by Sean Howe
First published 2010
Christopher Sorrentino takes apart Death Wish, the 1974 film that sparked nationwide debates about justice and violence. This marks the second book in the Deep Focus series, which pairs contemporary writers with cinema's most contentious subjects. Sorrentino places Michael Winner's controversial thriller within multiple frameworks. He examines how the movie exploited urban anxieties while connecting frontier justice to suburban ideals. The film represented the peak of seventies cinema that challenged Hollywood's liberal traditions, joining movies like Bullitt, Dirty Harry, and Walking Tall in this cultural shift. Winner and Charles Bronson created their fourth collaboration at a moment when audiences craved stories that reflected their fears about American cities. Critics condemned the film's celebration of vigilante justice, yet theaters filled with enthusiastic viewers. Sorrentino analyzes the movie as entertainment, social mirror, political statement, and urban portrait. He traces its continuing impact on filmmaking and explores why this particular story resonated so powerfully with seventies audiences.
Genres: crime, action, mystery-thriller, film
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary, vigilantism
Setting: America, Hollywood
Period: 1970s
119 pages · Kindle Edition · Soft Skull Press
Content warnings: violence