Paul Magne Haakonsen With the previous two movies being essentially the one and the same, then I was somewhat dreading sitting down to watch "Death Wish 3".However, at least this third movie has an original story to it. Sure, it wasn't an overly thrilling or impressive story, but it differed from the previous two movies to make it stand out.They did up the action quite a lot in this third movie, as there was a lot of action and fighting throughout most of the movie.The gang members that Paul Kersey (played by Charles Bronson) was fighting in "Death Wish 3" seemed like something from a comic book gang, and were hard to take serious."Death Wish 3" feels very campy, yet it was still refreshing that they broke the formula from the previous two movies.

classicsoncall There's only one thing better than watching "Death Wish 3", and that's heading on over to IMDb to read the viewer comments about the picture. Seriously, I have never read about a picture before where the lovers and haters of a film all appear to be on the same page in their rabid appreciation for it. You can add me to the list, this was one epic flick. I think this might be the one picture Charles Bronson made just to see if he could get away with it (although I haven't seen 4 or 5 yet), but if I'm wrong I'll be glad to amend my comments later.You really have to catch this picture to get a flavor of all the mindless, violent nastiness going on. The anti-tank grenade launcher that blows Fraker (Gavan O'Herlihy) into bite size pieces was quite special, but I think my favorite was the brain buster spring trap Paul Kersey (Bronson) rigged up in his apartment. All this with the full knowledge, support and go-ahead of the local police chief Shriker (Ed Lauter).And you know what the topper is? The music score for the picture was put together by Jimmy Page!!! You know, the 'Stairway to Heaven'/'Whole Lotta Love' guy who rocked it with Led Zeppelin, which now that I think about it, how come there was no zeppelin in this picture? All I can think of, this was one time Page might have really been 'Dazed and Confused'.

sol- Whereas 'Death Wish II' was more a remake of the 1974 original than a true sequel, this third entry in the series takes the story in a completely fresh and original direction. The focus here is police corruption with Ed Lauter making a magnificently sinister crooked police chief who sends Paul Kersey to a district of town ruled by vicious gangs. His plan? To have Kersey kill off the "creeps", claim that said creeps are killing themselves off and boast about the inevitable lower crime rates as one of his big successes. This is a pretty wild plan, and the fact that Kersey goes along with everything is a little incredulous, but with a bit of suspension of disbelief, the movie is surprisingly engaging. 'Death Wish 3' shares some of the second film's detractors (most notably, the lack of character arc/progression compared to the first film) but Kersey attacks the "creeps" in far more innovative ways this time, booby-trapping various apartments to protect the rightful residents. Michael Winner also does a noticeably good job of visualising the material this time with extreme close-ups (of dangling keys, bullets, etc.) that keep things alive, not to mention a framing shot from inside Lauter's armpit! Winner does not, however, manage to conclude this chapter quite as powerfully as the previous two entries. There is a memorable weapon of choice, but the lack of consequences for Lauter never feels right and the ultimate message of the film is a bit too unabashedly pro-vigilantism for its own good. If flawed though, 'Death Wish 3' is a better film than its reputation might suggest.

rrvtjd Provided the viewer goes into this movie knowing it is a bonanza of cheesy acting, corny dialogue, handguns that fire 46 rounds without the need to reload, and bad-guys who can't shoot worth a damn, Death Wish 3 is an enjoyable journey through a mid-1980s environment of urban blight, multi-racial criminal gangs, incompetent police, and helpless civilians who couldn't protect themselves from a larger-than-average bumblebee. Please understand that this is not a hit-piece against Charles Bronson or any of the other actors or makers of this film. The truly dedicated performances turned in by the actors should not be diminished by the utter silliness and hilarity of the movie which resulted.