Currently impressing cinema audiences with his survival-thriller THE GREY, director Joe Carnahan maybe about to remake a controversial 1970s classic. Rumours are circulating that Paramount and MGM want Carnahan to helm their DEATH WISH reboot. If Carnahan agrees a deal, we know he can get his hands dirty after impressing with gritty no-holds barred cop thriller NARC.
The original DEATH WISH (1974) featured the great Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, who after losing his wife to violent street thugs, goes on a one-man vigilante crusade. Directed by Michael Winner, DEATH WISH spawned four sequels that gradually scraped the bottom of the barrel with each release. The original courted controversy due to the nature of filmmakers changing attitudes to violence at the time.
To be fair the ‘one-man vigilante’ plot has been done countless times over the years with the likes of WALKING TALL (1973), ROLLING THUNDER(1977), A MAN APART (2003) and DEATH SENTENCE (2007) immediately springing to mind. The Joe Don Baker classic WALKING TALL being the pick of that bunch, and an attempt that is far superior to DEATH WISH. Such a shame the 2004 remake (that word again) starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson lost the originals intensity and aimed its ‘cartoon violence’ squarely at teenage boys. At least if Carnahan is involved in this new take on DEATH WISH, the original’s impact will not be sacrificed.
SSource: The Los Angeles Times
