[Poll] What is the greatest Death Wish film?

[JayPettryMMA]

Mild mannered architect Paul Kersey, played by the legendary Charles Bronson (Charles Dennis Buchinsky), was a conscientious objector who served as a medic in the Korean War. Bad things happened to him, and he took things into his own hands for five wonderful films. They all have their merits, but what is the greatest and/or your favorite?


Death Wish
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 53
Director: Michael Winner
Production Company: Dino De Laurentiis Corporation
Composer: Herbie Hancock
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Jeff Goldblum
Synopsis: Where it all began - wife murdered, daughter raped and traumatized, and he takes things into his own hands.
Kersey Kill Count: 10
Best Kill: The first, the mugger who tried to rob him at gunpoint
Release: 7/24/74

Death Wish II
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 58
Director: Michael Winner
Production Company: The Cannon Group/Golan-Globus
Composer: Jimmy Page
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Laurence Fishburne
Synopsis: Kersey moves to LA to start over, and his daughter finally starts to come around, and then it all goes horribly wrong.
Kersey Kill Count: 10
Best Kill: Shot through a boombox
Release: 2/19/82

Death Wish 3
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 63
Director: Michael Winner
Production Company: The Cannon Group/Golan-Globus
Composer: Jimmy Page, Mike Moran
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Alex Winter, Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi from Star Trek TNG)
Synopsis: Kersey returns to NY to visit an old friend, who wants him to take care of his things while he's away.
Kersey Kill Count: 52
Best Kill: M72 LAW at close range
Release: 11/1/85

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 66
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Production Company: The Cannon Group
Composer: John Bisharat, Paul & Valentine MacCallum
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Danny Trejo
Synopsis: Kersey is hired by a man to take out a drug cartel, and things are not what they appear for the man that hired him.
Kersey Kill Count: 38
Best Kill: Shot then falls on the top of a bumper car ride and is electrocuted
Release: 11/6/87

Death Wish V: The Face of Death
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 70
Director: Allan A. Goldstein
Production Company: 21st Century Film, Death Wish 5 Productions
Composer: Terry Plumeri
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Michael Parks, of Tarantino movie fame
Synopsis: Kersey moves back to NYC, finds love and meets her ex-husband, who is a mobster.
Kersey Kill Count: 7
Best Kill: Knocked into a pit of acid
Honorable Mention Kill: Deadly soccer ball
Release: 1/14/94

No one cares about the Eli Roth reboot.

 

[JayPettryMMA]

The first one, hands down.

I always had the Rocky IV feel for Death Wish 3, in that its insanity made it superior to even the original.

 

[raty tat tat]

The first one is the only one worth watching.

 

[TheSlothMan]

The first is the best movie in terms of being an actual good movie, the third is one of the best things to come out of the 80's. My vote goes to Death Wish 3!!

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

I've only seen 2 and 5, so I'll vote 2. Very violent, while 5 was rather dumb I thought.

 

[Sir Galahad]

Fuck Eli Roth and his remake.

 

[HARRISON_3]

Part 1 via Goldblum

 

[Uncle Bingo]

Nothing touches the original as it is the only entry with any serious message and critical acclaim. Having said that, 2 gets my vote because its just sick and exploitative trash re-hash with killer Jimmy Page soundtrack. Plus it contains that immortal line:

 

[Philo-Publius]

Mild mannered architect Paul Kersey, played by the legendary Charles Bronson (Charles Dennis Buchinsky), was a conscientious objector who served as a medic in the Korean War. Bad things happened to him, and he took things into his own hands for five wonderful films. They all have their merits, but what is the greatest and/or your favorite?


Death Wish
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 53
Director: Michael Winner
Production Company: Dino De Laurentiis Corporation
Composer: Herbie Hancock
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Jeff Goldblum
Synopsis: Where it all began - wife murdered, daughter raped and traumatized, and he takes things into his own hands.
Kersey Kill Count: 10
Best Kill: The first, the mugger who tried to rob him at gunpoint
Release: 7/24/74

Death Wish II
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 58
Director: Michael Winner
Production Company: The Cannon Group/Golan-Globus
Composer: Jimmy Page
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Laurence Fishburne
Synopsis: Kersey moves to LA to start over, and his daughter finally starts to come around, and then it all goes horribly wrong.
Kersey Kill Count: 10
Best Kill: Shot through a boombox
Release: 2/19/82

Death Wish 3
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 63
Director: Michael Winner
Production Company: The Cannon Group/Golan-Globus
Composer: Jimmy Page, Mike Moran
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Alex Winter, Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi from Star Trek TNG)
Synopsis: Kersey returns to NY to visit an old friend, who wants him to take care of his things while he's away.
Kersey Kill Count: 52
Best Kill: M72 LAW at close range
Release: 11/1/85

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 66
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Production Company: The Cannon Group
Composer: John Bisharat, Paul & Valentine MacCallum
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Danny Trejo
Synopsis: Kersey is hired by a man to take out a drug cartel, and things are not what they appear for the man that hired him.
Kersey Kill Count: 38
Best Kill: Shot then falls on the top of a bumper car ride and is electrocuted
Release: 11/6/87

Death Wish V: The Face of Death
Charles Bronson's Age at Release: 70
Director: Allan A. Goldstein
Production Company: 21st Century Film, Death Wish 5 Productions
Composer: Terry Plumeri
Strange Famous Person Appearance: Michael Parks, of Tarantino movie fame
Synopsis: Kersey moves back to NYC, finds love and meets her ex-husband, who is a mobster.
Kersey Kill Count: 7
Best Kill: Knocked into a pit of acid
Honorable Mention Kill: Deadly soccer ball
Release: 1/14/94

No one cares about the Eli Roth reboot.

This is a question? The original Death Wish should win this poll unanimously. Anyone who doesn't pick the first one is trolling.

 

[cmw43]

The first one is the best overall film but Deathwish 3 is just so damn fun, an 80s action classic.

Wildey, the Giggler, the Police Captain is badass, the MG and Bronson mowing down dozens of gang members.

 

[SenorFranko]

The first one is probably the best but 3 is my favourite because is so ridiculous/funny.

This video has a collection of Broson's kills in the Cannon films. So fucking funny, probably my favourite YouTube video

 

[loyalyolayal]

@jeicex just ruined @shadow_priest_x 's a year worth of thread making.

 

[BisexualMMA]

One is easily the best. Two is pretty good. It recaptures the tone and spirit of the first one quite well in a Jaws 2 sort of fashion.

The rest are just silly with part 5 being pretty bad.

 

[Plissken]

1 followed closely by 3.
Tough to beat the gritty NYC 70's style of 1, but 3 was pure 80's over the top vigilante madness.

 

[Guestx]

@jeicex just ruined @shadow_priest_x 's a year worth of thread making.

Terminator 2 > Death Wish

 

[Medical Marijuana Man]

Never seen 1 death wish movie

 

[That209]

I don't remember which one this is from, but it's still one of the funniest scenes ever.

 

[Hollywood Jack]

I don't remember which one this is from, but it's still one of the funniest scenes ever.

That's Death Wish 4, and yeah, that scene kicked ass.

Anyway, Death Wish I was a real serious film with the most critical acclaim. Death Wish II was the most fun for me probably, it was a pure exploitation classic. Death Wish III, unlike most fans I don't rate it as highly as even Death Wish IV, but it's still a somewhat fun 80s action flick. I think it suffered from being mostly shot in London to save money, however. Death Wish IV had an interesting plot and fun action sequences, I liked Kay Lenz as Kersey's girlfriend Karen. And while the bumper kill was fun, my favorite kill was probably the grenade launcher kill at the end, and how badass it was to dare that cop to kill him while calmly walking away. Death Wish V on the other hand was pure crap, even though I still have it in my collection along with the other Death Wish films and Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects which has a similar theme. I'm a big fan of the series overall, I'm probably gonna vote for II. The Jimmy Page soundtrack kicks ass.

 

[SenorGuillen]

2 and then 3 for me. 1 puts me to sleep. The problem with 4 and 5 is that he's turning into a superhero.