Revenge is one of drama’s great motivators. From “Hamlet” to “Captain America: Civil War,” it’s often the main driver of a plot in films of all kinds, but the 1970s saw the development of a particular sub-strain of Revenge Movie, films that reflected the anger drawn from a society haunted by Vietnam and Watergate and rising crime. And one of the best known was “Death Wish.”
Based on Brian Garfield’s novel, and originally directed by Michael Winner, the film saw Charles Bronson as an ordinary man who becomes a gun-toting vigilante after his wife is murdered and his daughter raped in a home invasion. The film went on to be a huge surprise hit, and Bronson returned for four further sequels, with increasingly strained plot motivations behind them.
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Garfield’s similar novel “Death Sentence” was adapted by James Wan a decade ago, starring Kevin Bacon, but despite multiple attempts, a full-on remake is yet to materialize: Joe Carnahan was attached for a time, and more recently “Big Bad Wolves” helmers Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado were attached before parting ways with MGM and Paramount. But now the film has a new director, as The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Eli Roth will direct the new film for the studios.
Roth made his name as an enfant terrible of horror with “Cabin Fever” and “Hostel,” but recent thriller “Knock Knock” saw him move away from gorehound fare, and he flirted with studio movie “Meg” before eventually parting ways. His deal here has closed, and with Bruce Willis long attached to take over Bronson’s role, this should move ahead quickly at this point.
We can’t confess to being huge fans of Roth, or of the material, and it seems like the sort of thing that Willis could all too easily phone in. But we are at least intrigued by the idea that the script comes from Scott Alexander and Larry Karazewski, who recently knocked it out of the park with “The People Vs. O.J. Simpson.” Can they find something new in the revenge movie? We’ll likely find out in 2017 or 2018.
