charles bronson be already a major movie star in 1974 in europe and a top action actor in the usa but it be death wish release that year that make him the super star that he become . what so unusual be that in the movie death wish he play a man who be a pacifist all of his life and he serve in the korean war a a conscientious objector and who then turn into the vigilante executioner . a role which bronson have become know for and identify with more then any of the score of action role that he make during his long film career . bronson as well a director michael winner and writer brian garfield touch a raw nerve in death wish with the american people in big city under siege like no other movie ever do before and and now some 30 year later and after . since death wish there must have be make over a hundred film with it theme but none have the impact that death wish with charles bronson have . a group of tug get joanna kersey and hope lange and address from a delivery slip of a local grocery store and act a if their delivering her grocery break into joanna apartment and savagely attack her and beat and rape her daughter carol and kathleen tolan . paul kersey and charles bronson and come home to learn that his wife and daughter be in the hospital rush over to see how they be . kersey find out that his wife be dead and his daughter be mentally destroyed and need to be institutionalize for life . the whole world around paul kersey fall apart like a house of card and he leave alone with everything that he love dead or as good a dead . some time later go to arizona to do his job a a land developer for his firm in nyc he give a . 32 handgun a a gift by the person that he work for ames janichill and stuart margolis and for the great job that he do for him . one night back home in new york city take a stroll in the park with the gun on him kersey be accost by a local junkie who pull a handgun on him but kersey draw first and shoot and kill him . sick at first over what he do and kill a human be and kersey like a wild beast from the jungle taste blood for the fist time begin to roam the street of new york at night for prey . a vengeful kersey go out look for criminal to put out of commission and like those who kill and rap his wife and daughter and a some kind of revenge and retribution against them . in the process kersey put the criminal of the city of new york into a state of absolute terror and panic . in his guerrilla like action kersey knock off some dozen of them send the the city crime rate fall as much a 70 % . all this with the ineffective and in stop crime and police be more interested in stop the vigilante then stop the criminal . the movie death wish hit a raw nerve with the public as well a the local politician and police because it show how and in the movie at least and one man with a gun and know how to use it can make a difference when it come to stop crime . the story be not that unlikely a those against it would want the public to believe . there be many time when average people take to protect themselves and with firearm and and do a much good job then the police while which be just what paul kersey do in the movie . that may have be one of the reason that those in authority be so much against the film . when bernie goetz in december 1984 gun down four mugger and much like charles bronson do in the movie death wish and who try to attack him in the new york subway crime drop a lot more then if one hundred policeman be put on the train . nobody can doubt now that charles bronson death wish be not only a major milestone in film about urban crime but also a major milestone in what the public think about crime and what best to do to stop it .