Episode 92: Death Wish (1974)

I revisit Death Wish (1974), the film that helped define the vigilante genre and gave Charles Bronson one of the most memorable roles of his career.

Watching it now, I was struck by how much more thoughtful it is than its reputation suggests. Beneath the controversial violence is a film that asks difficult questions about crime, justice and what happens when ordinary people feel abandoned by society. Bronson delivers a surprisingly layered performance as Paul Kersey, while Michael Winner captures a New York that feels tense, dangerous and on edge.

In this episode, I reflect on how the film holds up more than 50 years later, why Bronson is so effective in the role, and why Death Wish remains one of the defining films of the 1970s.