“Death Wish” is one of the better revenge movies out there because beneath the sea of violence is some true humanity. It stars Charles Bronson (“The Dirty Dozen”, “Assassination”) in a role that could easily become nothing more than an ‘exterminator’ but Bronson remembers to keep the heart to make it work.

In this film, Bronson stars as New York architect Paul Kersey and one day his wife is murdered and his daughter is raped by some muggers. The chances of the police catching the criminals is highly unlikely so Kersey reluctantly resorts to becoming a one-man-army against muggers in the city. As he develops a thirst for it, the entire community begin to the see the positivity of being vigilantes but what price are they ultimately paying? “Death Wish” asks you that and it ends with one of the greatest shots I’ve seen in a long time.

Bronson works here because he isn’t young and he isn’t trigger happy. The character is written not as a killing machine like in many films but rather a real human being. I have great admiration for the work put into this character. It is a shame the other characters don’t really help the film but do look out for the screen debut of Jeff Goldblum (“Jurassic Park”).

“Death Wish” is brutal but the violence never feels unnecessary. This film is one of several collaborations between Bronson and director Michael Winner (the two would later work on some of the sequels to “Death Wish”). It is a movie that has come under much criticism due to its depiction of vigilantism as some feel it has been romanticised but I don’t feel it has. It’s been portrayed like most things in the world; there are some positives and there are some negatives. “Death Wish” is both entertaining and moving.