Death Wish II

I'm not sure when Prime Video added the classic Death Wish franchise, but I'm glad they did.

I watched the first one a year ago with my wife, and the highlight was Jeff Goldblum's gonzo performance. We get the same treat here with a joint-smoking, switchblade-licking Fishburne. The writing is so blunt and brutal it feels like you're watching a fever dream.

Older movies that involve murder of any kind always make me think of how many people must have gotten away with killing someone in the pre-forensic era of police investigation. Bronson leaves scenes bloody and it's fine. Not only that, he carries on a romance that will have you suspending your disbelief, and manages to take her out for dinner while dealing with a ragged, forearm-long knife wound.

Dated, full of over-the-top violence—sexual and otherwise—this film is a historical and cultural artifact worth consuming if only to see that, while the quality of delivery has improved, little has changed culturally in the last forty-two years.

2024.03.23

---

Next: House Of Ninjas (season 1)
Previous: Louie, Seasons 1-5
Home