn't happen. Kersey began using the alias "Kimble" during this period as dictated by the situation. The events mentioned above involving his daughter's death took place in 1981 (as stated by Officer Reiner in Death Wish 4, Kersey's daughter died in 1981).
Death Wish 3Death Wish 3Death Wish 3 is a 1985 action film starring Charles Bronson as vigilante killer Paul Kersey and is the second sequel to the 1974 film Death Wish. It was written by Don Jakoby...
(1985)
As seen at the end of Death Wish IIDeath Wish II
Death Wish II is a 1982 sequel to the 1974 film. It stars Charles Bronson, was written by David Engelbach and directed by Michael Winner....
(in which three shots are heard over the end of the closing credits), Kersey resumed his mugger slayings even after slaying the final member of the gang that kidnapped his daughter. Richard Shriker of the NYPD kept tabs on Kersey's activities or at least activities he suspected Kersey had a hand in. Namely, Shriker recalled reading of six mugger slayings in thirty-six hours in LA, four gang member slain Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
(Shriker does not specify whether this was in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
or Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
), and two mugger-rapists in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Shriker and Kersey's paths intersect again, as Shriker puts it "ten years" after Shriker's found out Kersey was the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
vigilante (therefore 1986 or 1987). Paul Kersey returns to New York to visit his friend Charley, who lives in one of the worst parts of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. But when Paul arrives at Charley's apartment, he finds Charley dying after a vicious beating by a gang led by Manny Fraker, and the police enter the apartment and find Paul standing over Charley's body. Paul is arrested for the murder, but police chief Richard S. Shriker offers a deal: Paul can kill all the criminals he wants if he keeps the cops informed about the death count. Though Kersey says that he stopped his mugger slayings, Shriker releases Paul to go after Fraker. Paul moves into Charley's apartment in a decaying building in the middle of a bombed out gang war zone. The building is populated by a group of elderly tenants who are absolutely terrified of Fraker and his gang, who control the neighborhood. Among the tenants are Charley's friend Bennett, an old watch repairman who keeps a couple of machine guns in his closet. There is also an elderly Jewish couple who live on the first floor. Paul buys a .475 Wildey Magnum
.475 Wildey Magnum
The .475 Wildey Magnum is a semi-automatic pistol cartridge designed for big game hunting in the Wildey pistol.-History:The .475 Wildey Magnum was designed to be a hunting round. Cases are formed from .284 Winchester brass with the neck opened to take a .475" bullet, length is the same as the .45...
pistol with exploding big-game cartridges, spends an afternoon planting explosive charges in the bullets, and loads up for war against Fraker.
Death Wish 4: The CrackdownDeath Wish 4: The CrackdownDeath Wish 4: The Crackdown is a 1987 action thriller, and the third sequel to the 1974 film, Death Wish, once again starring Charles Bronson....
(1987)
Evidently, Kersey had largely retired from slaying muggers shortly after Death Wish III, since in Death Wish 4, Phil Nozaki mentions a mugger shot downtown two years previous to the events of Death Wish 4, to which Officer Reiner responds by saying that "the vigilante retired years ago". In any event, Kersey kept regular residence in LA, regardless of his breaking off his mugger slayings. Paul Kersey is back in Los Angeles, and he is dating reporter Karen Sheldon, who has a teenage daughter named Erica. While Erica is at an arcade with her boyfriend Randy Viscovich, Erica dies of a crack cocaineCrack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
overdose. Later, Randy goes back to the arcade, with Kersey following him. Randy confronts JoJo, the dealer that Erica got the crack from. Randy tells JoJo that he's going to the police, but Jojo kills him to keep him quiet. Kersey shows up and shoots JoJo with a .380 Walther PPK
Walther PPK
The Walther PP series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols.They feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring...
pistol, and watches him land on the electrical roof of the bumper-car ride, where he is electrocuted. Next, Paul gets a note and a phone call from publisher Nathan White, who tells him that he knows about the death of JoJo. Nathan explains to Kersey that his daughter had died of an overdose, so he wants to hire Kersey to wipe out the drug trade in LA -- and in particular to target Ed Zacharias and Jack Romero, rival drug kingpins who are the city's two main drug suppliers. Kersey asks for a few days to think about it, and accepts Nathan's offer. Nathan supplies Kersey with weapons and information so he can go after Zacharias and Romero.
Death Wish V: The Face of DeathDeath Wish V: The Face of DeathDeath Wish V: The Face of Death is a 1994 action thriller, and the fourth and final sequel to the 1974 film Death Wish.Star Charles Bronson returned to reprise the role of Paul Kersey one final time for this, his final theatrical starring role in the industry.The film is produced by 21st Century...
(1994)
Kersey's secret identity as the vigilante was effectively blown in Death Wish 4, as Officer Reiner of the LAPD, less sympathetic than Chief Richard Shriker or Detective Frank Ochoa, discovered it. Reiner stated he would arrest Kersey as the latter walked away. In any event, as revealed in Death Wish V (though no direct reference to Reiner's discovery of Kersey's identity) Kersey entered the Witness Protection Program and assumed the alias Paul Stewart in New York City after meeting with the District Attorney of New York. Seven years would pass before Kersey's peace again became interrupted. New York's garment district has turned into Dodge City when mobster Tommy O'Shea muscles in on the fashion trade of his ex-wife Olivia Regent. Olivia is engaged to Paul Kersey, who provides a sense of security for herself and her daughter Chelsea. Olivia isn't impressed when Tommy tortureTorture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
s her manager, Big Al, so Tommy hires an enforcer named Freddie Flakes, a master of disguise. Freddie dons women's clothing to follow Olivia into a ladies' room, where he smashes her face into a mirror, causing permanent disfigurement. In the offices of D.A. Tony Hoyle and his associate Hector Vasquez, Paul and Olivia vow to see to it that Tommy is prosecuted. Later, Freddie and two of his men disguise themselves as cops, infiltrate Olivia's apartment, and shoot her dead. Kersey follows Tommy's thug Chickie Paconi to the Paconi family bistro, where Kersey kills him by lacing his canoli with cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
. Next, Paul tricks Freddie out of his home and blows him up with a bomb rigged ball. After dispatching the corrupt Hector Vasquez with a .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
Smith & Wesson Model 629 revolver concealed in a doll, Kersey discovers that Vasquez is in cahoots with Tommy. Using Chelsea as bait, Tommy lures Paul to Olivia's factory for a confrontation.
Remake
In 2006, Sylvester StalloneSylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
announced that he would be directing and starring in his Death Wish remake of the 1974 classic. Stallone stated:
“I’d like to get your feedback on the idea of remaking DEATHWISH with a slightly different slant”, Sly begins, “Instead of the Charles Bronson character being an architect; my version would have him as a very good cop who had incredible success without ever using his gun. So when the attack on his family happens, he’s really thrown into a moral dilemma in proceeding to carry out his revenge.”
On December 20, 2006, however, Stallone officially announced that he will not be making the Death Wish remake, but there are still more crew and ideas on doing the remake of the 1974 classic movie.
Criticism
In 2010, novelist Christopher SorrentinoChristopher Sorrentino
Christopher Sorrentino is an American novelist and short story writer of Puerto Rican descent. He is the son of novelist Gilbert Sorrentino and Victoria Ortiz...
published a book-length monograph, also called Death Wish, on the original film. In the course of a deep analysis of the film's content, Sorrentino declares Death Wish to be mythic and apolitical, and, using the New York Times's Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
as a prime example, holds it up as an instance when reviewers used a film's perceived political incorrectness as a pretext to savage it.