In an era before superhero movies, at a time when most people thought of Batman as a dancing, surfing jovial guy in a bright blue mask and cape, there was Paul Kersey. He‘s the vigilante at the center of Death Wish, a ’70s thriller about a man whose family is brutally attacked, and then decides to take the law into his own hands. The first film, directed by Michael Winner, at least took into a little consideration the issues it was exploring, but over the following four sequels, Kersey, played by Charles Bronson basically became a superhero, wandering America, righting perceived wrongs, and murdering anyone he deemed guilty.

Now we’re getting a remake, the first Death Wish since 1994. This time it’s Bruce Willis assuming the lead role, and based on the trailer, the film is leaning much more heavily into the outlandish exploits that came in the sequels. It’s set to AC/DC’s “Back in Black” and includes lots of dry humor about a guy playing judge, jury, and executioner. Here’s the official synopsis:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures presents director Eli Roth’s reimagining of the classic 1974 revenge thriller Death Wish. Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of Chicago violence when it is rushed into his ER – until his wife (Elisabeth Shue) and college-age daughter (Camila Morrone) are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts his family’s assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous slayings of criminals grabs the media’s attention, the city wonders if this deadly vigilante is a guardian angel or a grim reaper. Fury and fate collide in the intense, action-thriller Death Wish.

There’s a new poster too:

DeathWishPoster
loading...

For sake of comparison, here is the original trailer for Bronson’s first Death Wish:

The film could be more serious and thoughtful than the trailer lets on, although coming from Eli Roth, the guy who made HostelCabin Fever, and other horror films, I tend to doubt it. Death Wish opens in theaters on November 22.

More From Idaho’s Talk Station