'Death Wish (2018)' REVIEW: Eli Roth dials back his Signature Gore-Porn in this Downbeat Rem

'Death Wish (2018)' is the remake of the original Death Wish (1974), originally starring Charles Bronson as the lead. This new film features Bruce Willis as the lead and we have a new Death Wish movie. There has been five of these movies now, so I don't understand what this new film can bring to the table. Turns out, nothing!

In the original Paul Kersey was an architect with a loving wife and daughter. This time it's the same, but he's a successful surgeon now. On one unfortunate night three robbers break into their home while Paul Kersey is out working and kills his wife Joanna (played by Elisabeth Shue) and puts his daughter Jordan (played by Camila Morrone) into a coma. Paul wants revenge on the robbers and goes out on a vigilante spree in Chicago.

I'd say that the one thing I can praise from this movie in Bruce Willis himself. For a film with an abysmal script, Bruce Willis tries to make it work. He's emoting, charismatic and plays it totally straight throughout this film. He plays the role of Paul Kensey like how you'd imagine Bruce Willis playing him would be like and not just impersonating Charles Bronson. The gore that Eli Roth is particularly known for is very scaled back and isn't drawn out to the point that it becomes gratuitous and in-your-face. When there is gore, it's usually done with practical effects in one scene with a car which I do appreciate for trying. The fact that Bruce Willis' version of Paul is a surgeon is a clever change I thought because he gets multiple shooting victims on his operating table every day. Through the patients he can find out who did the shootings and perform justice against them.

The problem with the film: It's every damn revenge flick we've seen a hundred times before! This film shows absolutely no signs of innovation. At least with other revenge films like Oldboy (2003) and Kill Bill (2003) they've heightened what a great revenge flick should be like. Those films we're incredibly well directed and unique with their own signature style to them. This new Death Wish film comes off like every generic violent action film. I'm not kidding that this movie was very boring. It plays out exactly how you think it plays out with no surprised whatsoever. And it's not a flawed film because it got released around the time a massive school shooting took place, it's flawed because it just sucks. Most of the characters are all stock and clearly, they were so easily put together, so I didn't care about them at all.

This new Death Wish remake comes off as unnecessary. Everything about it is generic from the story to the violence. This film does make me interested in viewing these film as I'm sure they'd be a better time than this movie.

'Death Wish (2018)' gets a D+