I love the original “Death Wish” and some (but not all) of its sequels so I went into this remake with some scepticism. I was pleasantly surprised because this is an enjoyable revenge thriller. However, I think the filmmakers could have called it something else to allow the movie to stand on its own.

In the new “Death Wish”, Bruce Willis (“The Sixth Sense”, “The Last Boy Scout”) stars as Paul Kersey, who is a trauma surgeon in Chicago. When his wife (Elisabeth Shue “The Saint”) is murdered and his daughter (Camila Morrone) is put in a coma, he will turn to vigilantism to get the men responsible. As his campaign against criminals continues, the whole city debates the issues surrounding vigilante justice.

Bruce Willis does a good job but he just is not as good as Charles Bronson from the original “Death Wish” films. For some reason, the filmmakers decided to make Paul Kersey a doctor instead of an architect. The change does not affect the film but it seems an odd decision. Vincent D’Onoforio (“Men In Black”) is okay as Paul’s brother. The villains are fine but you are not going to remember much about them. The police that are investigating both the attack on Kersey’s family and the vigilante activity are moderately entertaining.

Eli Roth (“Hostel”) has directed a good revenge thriller that has plenty of good moments. Surprisingly, I did not find this one quite as violent as the original. While this one contains a scene where Kersey tortures a man, the initial attack on the Kersey family is far less graphic than in the original and no rape takes place. It’s not as good as the original “Death Wish” but it is actually better than some of the later sequels. I recommend checking this film out and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.