Death Wish 2
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anthony Franciosa, Charles Bronson, J.D. Cannon, Jill Ireland, Vincent GardeniaBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 88 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-03
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Death Wish 2
Movie Review: Fun, sun, and vigilantism
Summary: 5 Stars
A discussion of Charles Bronson that fails to mention the "Death Wish" series isn't really a discussion at all. The first entry in this seminal series arrived on the scene in 1974 during a period in American history when all types of crimes skyrocketed. We can thank the moral laxity inflicted on the rest of us by the Counterculture for the increased numbers of murders, arsons, burglaries, robberies, rapes, and countless other forms of physical and mental assaults that soon became common occurrences on every street in the country. A large percentage of the population, referred to by Nixon as "The Silent Majority," ached to find a way to fight back against the vermin committing these atrocities. Since our embrace of vigilante justice faded away due to the abuses of lynching in the South, and our legal system began letting the scum back out on the streets, only Hollywood seemed to offer refuge to the growing number of victims. Enter the revenge and vigilante genre, the most notable entries of which consisted of the Clint Eastwood "Dirty Harry" pictures. In these films, a cop or outraged citizen would hunt down criminals outside the law, meting out a savage brand of justice we could all cheer about.
By 1982, crime rates were still high enough to warrant another "Death Wish" film. Enter "Death Wish 2," a picture that finds New York City vigilante Paul Kersey pulling up roots from the place of his first exile (Chicago) in order to head to sunnier digs in Southern California. Los Angeles provides our architect with a new outlook on life, a place where he can tend to his still mentally and physically damaged daughter Carol (Robin Sherwood in this outing) and his new girlfriend Geri Nichols (Jill Ireland). In fact, Paul and Geri hope to wed one day. Unfortunately, a curse falls on the House of Kersey when a crew of mangy vermin, the most important member being Cutter (Laurence Fishburne), invades our hero's bungalow. The gang brutalizes Kersey's maid Rosario and abducts the shattered Carol. In the process of submitting Paul's daughter to an indignity nearly identical to the horrors she suffered in the first film, the poor young lady takes her life by plunging out of a warehouse window. Predictably, Kersey arrives home to find a deceased Rosario stretched out in the hallway and his daughter gone. Within a few minutes the authorities break the sad news to Paul; they found his daughter's body outside of a known gang hideout. The horrors of New York are starting all over again, and Paul Kersey must once again go forth and battle the forces of evil.
Unlike in the first film, Kersey specifically targets the criminals responsible for the slaying of his daughter. He finds out where they hang out and rents a grungy hotel room in the area to serve as a base of operations. Every night Paul drives down there, dons a knit cap and dark duds, and roams the streets looking for riffraff. As soon as he stumbles over one of the thugs in question, he pulls out a gun and dispatches them with extreme prejudice. The police, led by Lieutenant Mankiewicz (Ben Frank), take note of the sudden rash of killings and start to put the pieces together, namely that a vigilante is working the city streets. Kersey's name soon pops up, thanks to his reputation from New York years earlier, and the authorities bring in Inspector Frank Ochoa (Vincent Gardenia) from the first film to help them put a stop to Paul's rampages. Kersey becomes aware of Ochoa's presence, leading to a cat and mouse game that threatens Paul's ability to wreak vengeance on his enemies. Nonetheless, after a shootout gives Kersey a temporary respite from the attention of the authorities our man continues to hunt down his enemies. He goes so far as to infiltrate a mental hospital to pursue a victim, but his single-minded pursuit carries personal costs in his relationship with Geri Nichols.
It's obvious from the start that the makers of "Death Wish 2" went straight for the sleaze effect. The first film sought to examine crime and vigilantism in a serious way, even going so far as to have the Paul Kersey character become physically ill after attacking a criminal. "Death Wish 2" throws all introspection out the window, replacing a message with gory deaths and memorable one-liners rivaling anything Dirty Harry ever tossed out. Carol's death scene is particularly tough to watch, as are the atrocities visited upon the poor Rosario. The dialogue is magnificent in an extraordinarily entertaining way. "Goodbye" says Paul Kersey immediately before pulling the trigger on a helpless thug twisting in pain on the floor of a warehouse. "Do you believe in Jesus?" asks Kersey of another goon, who replies with "Yes, yes I do." "Well, you're going to meet him," responds our vigilante as he opens fire. Great stuff! This isn't dialogue churned out by some hack; it's holy scripture chiseled on stone tablets that someone carried down from a mountaintop. If you can get your mind around the idea that "Death Wish 2" is completely devoid of a message, you'll love this movie. Too, make sure and listen to the Jimmy Page soundtrack; you'll hear it again in "Death Wish 3."
My only problem with the "Death Wish 2" DVD, aside from the unacceptable fullscreen presentation and a trailer as the only extra, concerns MGM's inexplicable decision to put an edited version of the film on the disc. I remember seeing a more vicious version of the film back on cable in the mid 1980s, mainly one with a longer sequence involving the gang and Rosario, which obviously didn't make it to the DVD. Why MGM saw fit to give us this version is a mystery. Nevertheless, "Death Wish 2" is highly entertaining; it's must see viewing for Bronson fans.
Summary of Death Wish 2
Paul Kersey is not your ordinary victim: He fights back Â? with a vengeance! Legendary tough guy Charles Bronson resumes his trademark role as the hard-as-nails urban avenger in this hard-hitting, action-packed sequel! With the murder of his wife and the revenge against her killers now behind him, Kersey begins a new life in L.A. But tragedy is never far from his door, and when a group of local hoods viciously assaults his daughter, they unleash a wrath unlike anything the city has ever seen. Kersey has the face of each of them branded in his memory, and he will not rest until he tracks every one of them downÂ...and puts them all in the ground!Similar DVD Movies
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