The original DEATH WISH with Charles Bronson came out in the 70’s when crime in the big cities was at an all-time high. It’s now 2017, and thinks may not have changed all that much for people in certain cities. Now a new spin on the story of a man (Bruce Willis) getting revenge for the death of his wife, and then dishing his vigilante actions on Chicago’s criminals, hopes to capitalize on similar social anxieties. At the very least, as evidenced by the first trailer for the remake from Eli Roth, we can expect to see Willis doing what he does best and having a ball doing it.
Of course, the action and rage are all there, but there's a certain playfulness that I feel like is necessary in order for the movie to connect with a wide audience and not come off as grim and, potentially, irresponsible. The idea behind it ripe for some B-movie-style humor to match the thrills and blood, and if the movie doesn't take itself so seriously there's a lot of fun to be had in this new DEATH WISH. Bronson had the iconic mustache, and Willis has the iconic…lack of hair.
DEATH WISH hits theaters this November.