The remake was first announced in 2006, with Sylvester Stallone set to direct and star in the lead role, before dropping out. Carnahan was announced to write and direct in 2012, but later dropped out although was given sole screenwriting credit despite his script being rewritten numerous times. Roth joined as director in 2016, with filming taking place in Chicago that same year with director of photography Rogier Stoffers. Mark Goldblatt served as editor in post-production, while the score was composed by Ludwig Göransson.
Death Wish was released in North America by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures on March 2, 2018 and underperformed at the box office, only grossing $49.6 million worldwide against a $30 million budget.[6] The film received negative reviews from critics with criticism on its depiction of gun violence in comparison to the then-recent mass shootings, claiming it as spreading "right-wing" and "pro-gun" messages, with Roth denying said claims.
Plot
Paul Kersey, a Trauma surgeon, lives with his wife Lucy and daughter Jordan in Chicago. When the family visits a restaurant with Paul's brother Frank, a valet parking attendant named Miguel secretly copies their address after hearing that they plan to stay out. Paul is suddenly called to the hospital, where Jordan and Lucy return home just as three armed criminals break into the house, leading to Lucy and Jordan being shot when they try to fight back. Lucy gets killed and Jordan survives, but is left in a coma.
Paul becomes frustrated with the lack of police progress on the case, contemplating purchasing a firearm. When a gang member is brought to the hospital and his gun falls out, Paul secretly takes it and practices shooting. Later, Paul uses it to stop a carjacking, injuring his left hand in the process. A captured video of the carjacking goes viral, earning Paul the nickname Grim Reaper. After treating a boy who was attacked for refusing to sell drugs for a dealer called "Ice Cream Man", Paul shoots down Ice Cream Man in broad daylight.
The news reports consistently demonstrate divided opinions of support and condemnation of Paul's developing war against violent criminals. Later at the hospital, Paul recognizes a dying Miguel on his operating table wearing a watch stolen from his house. Paul hacks into Miguel's phone, leading him to a liquor store that fences stolen goods. The owner Ponytail recognizes Paul and messages another criminal Fish. Fish sneaks in and accidentally kills Ponytail, while trying to shoot Paul.
Fish identifies the second member of the group Joe before Paul kills him. The cops visit Paul to discuss the case and Paul destroys the phones to cover his tracks. Finding Joe at an auto body shop, Paul tortures him and Joe divulges that the third robber Knox has murdered Lucy. Paul later kills Joe and Knox calls Paul, arranging to meet in a nightclub bathroom, where they exchange fire and wound each other. Paul gets away, while Knox goes to the police and gives them a physical description of Paul.
Arriving home, Paul is confronted by Frank, who answers the front door and is questioned by the detectives of his brother's whereabouts. During the intervention, the hospital calls to tell Paul that Jordan has regained consciousness. A week later, Paul leaves the hospital with Jordan and legally buys weapons to defend his family. As Knox cases his house for an ambush, Paul glimpses a man running across the lawn and orders Jordan to hide and call the police. After killing Knox's men, Paul is shot and wounded by Knox, but manages to pull out a hidden rifle and kills him. The police arrive and accept Paul's story after he hints that he is done with vigilantism.
Few months later, Paul drops off Jordan at New York University, where he spots a person stealing a bag from a bellhop. Paul calls out the person and points a finger gun at him.
Cast
Bruce Willis as Dr. Paul Kersey, a trauma surgeon turned vigilante known as The Grim Reaper
Development on the film began already back in 2006, when Sylvester Stallone announced that he would be directing and starring in a remake of Death Wish (1974). Stallone told Ain't It Cool News, "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." He later told the publication that he was no longer involved after "creative differences" and became busy with work on other projects.[7][8]
In a 2009 interview with MTV, Stallone stated that he was again considering the project.[9] In late January 2012, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that a remake would be written and directed by Joe Carnahan.[10] The film was originally set to star Liam Neeson and Frank Grillo. Carnahan too left the project in February 2013 due to "creative differences",[11] but received sole writing credit for the completed film.[12] He was replaced as director with Gerardo Naranjo, who was interested in casting Benicio Del Toro in the lead role; this version also never came to fruition.[11]
In May, Keshales and Papushado quit the project after MGM declined to allow them to rewrite Joe Carnahan's original script, which had been approved by Willis.[14] In June, Eli Roth signed on to direct, with the script being rewritten by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.[15] On August 25, 2016, Vincent D'Onofrio was cast alongside Willis to play Paul Kersey's brother, while Dean Norris also joined the film.[16] On October 7, 2016, Kimberly Elise and Camila Morrone were cast in the film to play Detective Jackson and Jordan Kersey.[17] Later on October 17, 2016, Ronnie Gene Blevins was cast in the film.[18]
In June 2017, it was announced Annapurna Pictures would distribute the film on behalf of MGM and release it on November 22, 2017.[21] In October 2017, it was announced it was being delayed until March 2, 2018, and that MGM would handle the film's distribution in the United States, with Annapurna handling its international distribution.[a] It was speculated the delay was due in-part to the mass shooting in Las Vegas several days prior.[24]
Reception
Box office
Death Wish grossed $34 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $49.6 million, against a production budget of $30 million.[4][5]
In the United States and Canada, Death Wish was released alongside Red Sparrow, and was projected to gross $10–20 million from 2,847 theaters in its opening weekend.[25] It made $4.2 million on its first day (including $650,000 from Thursday night previews) and $13 million in its opening weekend, finishing third behind Black Panther ($66.7 million in its third week) and Red Sparrow ($17 million). 55% of its audience was male, while 89% was over the age of 25.[26] It dropped 49% to $6.6 million in its second weekend, finishing at 7th.[27]
Critical response
I wanted to really make it about family, and stick to the central issue of what would you do if this happened to your family. The movie for me really is about family and protecting your family and what do you do when you can't get justice for your family? It's not pro-gun. What I really try to do more than anything is show it how it really is, and leave it for the audience to decide.
Death Wish received largely negative reviews from critics. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 18% based on 163 reviews and an average rating of 4.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Death Wish is little more than a rote retelling that lacks the grit and conviction of the original—and also suffers from spectacularly bad timing."[29] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[30] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[26]
The Chicago Sun-Times's Richard Roeper gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, writing, "Even with the social commentary, Death Wish isn't trying to be some intense, gritty, ripped-from-the-headlines docudrama ... A number of gruesome scenes are staged like something out of one of those Final Destination movies, with a bowling ball, a dart, a wrench and other conveniently handy items used as weapons of singular destruction. It's essentially revenge porn."[31]Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 1 out of 4 stars and said, "For a while, director Roth plays this stuff relatively straight, and Willis periodically reminds us he can act (the grieving Kersey cries a fair bit here). The script contains a reference to AR-15 rifles; by the end, Willis goes full Willis when his adversaries return to the sanctity of the family home."[24]
Many critics noted the timing of the film's release, coming less than three weeks after the Parkland high school shooting in Parkland, Florida,[32] alongside the positive portrayal of American gun culture.[33] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times called the film "imbecilic", and criticized its jokey tone and "morally unconflicted" approach to its subject matter.[34] Similarly, The Guardian's Amy Nicholson criticized the film for "[flatlining] the politics and [saturating] the pathos", and for insulting both sides of the gun control argument.[35]
The Hollywood Reporter's John DeFore noted that the film does not attempt to "use genre metaphors to address real national debates", making the original film "look philosophical by comparison", and he also noted the improbable and contrived nature of Kersey's mission.[36] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Justin Chang called the film "a slick, straightforward revenge thriller as well as a sham provocation, pandering shamelessly to the viewer's bloodlust while trying to pass as self-aware satire". Chang compared the film unfavorably to Death Sentence (2007),[b] citing the lack of consequences that Kersey faces.[37]
Some reviewers stood in defense of the film. Peter Howell of the Toronto Star stated that "Roth and Carnahan do an OK job updating Death Wish", and that the film accurately depicts the "casual way that Americans acquire and use guns". He felt, though, that Liam Neeson would have been a better choice for the lead role.[38] Matthew Rozsa of Salon agreed that the film's release was timed poorly, but argued that "mass shootings have been ubiquitous for so long that I doubt there ever would have been an appropriate release date for a vigilante fantasy. ... It exists everywhere in our culture, from movies and video games to the right-wing talking points that regularly thwart gun control legislation." Rozsa considers Death Wish his guilty pleasure, recommending it as a "success" as well as "a competent popcorn muncher that moves at a brisk pace, is about as engaging as your average Law and Order episode and contains an appropriately glowering (if somewhat bored looking) Bruce Willis."[32] The San Francisco Chronicle's Mick Lasalle called it "way better than all the Death Wish sequels" and "easily the second best Death Wish movie ever made, and not a distant second."[39]
^It was the first film released by MGM through their joint distribution venture with Annapurna (later rebranded as United Artists Releasing); this also makes it the first film distributed by MGM since Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), as well as the first film to be exclusively credited to MGM since The Other End of the Line (2008), as their following films were either distribution efforts for other companies, were distributed by other major film companies, or were credited to both MGM and United Artists.[22][23]
^Death Sentence is a loose adaptation of the novel of the same name by Garfield; while the book is a sequel to its predecessor Death Wish, the adaptation is unrelated to the previous Death Wish films and is a standalone feature.
References
^ ab"Filmed in Quebec". The Quebec Film and Television Council. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
^Morris, Clint (June 8, 2008). "Stallone in Death Wish remake? Updated!". Moviehole. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2006. Upon listening to the talkback responses on AICN, many who turned their nose at the idea of a remake, Stallone tells the site today that he will NOT be doing the movie. Yep, he listened to the fans!
