Death Wish

The man who wrote the novel hated the film. In Brian Garfield's 1972 book, vigilantism is not a solution but an extension of crime, a second sickness. Michael Winner filmed the same man as an outright hero. Garfield called the film incendiary and dismissed all the sequels as pointless and rancid, because every one of them argued the opposite of his novel. A New York architect, after his wife is murdered by street thugs, starts going out at night and shooting criminals. Charles Bronson plays the architect, from a screenplay by Wendell Mayes. It became one of the decade's most contested films and did well enough that Paramount raised ticket prices, as it had for The Godfather. Some critics accused it of advocating vigilantism; others said it reflected a widespread American mood as crime rose. Who it is for: viewers curious about 1970s New York and the political nerve of the period. Who it is not for: anyone expecting the film to question its own argument. It never contradicts its hero, which makes it uncomfortable viewing now.