Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Death Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 30, 2023

Michael Winner's "Death Wish" (1974) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by author and film historian Paul Talbot; exclusive new program with actor John Herzfeld; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is interesting to see what a polarizing political film Michael Winner’s Death Wish became over the years even though politics is virtually undetectable in it. Death Wish is essentially an old-fashioned western disguised as a contemporary action thriller and the simple truths that emerge from it have been channeled through many, many films before it.

After spending a few beautiful days on the sunny beaches of Hawaii, veteran architect Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) and his wife Joanna (Hope Lange) return home to New York City. A day later, while Kersey is at work, three lowlifes (Jeff Goldblum, Gregory Rozakis, Christopher Logan) pick Joanna as their next target and then break into their apartment. They kill Joanna, brutally rape their married daughter, Carol (Kathleen Tolan), and steal some valuables. Kersey is contacted at his office by his son-in-law and told to rush to a local hospital where the victims have been transported. In the days after the incident, while interacting with the local authorities, Kersey realizes that the lowlifes will most likely remain unidentified.

During a business trip to Arizona, Kersey connects with a wealthy client who highlights to him the basic difference between living in the desert, where almost everyone legally carries a gun, and crime-ridden New York City, where almost no one can legally carry a gun. When they part ways at the airport, Kersey accepts a present from his grateful client but opens it only after he returns to New York City.

The present, a gun with a special history, dramatically alters Kersey’s personality and lifestyle. At night, Kersey uses the gun to clean up the troubled streets of New York City and after his modus operandi is identified by the authorities gets tagged The Vigilante. In a few weeks, crime across New York City drops so dramatically that despite public pressure to capture The Vigilante the mayor and district attorney agree in private that it could be in the city’s best interest to let him roam free. This puts Detective Frank Ochoa (Vincent Gardenia), who oversees the efforts to capture The Vigilante, in a tough spot because he agrees with his bosses but needs to keep assuring everyone that it is only a matter of time before he gets his target.

Winner completed Death Wish in 1974 and at the time New York City was very much the lawless city his film depicts. Indeed, in the 1970s certain areas of New York City had become so bad it was public knowledge that the best the police could do there is show presence. Why? Because of local politics, which Death Wish does not explore. Instead, Death Wish reveals the oldest possible reaction to lawlessness while chronicling the transformation of a law-abiding middle-aged man into a classic vigilante.

Bronson moves through Death Wish as a man who very much remains in control of the rage that eats him from within. This is what makes him elusive and effective. However, his sanity – which rejects the classic notion that only a monster can confront and defeat another monster, or as it is the case here other monsters – is what critics of Death Wish have found most concerning because it de facto validates vigilantism. But does it? Vigilantism does not materialize in a vacuum. It is reactionary by default, which means that it would not materialize if the right conditions for it are not present. In Death Wish, it is the failure of local authorities to restore law and order that creates these conditions.

The action is casual and realistic. It is how good action was done in many of the classic American films that emerged during the 1970s. The dialog is predictably loose as well. Only Herbie Hancock’s jazzy score feels slightly out of sync. From time to time some of its more energetic themes leave the impression that they would have been much more appropriate for a carefully polished film noir.

Death Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Death Wish is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Bu-ray release is Region-Free. The Blu-ray release is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including its actual color values.

Screencaptures #1-25 are from Death Wish Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #28-34 are from Death Wish 4K Blu-ray.

The film has been fully remastered in 4K. The 4K makeover can be seen with HDR or Dolby Vision. I viewed the entire film with Dolby Vision and only sampled a few areas with HDR.

The only other release of Death Wish that I have in my library is this reissue from 2017, which I think offers a very solid presentation of the film. I revisited the film in 4K over the weekend and thought that it looked fine but far from impressive. I did various comparisons with my Blu-ray release -- as well as the 1080p presentation from this release -- and to be honest I found several areas to look less convincing now. Why? In some darker areas, finer nuances and shadow detail appear flattened a bit, with light black crush making its presence felt as well, though the overall quality of the darker visuals here is slightly better than that of the 4K makeover of Escape from Alcatraz. During select outdoor sequences depth is occasionally a tad better, but elsewhere on my system, the previous release performs better. If I upscale the previous release to 4K, I prefer how some of the visuals look even if I focus on areas where Dolby Vision should be making a noticeable difference. Why is that? Some of the darker nuances look thicker and flattened, but for some reason, the grading is quite inconsistent as well. I do not know why but some parts of the film look quite anemic now (see screencaptures #18 and 22). Also, I spotted a very light yellowish hue of the kind that I have previously seen on Fox's remaster of Porky's. (See it emerging in screencaptures #4 and 10). I was able to spot it in native 4K and 1080p, though Dolby Vision tones it down a bit. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. However, I feel that grain exposure could have been more pronounced and convincing. Image stability is very good. All in all, if the previous release is upscaled to 4K, I feel that it looks just as good and in some areas possibly even better than the native 4K presentation that is offered on this combo release. In a direct 1080p to 1080p comparison -- old release vs. new release -- I would pick the previous release as well.

Death Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track and did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. The dialog is clear, clean, and easy to follow. In some areas, external sounds and noise do affect clarity a bit, but this is how the original sound design was created. Herbie Hancock's soundtrack enhances the suspense quite well, though some of its more erratic themes could sound a bit uneven.

Death Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Paul Talbot, author of the Bronson's Loose! books. I consider Mr. Talbot the ultimate authority on all things Bronson, so I was eager to hear his comments on Death Wish. His commentary is predictably excellent, providing plenty of information not about the production of Death Wish but about different events in Charles Bronson's life and career at the time as well as the work of his co-stars. I would say that the quality is a good enough reason to recommend purchasing this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray release.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Paul Talbot, author of the Bronson's Loose! books. I consider Mr. Talbot the ultimate authority on all things Bronson, so I was eager to hear his comments on Death Wish. His commentary is predictably excellent, providing plenty of information not about the production of Death Wish but about different events in Charles Bronson's life and career at the time as well as the work of his co-stars. I would say that the quality is a good enough reason to recommend purchasing this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray release.

• Interview with Actor John Herzfeld - in this exclusive new program, John Herzfeld recalls the exact moment when he landed a part in Death Wish (for which he remained uncredited) and what it was like to live in New York City during the period that is depicted in the film. Most of his excellent recollections are hilarious, too. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer for Death Wish. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spot - a vintage TV spot for Death Wish. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Radio Spots - a couple of vintage radio spots for Death Wish. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for Death Wish.

Death Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you already have one of the previous Blu-ray releases of Death Wish you are probably wondering whether this new 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack is worth picking up, correct? The answer is yes, but because it has a predictably excellent new audio commentary by Paul Talbot, author of the Bronson's Loose! books, and a very good new program with actor John Herzfeld. What about the technical presentation of Death Wish? Despite some inconsistencies, I would describe it as good, but it is not the visual stunner it could have been. I think that the previous Blu-ray releases were done very well and when upscaled to 4K offer a very solid presentation of Death Wish. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.