Death Wish

Eli Roth’s best movie since Hostel Part II, Death Wish follows Bruce Willis’ Paul Kersey as he embarks on a campaign of uncompromising vengeance after his wife (Elizabeth Shue’s Lucy) and daughter (Camila Morrone’s Jordan) are attacked and left for dead – with Paul’s revenge-fueled exploits eventually garnering the interest of two overworked detectives (Dean Norris’ Kevin Raines and Kimberly Elise’s Leonore Jackson). The degree to which Death Wish improves as it progresses is nothing short of staggering, as the movie, for much of its opening hour, comes off as a take-it-or-leave-it endeavor bogged down by an overly deliberate pace and a typically erratic performance by Willis – with, in terms of the latter, the actor delivering an occasionally stirring yet mostly ambivalent turn that prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly sympathizing with and rooting for his character. Such concerns become moot once the picture passes a certain point, however, as Death Wish transforms into just the sort of unapologetically ruthless and violent thriller that rarely gets made nowadays (ie its very existence is a delightful novelty) – with the movie’s second half boasting a series of gleefully over-the-top instances of R-rated mayhem (including an awesomely cringeworthy torture sequence involving a scalpel and battery acid). And although the momentum remains erratic (at best) all the way to the (admittedly memorable) conclusion, Death Wish is ultimately a fairly refreshing return to the sort of brutal fare that was once commonplace within multiplexes.

*** out of ****