While the first Death Wish was a pretty good (if terribly exploitative) drama, it had one big problem - its own success. While the critical reception was dismissive at best, the audience reaction was solid and positive. The film went on to be one of the higher grossing flicks of the early seventies and became a benchmark grindhouse classic for both Charles Bronson and director Michael Winner. However, where there is success, Hollywood stands ready to exploit that success. And so in the intervening eight years, Canon Films producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus bought the rights from Dino De Laurentiis and kept the series going with more and more outlandish acts of violence and revenge. The first stop on that journey is Death Wish II. . . .

When we last saw vigilante Paul Kersey (Bronson), he had been forced to leave New York and was setting up shop in Chicago and about to run afoul of a bunch of hooligans that were harassing a helpless bystander at the bus terminal. Since then he's left the East Coast altogether, settling in Los Angeles. Kersey and his still mostly catatonic daughter have begun putting the past behind them, living in the City of Angels. Things are looking up, too. Kersey has put his days of vigilante justice behind him, his daughter has been making progress in dealing with her trauma, and Kersey even begins dating an old friend (played by Jill Ireland). Being a Death Wish movie, you know this domestic bliss is not to last.

Faster than you can say "Bernhard Goetz", Kersy is mugged by a band of punks even more cartoonish and over the top than the trio that murdered his wife back in New York. Kersey gives chase, catching a young Laurence Fishburne. He doesn’t kill Larry, but he does whup his ass but good. Sadly the criminals still have Kersey's wallet - and his driver’s license. Eager to get revenge for the ass kicking, they break into Kersey's home, rape and murder his housekeeper and set an ambush for the happy family when they get home. Kersey is knocked out and his helpless daughter kidnapped. Back at the gang's hideout, they do the ol' ultra-violence and a wee bit o' the in-out, in-out before she leaps out of a second story window and is impaled on a iron fence railing. Ouch.

Well, so much for that whole "those days are behind me" thing.

And so Kersey takes up the handgun again to bring justice to the streets as a stocking-capped badass of the night. We get more Kersey hunting down the villains one by one with ease - which is another departure from the original movie. Interestingly enough, in the first Death Wish, Kersey didn’t extract revenge from the thugs who murdered his wife. The act of vengeance was downplayed in favor of the more philosophical message over the legality and need for vigilante justice. In the sequel, we're just here to see Bronson blow away bad guys. All pretence of The Message has been swept aside for gunplay.

It's that departure that makes most critics hate Death Wish II (Ebert famously gave the flick zero stars), but I think that's unduly harsh. Oh sure the first half an hour or so is filled with all manner of horrendous misogyny and squirm-in-your-seat violence against women, but once you get past that, the gunplay and violence against the scum is pretty entertaining.

Charles Bronson is doing more of the same as the first movie, being the stoic badass. On the other hand, one might call his acting "Wooden" and "stiff". His emotional range consists of the Stoic Grimace, the Laconic Smirk and the Intense Squint. Unfortunately he's missing that Man's Man panache that that Lee Van Cleef, Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin bring to the table. He's ok, but merely adequate for the roll.

That and I don't think LA is nearly as stylish as New York was. Director Michael Winner still tries the same touches as before, but it doesn’t look nearly as good this time around. Although I do have admit that the extras on the mean streets of LA look just as outlandish and colorful (and ridiculously over the top) as their New York counterparts. It also doesn’t help matters that Jimmy Page (yes, THAT Jimmy Page) is no Herbie Hancock. The music - clearly from the eighties - is wildly inappropriate to the movie. While Hancock's soundtrack was also wildly inappropriate, at least it was good. Page phones his score in and it just ain't no good!

So, while I'm not expecting Shakespeare here, Death Wish II is too sloppy to be a good film and not nearly camp enough to be an awesomely bad flick like Death Wish III or IV. Entertaining, but the low point of the series.

BREASTS: 4
EXPLOSIONS: 0
ROUNDS FIRED: 43
PUNCHES THROWN: 6
HANDRAIL DEATHS: 1
CAR CHASES: 0
FRUIT CARTS DESTROYED: 0
NINJA? No
BODY COUNT: 16

THE DVD -
After the disgraceful condition of first Death Wish DVD, anything is a step in the right direction. However, it's a baby step to be sure. This time around we get a 4:3 format release - but all of the Cannon Films were shot open matte so at least it's not a pan and scan transfer. While the widescreen print would have been preferable, at least we're not losing any picture.

As far as the image quality goes, Death Wish II is a huge step above the first film. The colors are good, the blacks are strong and the print used looks pretty clean..

THE EXTRAS -
Typical of these low budget cult exploitation flicks, we get a trailer - and that's it.

THE BOTTOM LINE -
Is it as bad as everyone says? Well, Death Wish II isn’t a GOOD movie by any stretch, but it's reasonably entertaining. Still, I think the way more cartoony Death Wish III is the superior flick.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older