Death Wish

Paul Kersey, a gentle, white-collar architect living in 1970s Manhattan, sees his peaceful life shattered when his wife Joanna is killed by attacking criminals. Grief and anger push him toward the shadows, where he begins patrolling the night to confront street thugs who prey on strangers. He adopts a methodical, almost clinical approach to street crime, equipping himself and choosing targets with chilling precision. As the city trembles with crime and the police struggle to keep up, this quiet neighbor transforms into an anonymous avenger, testing the line between justice and vigilantism. The movie frames late night streets as a crucible where conscience and rage collide, with a city camera catching every tense moment. The tone stays lean and tense.

Directed by Michael Winner, the film adapts Brian Garfield's novel with a lean, grim sensibility that captures late 1970s New York. Wendell Mayes co-wrote the screenplay, blending social unease with brisk action, and presenting a corrosive look at urban fear.

The production budget was about 3 million, and it grossed around 76.6 million worldwide, turning a modest risk into a solid commercial hit and establishing Charles Bronson as a box office force during a crowded release season that spoke volumes.

Death Wish helped define the 1970s vigilante archetype and sparked debates about justice in a crime weary city. Paul Kersey, with his unflinching posture and night work, became a cultural touchstone, spawning sequels and imitations that echoed through crime dramas and late night talk shows for generations of action cinema.

Critics split on its politics, but most acknowledged the film's taut craft and Bronson's chilling presence. Thematically it probes urban fear, how violence begets violence, and the thin line between protector and aggressor in a city at night, leaving audiences with tough questions. Its legacy echoes in later crime tales.