The Netflix Dark Crime Thriller That Continues Causing Controversy

It’s important to note that there are some differences between the original Death Wish and its Netflix remake. Both movies involve a home invasion that goes wrong, with the protagonist’s wife dying and their child suffering tremendous injuries, which makes the protagonist take justice into their own hands.

And yes, both movies end up with the main character removing criminal elements guilty of his wife’s death—through certain methodologies that involve guns, guts, and a severe lack of diplomacy or interest in seeking a diplomatic solution.

It’s also important to know that the original Death Wish, starring Charles Bronson (the actor, not the prisoner), caused significant controversies upon its release in 1974. The premise of the original is basically the same, and while there are some differences in the portrayal of the protagonist, he’s portrayed as a vengeful father figure in both movies.

However, unlike the remake, the original film portrayed New York as an apocalyptic urban hellscape, which reflected the city’s reality at the time, with high crime rates and corruption, which led to the public’s mistrust of authority and law enforcement.

The Death Wish protagonist’s quest for vigilante justice resonated well with the audiences that were mistrustful of the authority set to guide them and the law enforcement that’s supposed to protect them. The critics have panned the movie, but the message achieved escape velocity, resulting in a rather detrimental effect on the controversy.

It provided the movie with free publicity and only reinforced its message in the eyes of the public. The same thing happened with 2019’s Joker; the film’s portrayal of violence, although criticized by some, made it into a must-see cultural event that propelled it past the billion-dollar earnings mark.

The Death Wish remake that’s featured on Netflix, on the other hand, had its ideological edge sanded off, probably in an attempt to make the movie more commercially viable and provide more of a critical viewpoint of vigilantism—much like the novel upon which the original movie was based on.

It also included elements of satire and superficial treatment of complex themes, leaning more toward comic-book-like elements Bruce Willis became more associated with over the years. However, while it was successful in avoiding controversies of its own, it successfully reignited the old ones.

Unfortunately, the Death Wish remake was also panned by the critics; the movie suffered several setbacks during its development—which was announced in 2006—like the departure of Sylvester Stallone from the lead role, which was also associated with Liam Neeson at one point, and even Benicio Del Toro.

It ended up barely covering its budget, but it successfully reignited all the controversies that were associated with the original movie. Stream the original Death Wish now, currently available on Netflix.