A double dose of dome-headed action.
It seems like only yesterday that Eli Roth announced his Death Wish remake, but here we have the first trailer for the film, which stars Bruce Willis in the role made famous by Charles Bronson, middle class vigilante Paul Kersey.
Even back in the '70s, Michael Winner's original adaptation of Brian Garfield's novel, adapted again by James Wan as Death Sentence in 2007, drew criticism for its regressive politics, and with Roth expressing his dislike of modern political correctness, expect this to stir up plenty of controversy.
Death Wish opens in US cinemas November 22nd, but no UK/ROI release has yet been announced.
The official synopsis reads:
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 deadlyvigilante is a guardian angel or a grim reaper. Fury and fate collide in the intense, action-thrillerDeath Wish.
Paul Kersey becomes a divided person: A man who saves lives, and a man who takes them; a husband and father trying to take care of his family, and a shadowy figure fighting Chicago crime; a surgeon extracting bullets from suspects' bodies, and the vigilante called "The Grim Reaper" who detectives are quickly closing in on.
Arriving on UK DVD and digital platforms September 25th is another Willis actioner - First Kill!
While it remains to be seen if his Death Wish protagonist will be portrayed as a hero or a villain, he's unambiguously the latter in First Kill, playing a corrupt police chief menacing the family of Haydn Christensen's backwoods vacationing Wall Street broker.
The official synopsis reads:
In an attempt to reconnect with his son Danny, successful Wall Street broker Will (Haydn Christensen; Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Jumper) takes his family on a vacation to the cabin where he grew up. While Will and Danny are hunting, their trip takes a deadly turn when they witness the murder of a crooked police officer as a bank robbery goes awry. When Danny is taken hostage by the criminals, Will is forced to help them evade the police chief investigating the murder (Bruce Willis; Looper, RED) and recover the stolen money in exchange for his son's life.