50 years ago, this thriller caused controversy but was a box office hit (and it’s not Inspector Harry)

Three years after Inspector Harry, which had already raised the ire of critics with the same theme, Michael Winer’s A Vigilante in the City, which also sparked a lively debate and accused of “fascism”, was released in cinemas in the United States. .

Prominent critic Roger Ebert wrote at the time that the film was “Promoting self-arms and calling for personal justice. Even the police seem to agree. Bronson becomes a folk hero as a New York vigilante, and the assault rate drops by 50%.”

“Kill it, try it, you’ll like it”

Death Wish was released just 5 years after the murder of Sharon Tate by members of the Manson “Family” cult in her home, a tragic and traumatic story for the United States. During 1974, almost 1000 people was killed Only on the streets of Chicago.

That being said, Roger Ebert notes in his review that the film’s portrayal of New York is pure fantasy: “It doesn’t look like 1974, but it does look like one of those future cities from science fiction novels about 21st century anarchy. Literally every shadow welcomes the intruder.” Also reviewed by Vincent Canby New York Timeswhich adds: “The message of the film can be summed up like this: “Kill. Try it. You will like it.

“I don’t want people to become Paul Kersey”

This is indeed the side that justice takes in the city, as viewers witness a particularly grammatical attack on Paul Kersey’s wife and daughter. The first died as a result of the injuries, and the second is a rape victim. Shocked, Kersey struggles with self-defense, then vigilantism, as he stalks the streets at night to kill criminals.

Producer Dino De Laurentiis issued a press release defending the fact that the film conveys such a radical message: “The film is in no way an invitation to walk the streets with guns. It’s an open invitation for the government to solve the problem of urban violence, and fast. I don’t want people to become Paul Kerseys, I want the government to solve the problem.”

We will deal with the problem

However, the public wants more. Violence is shown everywhere, and American studios often only approach it through the prism of stalking the killer and rarely from the victim’s side. Paul Kersey is a victim who takes his fate into his own hands and decides to drown the growing violence with blood.

The film was an overwhelming success on American soil with $22 million, spawning several sequels for Charles Bronson and indeed starting, even more so than Dirty Harry with it, the “vigilante” craze.