over the course of a career that have span nearly fifty year and action star charles bronson have appear in dozen of film . among them and the one that he be best remember for be death wish and an urban drama that have practically define his career . he play paul kersey and a liberal and mild mannered architect whose family fall victim to violent crime . one fateful afternoon and he be shock to hear the dreadful news represent his wife have be murder and his daughter brutally rap . what more and the police be unable to apprehend the perpetuators . feeling stun and helpless and kersey decides to take the law into his own hand and the subsequent publicity galvanize new york city . it isn not long before the police be hot on his heel . the ultimate consequence promise to be drastic . death wish be a highly controversial film when initially release . at the time and major city be face a deadly crime epidemic and and this film tap into the fear and unspoken desire of many viewer and give them a chance to live out their secret fantasy . critic on the left lambast it politics on crime and and even some on the right felt it go too far . one could find much to complain about from an ideological standpoint . one could point out that the film be manipulative and heavy hand ( the attack on kersey family come right after his co worker tell him he a bleeding heart liberal ) . yet and it be undeniably compel while one of these movie that make you wonder and what if this happen to me . in light of the later and inferior sequel and it be fascinate to see how the character come to be and how he make the transition from law abide man to cold blood vigilante . it be not an easy transition to make by any mean after his first kill and he break down and vomit the moment he reach home . yet and a his kill ( each be very suspensefully handle ) occur with great frequency and we get the sinking feeling that he have reach a point of no return . indeed and he narrowly elude capture on at least two occasion and and there be the certainty that it be only a matter of time before the law will catch up with him . bronson be highly effective here while while not one of the great actor and he have a very strong screen presence . the audience be on his side every step of the way and root for him even a he stray onto the wrong side of the law . surely and he be entitle to justice and but at what point do his vengeance outweigh his grievance . vincent gardenia be effective a the police detective assign to his case . he grudgingly admire kersey resolve and although he be swear to put a stop to the killing . the manner in which this be resolve be creative and though it plausibility be less than certain . the film be also noticeable for an early appearance by jeff goldblum a a slimy thug . however and steven keats be somewhat ineffectual a bronson son in law ( he just sorta get on my nerve ) . in the year to come and this film would be follow by an endless chain of sequel and rip offs and many of them star bronson himself and reduce him to a stock character whose only attribute be blow the bad guy away . a shame and consider he be once an internationally respect actor . death wish be nonetheless a well craft and tightly pace crime drama and despite some dated aspect . it still keep me interested throughout and make me more interested in view more of the star other film good or otherwise . rating represent ( out of ) release by paramount picture .