Death Wish II (1982)

I remember catching this film when it first came out, and i have seen it on TV a few times since, but this DVD from the five Deathwish film collection was the first viewing for a long while. I have been watching the series in reverse, that is i started with number five and worked down to number two.So what have i learned, well film four and five are not that bad, if you like Bronson movies and i do, but two and three are pretty exploitative and mechanical.Staying with Deathwish 2 it now seems a much poorer movie than i remembered with a plot that serves up only bad guys for Charlie to take out. No More No Less.5/10 that's it.

For reasons I am not entirely sure of, I revisit this movie every few years, this particular time having just watched the unrated version for the very first time. I will freely admit that in many ways, this movie simply isn't very good. The script is often simple- minded and unbelievable, with various plot turns and character actions that in real life would simply not happen at all. Director Michael Winner's direction often has as much subtle force as a swift sledgehammer. And the movie display of rape and violence is more often than not pure exploitation.Yet as I indicated in my subject line, there is something about this movie that makes it strangely compelling. It's kind of hard to pin down exactly why. I think one reason might be that as crude as the movie is executed at times, it all the same brings out an effective visceral response from the viewer. You'll really want Bronson's character to kill the gang that raped and murdered his housekeeper and daughter. Also, while Michael Winner's direction is often crude and sleazy, it does have some considerable bite to it, enough to keep the viewer interested. You will really feel the run down locations and eccentric residents of them, for one thing. And the movie certainly isn't dull - there's not one boring moment. "Death Wish II" is not my favorite of the series (my favorite being the over-the-top part 3), and I certainly don't think it's a good movie. But the movie all the same is weirdly watchable, like so many other tacky Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus movies of the 1980s. It's certainly not for everyone - many people will hate it, and for good reasons. But if you're a fan of Golan/Globus and Bronson, then there is a good chance you'll find it peculiar and offbeat enough to be worth a watch.

A grossly underrated movie , as good as the first , and a far cry from 3 and 4 . Kersey's relationship with Bronson's actual wife , Jill Ireland , is quite believable , and there's no mistaking the chemistry . That a man would go on a rampage of revenge over the rape and brutal death of his already traumatized daughter is something any real man can understand ( and there are some beautifully sensitive moments here ; Robin Sherwood , as Carol Kersey , is brilliant ) . Some critics seem to regard the rapes as especially lurid , perhaps purposefully titillating , but I could not disagree more . Rape is not pretty, and regardless of the attractiveness of the two rape victims , one must really have a sick mind to find those scenes titillating . The unexpected ending adds gusto to an already solid movie . This is more than a must for Bronson fans : It's a damned good movie , period .

Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson)has moved from New York City to Los Angeles as a means of starting over again. His daughter has been released from hospital, although she's still in a semi-catatonic state. Kersey has a new love interest and a housekeeper and everything seems to be going OK for Kersey. However, when Kersey's wallet becomes stolen after he's been mugged, the gang find address confirmation in Kersey's wallet and proceed to Kersey's home where they kill his housekeeper and kidnap his daughter and then kill her. Following these events, Kersey goes back to his old ways and sets about tracking down the gang of muggers.I think what I liked about Death Wish 2 is the fact that it is more focused than the first film. The narrative in the first film was shaky to say the least and I found that the events in the second half never really connected with what had happened in the first half - he killed lots of would be muggers, but never seemed to pursue those that perpetrated the original crime against his wife and daughter which never made any sense to me. Thankfully, with this film it's much more straight forward - Kersey goes after the muggers that killed his wife and daughter and that's all there is to this film and it's this straight forward and focused plot that makes this a stronger film. Like the first film, it's quite graphic and brutal, but again this does give the film a very realistic feel to it. As a direct result of the stronger narrative it ultimately means that the film flows much better and it never really gets to a point where it becomes boring.The only real glaring weakness I could find with this film lay with Jill Ireland; I felt that her acting was a bit wooden and her character was probably one of the most bland characters that I've ever seen. I also never really bought into their romance either. Thankfully, her character and their romance don't make that much of an impact on the film and Winner mostly just allows Bronson to do his 'thing' which was perfectly OK with me.One final thing I'll say about this sequel is don't be put off by its current rating of 5.9. It's an underrated sequel which is much better than its rating suggests. If you liked the first film then you will like this film. As for me, I preferred it to the first film, but I know I'm in the minority on that one.