This weekend sees the release of two stories of violence. Both leads are quite deadly, though they clearly display very different methods.
Death Wish
The original Death Wish, starring Charles Bronson, was released in 1974 and became a quintessential grindhouse flick. Somehow this tale of revenge spawned four sequels. I just have to say, if Bronson’s character was looking for someone to blame for his his loved ones being harmed, he should probably blame himself. The guy is a magnet for tragedy.
Now, director Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) with a script by Joe Carnahan (The A-Team) takes on this small story of justice by any means possible. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is an accomplished surgeon that enjoys his simple family life. Yet, all too suddenly, tragedy directly affects his family and he decides to take justice into his own hands.
Gun violence is the hot button right now, and many audience members will be extremely sensitive to what’s displayed on screen. I should mention that there’s no stand taken here. One of the focuses in Death Wish is vigilantism in the age of social media. When Paul decides to become a hooded vigilante, his every action is documented. The morality of his type of justice is a theme discussed repeatedly by the media. Also, the movie taking place in crime-ridden Chicago does not feel like an accident.
We all know that this revenge theme is played out. After movies like Taken, The Equalizer and John Wick, there’s a cottage industry surrounding the genre. Though, the original Death Wish played a big part in the creation of the genre. Had anyone other than Eli Roth made this movie (even with Bruce Willis), it would have disappeared quickly in the genre. However, his brand of shock somehow elevates it. Also, he knows how to build tension to the point of discomfort and then immediately surprise you with its end, instead of dragging things out.
Willis is always dependable, but could be blamed for a bit of sleepwalking here. He is really boosted by his supporting cast that go out of their way to play it deadly serious in a clearly schlocky flick. Elizabeth Shue, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dean Norris, and Camila Morrone all play it very straight with a strong dedication that may be better than this movie actually deserves.
As silly as this remake is, I kept waiting to hate it, and somehow I never could. It’s paced incredibly well and has enough shock value to keep you engaged. There are a few random scenes (notably the running joke of people misspelling his last name & his daughter’s friend making an appearance) that could have been cut. I can recommend Death Wish for violent action fans that don’t mind a unhealthy amount of blood. I’m surprising myself by giving this a decent B-
Red Sparrow
And now for something completely different…
Red Sparrow stars Jennifer Lawrence, who plays a former ballerina turned soviet spy. After a terrible accident, she is recruited into Sparrow School, where they train her to use her “assets” to seduce powerful men and gain international secrets. However, her attempt to seduce a CIA agent (Joel Edgerton), threatens the standstill of the two nations.
There are so many stories told in Red Sparrow that getting lost/disinterested is a foregone conclusion. The entire first act goes into the salacious nature of the government owning the bodies of its military and her change into becoming a weapon herself. Yet, after that strange montage, it becomes a slow-moving cold war mystery.
At 2 hours 19 minutes, director Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, most of the Hunger Games movies) really doesn’t mind trying anyone’s patience. There is a solid 20 minutes that could have been cut. Plus, Red Sparrow is rife with double crossing to the point of apathy. To the movie’s credit, just as I wanted to give up on it, the ending did bring the plot around and somehow save it.
The script doesn’t ask for Jennifer Lawrence to be anything other than a stone cold Russian femme fatale, but there’s never quite a significant development. She seemed no different in mood and blood thirst from her time as an aspiring prima ballerina to a government agent. Joel Edgerton is as reliable as ever. Even though he sporadically appears in the movie from time to time, his character feels like the heart of it.
Though I walked out of Red Sparrow satisfied by the ending, I can’t recommend it. It can’t decide if it wants to explore the original concept of the Sparrow School or just dive into all the boring parts of last year’s Atomic Blonde. This isn’t a bad watch, it’s just so slowly-plotted that you’ll lose interest at the halfway point. C-
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